Is Billy Wilder the greatest director of all-time?

woody allen is another that comes to mind. lucas really hasn't directed a good film since the 70s.

 

I'd say that's a matter of opinion

 

Would it be a matter of opinion to say that his output has not been as significant since the 70s?

 

Like James Cameron, there's been a long hiatus.

 

Whatever you say about Lucas, he did not fade into near oblivion like Cimino and so many other of the filmmakers who were prominent in the 70s. And whether you like the prequels or not, it won't change the fact that they did fairly well at the box-office - and the licensing and merchandising is still going strong, which is not bad for a 30+ year old franchise. And he also helped bring Indy back to life (though of course that movie had its detractors as well).

 

he certainly hasn't faded into oblivion as a producer and film icon in general, but as a director i think he has. and one's opinion of his films is certainly relevant to the discussion of greatest directors of all-time. if the discussion was of "most financially successful directors of all-time" then lucas would certainly be right up there (as would michael bay and roland emmerich).

 

I don't believe anyone here has even remotely tried to suggest that Lucas is a candidate to be considered among the greatest directors of all time. His name came up only in the context of how many directors who first gained prominence in the 70s have not been completely forgotten, like Michael Cimino or William Friedkin, who were among the hottest directors in Hollywood at some point during the 70s.

 

if the discussion was of "most financially successful directors of all-time" then lucas would certainly be right up there (as would michael bay and roland emmerich).

If you're talking purely commercial success, there are very, very few directors in the same class with Lucas.

With the possible exceptions of Spielberg and Peter Jackson, Lucas's money making ability as a director is without equal. And keep in mind unlike other directors whose films have made vast sums of money, Lucas did it directing films based on his own creation, the SW universe and characters, not on other people's novels, historical events, or theme park rides.

Emmerich and Bay are not even remotely at the level of Lucas.

 

lol this is getting silly, but a couple points.

1. i wasn't suggesting that emmerich and bay were close to lucas, but i'm pretty sure they're in the top ten in average box office gross per film (closer to lucas than spielberg i believe) and thus would be included in that discussion of most financially successful directors of all-time.

2. i didn't think anyone was calling lucas the greatest director of all-time, i was just trying to point out that opinions have greater relevance to this discussion than box office figures. and in my opinion the reason lucas hasn't been forgotten has very little to do with his talent as a director (or even the fact that he is a director).

 

Who has suggested that opinions are not relevant? Why did the discussion turn from Coppola to Lucas?

 

I was thinking: Maybe we should substitute another name in the title and argue about *him* (or her.)

But as it is your thread, you have veto power.

 

BobaFrank made the thread, not Boba Jr, Zaz.

 

As an aside, the man himself (Coppola, that is) turned 70 today.

 

Wow, he is wreally that old?

I never thoght he is.

 

He's just 5 years older than Lucas...

 

Hitchcock and Kubrick would probably be the major names listed for best director.

Overall Coppola is somewhere in the Ridley Scott range of consistency -- although Scott's been able to near-equal many of his previous achievments (save perhaps the heights he reached in Blade Runner) later in life and Coppola is still living in the shadow of the director he used to be.

I think the most consistent director these days is probably Christopher Nolan: he's not a man whose made any films that are quite the calibre of the directors above, but he's approaching them and hasn't made the missteps of any of these directors (although it's arguable Hitchcock ever made any missteps and Kubrick's was only right at the very end).

I'm probably forgetting other notable names, but Coppola's not the best director of all time. He had a magnificent 10-year sprint but he's spent 30 or so years in the doldrums.

 

Only the likes of Orson Welles, Frank Capra, John Ford, Howard Hawks, Billy Wilder, William Wyler, Akira Kurosawa, Francois Truffaut, Jean Renoir, Michael Powell, D.W. Griffith, Fritz Lang, Vincente Minnelli, Victor Fleming, F.W. Murnau, etc.

 

There are some great Russian and Italian directors, too.

 

To be honest, everyone is different, and tastes in directors isn't an exception. So, while I quickly answered no, I can see an argument for him and if anyone did list him as their #1 director of all-time I'd be fine with that. For comparison sake, my current top 20, and just in this little snippet you get a feeling for how subjective even discussing director's is.

1) Hayao Miyazaki
2) Werner Herzog
3) Billy Wilder
4) Alfred Hitchcock
5) Gus Van Sant
6) Akira Kurosawa
7) David Cronenberg
8) Stanley Kubrick
9) Sergio Leone
10) Andrew Stanton
11) Coen Brothers
12) Marc Forster
13) John Lasseter
14) Clint Eastwood
15) John Ford
16) Paul Thomas Anderson
17) Brad Bird
18) Ingmar Bergman
19) Isao Takahata
20) Guillermo del Toro

 

Ah, yes, I left out Sergei Eisenstein, Federico Fellini, etc.

 

Only the likes of Orson Welles, Frank Capra, John Ford, Howard Hawks, Billy Wilder, William Wyler, Akira Kurosawa, Francois Truffaut, Jean Renoir, Michael Powell, D.W. Griffith, Fritz Lang, Vincente Minnelli, Victor Fleming, F.W. Murnau, etc.


Hmmmm. Of those the only directors I think in the same calibre as Hitchcock and Kubrick are Fritz Lang and Akira Kurosawa. Most of the others either didn't produce films I'd consider to be "great", or underwent thier own decline similar to Coppolla. I mean, Welles directed KAne but nothing else ever equalled it -- Capra I don't think was in the same league and neither was Murneau, Griffith was a very mixed picture, etc.

There is at least one other French director or two in thier league I think, though thier names escape me. I don't THINK Renoir is one of them though I could be wrong.


EDIT: Fellini -- ah yes, I had forgotten him.

 

,,
There is at least one other French director or two in thier league I think, though thier names escape me. I don't THINK Renoir is one of them though I could be wrong."


Godard?

 

Jean-Luc Goddard, that was it!

 

Jean Renoir's Rules of the Game often gets named as the best film of all time.

 

Hitchcock certainly made missteps. Torn Curtain, anyone? Mr. and Mrs. Smith? The Trouble With Harry? I'd even class Lifeboat as something of a misstep.

Regardless, Kurosawa, Fellini . . . these are all great names.