Greatest Film Directors and Their Best Films

Greatest Film Directors
and
Their Best Films

Part 1

These honored selections are designed as a tribute to some of the greatest directors of predominantly English-language films, with suggested or recommended Best Films or 'Must-See' Films from their filmographies.

In the April 19th, 1996 issue, Entertainment Weekly produced a cover-story article titled "The 50 Greatest Directors and Their 100 Best Movies". These top 50 "Greatest Directors of All Time" from their list are marked with this red 'directors-chair' symbol -- and the magazine's ranking number.

In 2005, Britain's Empire Magazine commissioned a poll of its readership to come up with a list of the top 40 greatest directors of all time. The Top 40 "Greatest Directors of All Time" (with their ranking number) from their list are marked below with an asterisk -- and their ranking number.

There were some very glaring and obvious omissions from Empire's list (i.e., Frank Capra, George Cukor, Michael Curtiz, Cecil B. DeMille, D. W. Griffith, John Huston, Elia Kazan, Buster Keaton, Ernst Lubitsch, Vincente Minnelli, F.W. Murnau, Roman Polanski, Powell and Pressburger, Otto Preminger, Douglas Sirk, George Stevens, Preston Sturges and William Wyler - to name a few), and their ranking was extremely questionable.

Greatest Films
Greatest Directors

The Greatest Directors
and Their Best Films
Part 1
(Unranked, Alphabetical Order)

# 19 # 10	WOODY ALLEN 1935- Witty, Original New York-Based Screenwriter/Director/Film Actor/Comedian Combining Cerebral Wit, Psychological Exposition, and Physical Comedy Suggested Filmography: Take the Money and Run (1969), Bananas (1971), Play It Again, Sam (1972) (writer), Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (1972), Sleeper (1973), Love and Death (1975), Annie Hall (1977), Interiors (1978), Manhattan (1979), Stardust Memories (1980), A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982), Zelig (1983), Broadway Danny Rose (1984), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Radio Days (1987), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), Husbands and Wives (1992), Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), Bullets Over Broadway (1994), Mighty Aphrodite (1995), Everyone Says I Love You (1996), Deconstructing Harry (1997), Celebrity (1998), Sweet and Lowdown (1999), Small Time Crooks (2000), The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001), Hollywood Ending (2002), Anything Else (2003), Melinda and Melinda (2005), Match Point (2005), Scoop (2006), Cassandra's Dream (2007).
	PEDRO ALMODÓVAR 1949- Insightful Oscar-Winning Spanish Writer/Director of Convoluted, Usually Sexually Provocative Films, Nicknamed "the Spanish Hitchcock" Suggested Filmography (Sp.): Matador (1986, Sp.), La Ley del Deseo/Law of Desire (1987, Sp.), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988, Sp.), ¡Átame!/Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990, Sp.), Tacones Lejanos/High Heels (1991, Sp.), Kika (1993, Sp.), La Flor de Mi Secreto/The Flower of My Secret (1995, Sp.), Carne Trémula/Live Flesh (1997, Sp.), Todo Sobre Mi Madre/All About My Mother (1999, Sp.), Hable Con Ella/Talk to Her (2002, Sp.), La Mala Educación (2004, Sp.) (aka Bad Education), Volver (2006, Sp.).
# 17 # 40	ROBERT ALTMAN 1925-2006 Innovative, Iconoclastic, Free-Spirited, Unconventional, Original, Countercultural Director Suggested Filmography: That Cold Day in the Park (1969), Brewster McCloud (1970), MAS*H (1970), McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971), The Long Goodbye (1973), California Split (1974), Thieves Like Us (1974), Nashville (1975), Buffalo Bill and the Indians (1976), 3 Women (1977), A Wedding (1978), A Perfect Couple (1979), Popeye (1980), Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean (1982), Secret Honor (1984), Fool for Love (1985), Tanner '88 (1988), Vincent & Theo (1990), The Player (1992), Short Cuts (1993), Pret-a-Porter (1994), The Gingerbread Man (1998), Cookie's Fortune (1999), Dr. T and the Women (2000), Gosford Park (2001), The Company (2003), A Prairie Home Companion (2006).
# 8 # 36	INGMAR BERGMAN 1918-2007 One of the Great Film-makers of All Time, From Sweden, of Often Bleak and Deeply Contemplative B/W Sagas Suggested Filmography: Smiles of a Summer Night (1955), The Seventh Seal (1957), Wild Strawberries (1957), The Magician (1958), The Virgin Spring (1959), The Devil's Eye (1960), Through a Glass, Darkly, Winter Light (both 1962), The Silence (1963), Persona (1966), Shame (1968), Hour of the Wolf (1968), The Passion of Anna (1969), Cries and Whispers (1972), Scenes From a Marriage (1973), The Magic Flute (1975), Face to Face (1976), Autumn Sonata (1978), From the Life of the Marionettes (1980), Fanny and Alexander (1983).
	BUSBY BERKELEY 1895-1976 Innovative Choreographer/Director Who Revolutionized the Film Musical with Kaleidoscopic Displays Suggested Filmography: Whoopee! (1930) (choreographer), Footlight Parade (1933) (choreographer), Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) (dance director), 42nd Street (1933) (choreographer), Dames (1934) (choreographer), Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935), Babes in Arms (1939), They Made Me a Criminal (1939), Strike Up the Band (1940), Babes on Broadway (1941), For Me and My Gal (1942), The Gang's All Here (1943), Girl Crazy (1943) (choreographer), Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949), Annie Get Your Gun (1950) (uncredited), Million Dollar Mermaid (1952) (choreographer).
# 44	BERNARDO BERTOLUCCI 1940- Italian Film-Maker Famous for Epic, Rhythmic, Sensual, Lyrical Tales in Exotic Locales Suggested Filmography: Before the Revolution (1962), The Conformist (1970), The Spider's Stratagem (1970), Last Tango in Paris (1972), 1900 (1976), La Luna (1979), The Last Emperor (1987), The Sheltering Sky (1990), Little Buddha (1993), Stealing Beauty (1996), Besieged (1998), The Dreamers (2003).
	FRANK BORZAGE 1893-1962 Hollywood's Great Romanticist with Soft-Focus, Sentimental, Romantic Films of the 30s/40s Suggested Filmography: Humoresque (1920), Secrets (1924), Seventh Heaven (1927), Street Angel (1928), Liliom (1930), Bad Girl (1931), A Farewell to Arms (1932), Man's Castle (1933), Flirtation Walk (1934), Little Man, What Now? (1934), Desire (1936), Green Light (1937), History Is Made At Night (1937), The Shining Hour (1938), Mannequin (1938), Three Comrades (1938), The Mortal Storm (1940), Strange Cargo (1940), Smilin' Through (1941), His Butler's Sister (1943), Stage Door Canteen (1943), The Spanish Main (1945), Moonrise (1948), The Big Fisherman (1959).
	MEL BROOKS 1926- Producer/Actor/Director/Writer of Vulgar Comedy Spoofs of Traditional Movie Genres Suggested Filmography: The Producers (1968), The Twelve Chairs (1970), Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974), Silent Movie (1976), High Anxiety (1978), History of the World: Part I (1981), To Be Or Not To Be (1983), Spaceballs (1987), Life Stinks (1991), Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995), The Producers (2005) (producer only).
	CLARENCE BROWN 1890-1987 Distinguished, Leading Director from MGM Studios, Greta Garbo's Preferred Director Suggested Filmography: The Last of the Mohicans (1920), The Eagle (1925), Flesh and the Devil (1926), A Woman of Affairs (1928), Anna Christie (1930), A Free Soul (1931), Possessed (1931), Sadie McKee (1934), Ah, Wilderness! (1935), Anna Karenina (1935), Wife vs. Secretary (1936), Conquest (1937), Idiot's Delight (1939), The Rains Came (1939), Edison, The Man (1940), Come Live With Me (1941), The Human Comedy (1943), National Velvet (1944), The White Cliffs of Dover (1944), The Yearling (1946), Intruder in the Dust (1949), Angels in the Outfield (1951), Plymouth Adventure (1952).
# 14	LUIS BUNUEL 1900-1983 Spanish Director and Screenwriter, Memorably Known for Original Works and as the "Father of Surrealism in Film" Suggested Filmography: Un Chien Andalou (1929), L'Age D'Or (1930), Land Without Bread (1933), Los Olvidados/The Young and the Damned (1950), El (1953), The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz (1955), Nazarin (1959), Viridiana (1961), The Exterminating Angel (1962), Diary of a Chambermaid (1964), Belle de Jour (1967), Tristana (1970), The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972), The Phantom of Liberty (1974), That Obscure Object of Desire (1977).
# 49 # 30	TIM BURTON 1958- Wild, Imaginative, Distinctive, Comic-Strip Visualist/Director Suggested Filmography: Vincent (1982), Frankenweenie (1984), Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985), Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Batman Returns (1992), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) (producer), Ed Wood (1994), Batman Forever (1995) (producer), Mars Attacks! (1996), James and the Giant Peach (1996) (producer), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Planet of the Apes (2001), Big Fish (2003), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeney Todd (2007).
# 14	JAMES CAMERON 1954- Ambitious, Top-Notch Action-Blockbuster Film Director/Screenwriter of the Modern Era Suggested Filmography: The Terminator (1984), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) (writer), Aliens (1986), The Abyss (1989), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), True Lies (1994), Strange Days (1995) (writer, producer), Titanic (1997), Ghosts of the Abyss (2003) (aka Titanic 3D: Ghosts of the Abyss), Aliens of the Deep (2005).
# 9	FRANK CAPRA 1897-1991 Producer/Director of "Capra-Corn" Social Americana Films as Tribute to the Idealistic Common Man Battling Against Corruption; also Known for His Fast-Paced, Madcap Comedies Suggested Filmography: The Strong Man (1926), Platinum Blonde (1931), The Miracle Woman (1931), The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933), Lady for a Day (1933), Broadway Bill (1934), It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), Lost Horizon (1937), You Can't Take It With You (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Meet John Doe (1941), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), It's A Wonderful Life (1946), State of the Union (1948), Here Comes the Groom (1951), A Hole in the Head (1959), Pocketful of Miracles (1961).
	JOHN CASSAVETES 1929-1989 First Truly Pioneering American Independent Film Maker with Improvisational, Unpredictable Style Embodied in Realistic Film Stories; also Hollywood Actor Suggested Filmography: Shadows (1961), Faces (1968), Husbands (1970), Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), Opening Night (1977), Gloria (1980), Love Streams (1984), Big Trouble (1985).
# 35	CHARLIE CHAPLIN 1889-1977 Extraordinarily-Famed Silent-Screen Tramp Character, Producer, Actor, Director and Dialogue-Less Comedian of Both the Silent and Sound Eras; One of Hollywood's First Super-Stars Suggested Filmography: The Tramp (1915), The Immigrant (1917), Easy Street (1917), A Dog's Life (1918), The Kid (1921), The Pilgrim (1923), A Woman of Paris (1923), The Gold Rush (1925), The Circus (1928), City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936), The Great Dictator (1940), Monsieur Verdoux (1947), Limelight (1952), A King in New York (1957), A Countess from Hong Kong (1967).
# 13	JOEL COEN 1954- and ETHAN COEN 1957- Writer/Director/Producer Brother-Team of Offbeat, Irreverent, Often Enigmatic, Unorthodox Yet Cinema-Savvy Films Suggested Filmography: Blood Simple (1984), Raising Arizona (1987), Miller's Crossing (1990), Barton Fink (1991), The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), The Man Who Wasn't There (2001), Intolerable Cruelty (2003), The Ladykillers (2004), No Country for Old Men (2007).
# 21 # 15	FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA 1939- Italian-American Director Acclaimed in the 1970s for the 'Godfather' Films and the Classic War Film Apocalypse Now Suggested Filmography: Dementia 13 (1963), You're a Big Boy Now (1966), Finian's Rainbow (1968), The Rain People (1969), The Godfather Trilogy: The Godfather (1972), The Godfather, Part II (1974); The Conversation (1974), Apocalypse Now (1979), One From the Heart (1982), Rumble Fish (1983), The Outsiders (1983), The Cotton Club (1984), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Gardens of Stone (1987), Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988), New York Stories (1989), The Godfather, Part III (1990), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Jack (1996), The Rainmaker (1997), The Virgin Suicides (1999) (producer, daughter directed), Apocalypse Now Redux (2001), Youth Without Youth (2007).