Greatest Film Directors and Their Best Films

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.

# 34	SAM RAIMI 1959- Cult Horror Film Director Suggested Filmography: The Evil Dead (1982), Crimewave (1985), Evil Dead II (1987), Darkman (1990), Army of Darkness (1993), The Quick and the Dead (1995), A Simple Plan (1998), For Love of the Game (1999), The Gift (2000), Spider-Man (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Drag Me to Hell (2008).
# 36	NICHOLAS RAY 1911-1979 Hollywood Director of Distinctively Personal/Confessional Works in the 50s Suggested Filmography: The Twisted Road (1948) - re-released as They Live By Night (1949), Knock on Any Door (1949), In A Lonely Place (1950), On Dangerous Ground (1951), Flying Leathernecks (1951), The Lusty Men (1952), Johnny Guitar (1954), Rebel Without A Cause (1955), Bigger Than Life (1956), Bitter Victory (1957), Party Girl (1958), King of Kings (1961), 55 Days at Peking (1963).
# 25	SATYAJIT RAY 1921-1992 Award-Winning Indian-Born Director, the Most Famous of All-Time, and Noted for the Acclaimed "Apu Trilogy" Suggested Filmography: Pather Panchali (1955), Aparajito (1956), The Music Room (1958), The World of Apu (1959), The Big City (1963), Charulata (1964), Days and Nights in the Forest (1969), Distant Thunder (1973), The Branches of the Tree (1990).
# 12	JEAN RENOIR 1894-1979 Famed Expressionistic French Director of Three of the Greatest Films of All-Time; One of the First Auteurs and Son of Famed Impressionistic Painter Auguste Renoir Suggested Filmography (mostly Fr.): La Chienne/The Bitch (1931), Boudu Sauvé des Eaux/Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932), Les Bas-fonds/The Underground (1936), The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936), Une Partie Campagne/A Day in the Country (1936), La Grande Illusion/Grand Illusion (1937), La Bete Humaine/The Human Beast (1938), La Marseillaise (1938), La Règle du Jeu/The Rules of the Game (1939), L'Amour/Ways of Love (1940), Swamp Water (1941), This Land is Mine (1943), The Southerner (1945), The Diary of a Chambermaid (1946), The Woman on the Beach (1947), The River (1951), Le Carrosse D'or/The Golden Coach (1953), French Cancan (1955), Elena et Les Hommes (1956), Picnic on the Grass (1959).
	KEN RUSSELL 1927- Flamboyant British Director of Sensational, Often Shocking, Grotesque, Impressionistic Cinema Suggested Filmography: French Dressing (1964), Billion Dollar Brain (1967), Women in Love (1969), The Boy Friend (1971), The Devils (1971), The Music Lovers (1971), Savage Messiah (1972), Mahler (1974), Lisztomania (1975), Tommy (1975), Valentino (1977), Altered States (1980), Crimes of Passion (1984), Gothic (1986), The Lair of the White Worm (1988), Salome's Last Dance (1988), The Rainbow (1989), Whore (1991), Lion's Mouth (2000), The Fall of the Louse of Usher (2002), Revenge of the Elephant Man (2004), Trapped Ashes (2006), Moll Flanders (2008).
	JOHN SCHLESINGER 1926-2003 Skillful, Capable, and Celebrated British Director Suggested Filmography: A Kind of Loving (1962), Billy Liar (1963), Darling (1965), Far From the Madding Crowd (1967), Midnight Cowboy (1969), Sunday, Bloody Sunday (1971), The Day of the Locust (1975), Marathon Man (1976), Yanks (1979), Honky Tonk Freeway (1981), The Falcon and the Snowman (1985), The Believers (1987), Madame Sousatzka (1988), Pacific Heights (1990), The Innocent (1993), Cold Comfort Farm (1995), Eye For An Eye (1996), The Next Best Thing (2000).
# 5 # 3	MARTIN SCORSESE 1942- Renowned, Notable, Modern American Film-maker of a "New Hollywood" Generation; Director of Contemporary, Visually-Stimulating Films That Predominantly Featured New York City, and Had Urban/Crime Themes Suggested Filmography: Who's That Knocking at My Door? (1968), Boxcar Bertha (1972), Mean Streets (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), New York, New York (1977), The Last Waltz (1978), Raging Bull (1980), The King of Comedy (1983), After Hours (1985), The Color of Money (1986), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), GoodFellas (1990), Cape Fear (1991), The Age of Innocence (1993), Casino (1995), A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese through American Movies (1995) (documentary), Kundun (1997), Bringing Out the Dead (1999), You Can Count on Me (2000) (ex. producer), Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004), No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005), The Departed (2006), Shine a Light (2008).
# 5	RIDLEY SCOTT 1937- Hit-Producing, British-Born Director of Visually-Striking 80s and 90s (and Beyond) Films Suggested Filmography: The Duellists (1977), Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Legend (1985), Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), Black Rain (1989), Thelma & Louise (1991), 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992), White Squall (1996), G.I. Jane (1997), Gladiator (2000), Hannibal (2001), Black Hawk Down (2001), Matchstick Men (2003), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), American Gangster (2007).
# 28	TONY SCOTT 1944- British Writer/Director (Brother of Ridley) With Top Gun As His Greatest Claim to Fame Suggested Filmography: The Hunger (1983), Top Gun (1986), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Days of Thunder (1990), Revenge (1990), The Last Boy Scout (1991), True Romance (1993), Crimson Tide (1995), The Fan (1996), Money (1996), Enemy of the State (1998), Spy Game (2001), Beat the Devil (2002), Man on Fire (2004), Domino (2005), Deja Vu (2006), The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009).
	MACK SENNETT 1880-1960 Greatest, Most Influential Master of Silent Screen Comedy, the "King of Comedy" and Anarchic Slapstick Suggested Filmography: Producer and Director of hundreds of short films, Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914), The Dentist (1932) (producer), The Fatal Glass of Beer (1933) (producer).
# 37	M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN 1970- Director of Films Specializing in Twists and Surprise Endings Suggested Filmography: Praying with Anger (1992), Wide Awake (1998), The Sixth Sense (1999), Unbreakable (2000), Signs (2002), The Village (2004), Lady in the Water (2006), The Happening (2008).
	DON SIEGEL 1912-1991 Action-Film Director of Low-Budget Police Dramas, Established a Prolific Association with Anti-Hero Clint Eastwood Suggested Filmography: The Big Steal (1949), Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), Baby Face Nelson (1957), The Line-Up (1958), Flaming Star (1960), Hell Is For Heroes (1962), The Killers (1964), Coogan's Bluff (1968), Madigan (1968), Two Mules for Sister Sara (1969), The Beguiled (1971), Dirty Harry (1971), Charley Varrick (1973), The Black Windmill (1974), The Shootist (1976), Telefon (1977), Escape From Alcatraz (1979), Rough Cut (1980), Jinxed! (1982).
# 38	DOUGLAS SIRK 1900-1987 Director of Glossy, Stylized, 50s Technicolor, Melodramatic Soap Operas Suggested Filmography: Lured (1947), Sleep, My Love (1948), Shockproof (1949), Thunder on the Hill (1951), Has Anybody Seen My Gal? (1952), All I Desire (1953), Magnificent Obsession (1954), All That Heaven Allows (1955), Sign of the Pagan (1955), There's Always Tomorrow (1956), Written on the Wind (1956), Battle Hymn (1957), The Tarnished Angels (1957), A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958), Imitation of Life (1959).
# 11 # 1	STEVEN SPIELBERG 1946- Most Commercially-Successful and Prolific Producer/Director of Hollywood Blockbusters and Other 'Big-Budget' Films Suggested Filmography: Duel (1971), The Sugarland Express (1974), Jaws (1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), 1941 (1979), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Poltergeist (1982), Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) (segment 2), Gremlins (1984) (producer), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Back to the Future, II, III (1985, 1989, 1990) (executive producer), The Color Purple (1985), Empire of the Sun (1987), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (executive producer), Always (1989), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Hook (1991), Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler's List (1993), Twister (1996) (executive producer), Amistad (1997), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Men in Black (1997) (producer), Saving Private Ryan (1998), A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001), Jurassic Park III (2001) (ex. producer), Minority Report (2002), Catch Me If You Can (2002), The Terminal (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), Munich (2005), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008).
	GEORGE STEVENS 1904-1975 Respected American Producer/Director/Cinematographer of Many Classics Suggested Filmography: Alice Adams (1935), Swing Time (1936), A Damsel in Distress (1937), Vivacious Lady (1938), Gunga Din (1939), Penny Serenade (1941), The Talk of the Town (1942), Woman of the Year (1942), The More the Merrier (1943), I Remember Mama (1948), American Trilogy: A Place In the Sun (1951), Shane (1953), Giant (1956), The Diary of Anne Frank (1959), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), The Only Game in Town (1970).
# 43 # 16	OLIVER STONE 1946- Controversial, Provocative, Stylistic Director of Compelling, Bombastic, Modern-Day Dramas (Often Political) Suggested Filmography: The Hand (1981), Vietnam Trilogy: Platoon (1986), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Heaven and Earth (1993); Salvador (1986), Wall Street (1987), Talk Radio (1988), The Doors (1991), JFK (1991), Natural Born Killers (1994), Nixon (1995), U-Turn (1997), Any Given Sunday (1999), Alexander (2004), World Trade Center (2006), Pinkville (2008).
# 28	PRESTON STURGES 1898-1959 Legendary Writer/Director of Anarchic Screen Comedies and Witty Satires of the 40s With Larger-Than-Life Characters Suggested Filmography: The Great McGinty (1940), Christmas in July (1940), The Lady Eve (1941), Sullivan's Travels (1941), The Palm Beach Story (1942), Hail the Conquering Hero (1944), The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944), The Sin of Harold Dibbledock (1947), Unfaithfully Yours (1948), The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949).