Every era has its leading directors, but sometimes one director is head and shoulders above the rest. More than any of their peers, these directors are the most pushing boundaries, changing environments, and producing works that endure.
Redditors recently got together on the biggest movie subreddit, r/movies, to discuss which directors have been the best each decade. Their selection includes some of the best storytellers whose filmography is worth diving into if you haven’t already.
10 1920s - Charlie Chaplin
“Chaplin in the 20s,” user Random_n1nja said. It’s hard to argue. Charlie Chaplin made seven films during this decade, including such successful and influential films as Child (which opened up a new emotional depth for the performer) and Golden fever (a perfect display of his physical comedy). 1923s Pilgrim and 1928s Circus also now highly respected.
Chaplin’s work in the 1920s successfully combined comedy and pathos, crossing language and era barriers. His character, the Tramp, has become one of the most recognizable characters on the planet. Even today, his films remain more accessible and watchable than most other films from that period.
9 1930s - Frank Capra
Several Reddit users called Frank Capra as the leading director of the 1930s. Indeed, Capra was huge at the time, dominating both the box office and the number of awards. During this decade, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director six times and won three times. His most famous films of that period are: It happened one night, Mr. Deeds goes to town, You can’t take it with youAnd Mr Smith Goes to Washington.
Capra was one of America’s defining myth-makers of the 20th century, whose stories helped shape ideas of what the country was and should be. One of the most influential directors of Hollywood’s golden age, he has influenced everyone from Steven Spielberg To David Lynch.
8 1940s - Powell and Pressburger
User tenonatheme and Redditor user LCX001 called this directorial duo the best of the 40s. Michael Powell And Emeric Pressburger, often referred to as The Archers, were an innovative filmmaking team that consistently pushed the boundaries of narrative and visual style. Much of their 1940s work is often ranked among the greatest films ever made, such as A matter of life and death, Black NarcissusAnd Red shoes.
According to a 2010 Chicago-Sun Times editorial by Michael Mirasol, directors such as George A. Romero, Francis Ford CoppolaAnd Martin Scorsese. Recently, Greta Gerwig drew inspiration from Red shoes For Barbie.
7 1950s - Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa undoubtedly a defining figure in Japanese cinema, but his work has also had a profound impact on Japanese cinema throughout the world. The 1950s were the height of his creativity, when he released such classics as Rashomon, Ikiru, seven samurai, Throne of BloodAnd hidden fortress. His samurai films proved his ability to direct epic sets. Ikiru reflects his more thoughtful and existentialist side.
Seven Reddit users voted Kurosawa the best director of the 1950s. “I think Kurosawa’s films have no age. They could come out today and I would be sitting in the cinema not recognizing that this is an old movie,” said user WillieMaysHayes24.
6 1960s - Stanley Kubrick
“[Stanley Kubrick’s] the best movie would have been the 60s,” user overthemountain said. Kubrick’s films of the 60s are as varied as they are impressive. He began the decade with a historical epic. Spartacusfollowed by psychological drama Lolitaturned to the satire of the Cold War with Dr. Strangeloveand then ended it all 2001one of the best sci-fi movies of all time.
Kubrick was a true master of his craft and certainly claimed the title of the best director of all time. Few other filmmakers have combined such technical ambition with such sharp social criticism and/or such a dark sense of humour. Few other directors have been as demanding in realizing their vision.
5 1970s - Francis Ford Coppola
The 1970s belonged to Francis Ford Coppola. Few directors can top his performance from ’72 to ’79: Godfather, The Godfather Part 2, TalkAnd Apocalypse has come. Even the least revolutionary of them, Talkis a small masterpiece that boasts one of Gene Hackmanthe best performances of all time.
Coppola directed four films [in the 1970s] and three of them have a legitimate case for being in the top 10 best films ever made, while the other won the Palme d’Or and was nominated for best film. I would say that he is the best lockout of all mentioned, ”said user Dylan245.
4 1980s - John Carpenter
“[John] A carpenter“Great choice for the 80s,” said user WillieMaysHayes24. Carpenter produced some of the most interesting (not to mention entertaining) work of that decade. Thing has been canonized as a horror classic, Big Trouble in Little China is a cult gem and They live one of the best sci-fi comedies of all time.
Even his more uneven designs like Fog, Christine, star manAnd Prince of Darkness it is very funny. While not always critically acclaimed at the time, Carpenter’s films had a profound impact on the next generation of filmmakers, including Quentin Tarantino, Guillermo Del ToroAnd Edgar Wright.
3 1990s - Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg is one of the most consistent directors, so he may have owned several decades, but his films from the 1990s are probably the most creative and powerful. Hook, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s list, Amistad, Saving Private Ryan: there is not a single loser among them.
“I would vote Spielberg for the 90s. [Two] The Oscars are arguably the best war and Holocaust film ever made that has yet to see the light of day. Jurassic Park as one of the best blockbusters of all time,” said user RyzenRaider.
2 2000s - Quentin Tarantino
User cmcb21 named Quentin Tarantino the best movie of the 2000s. His 90s films were more revolutionary and his 2010s projects more mature, but this Redditor user felt that QT was beating the competition in the noughties. In that decade, he made two damn hilarious action films in Kill Billan intriguing, albeit uneven, experiment with death proofand one of the best WWII movies ever made. Inglourious Basterds.
These films showed that Tarantino’s signature mix of cinematic references, explosive violence, and non-linear storytelling hasn’t lost its appeal. If he doesn’t quit after his tenth film, as he claims, the coming decades could be his.
1 2010s - Martin Scorsese
User _uper_unnown chose Martin Scorsese as the maestro of the 2010s (although Reddit user WillieMaysHayes24 said they “almost chose Scorsese for every decade”). Like Spielberg, Scorsese has been remarkably consistent throughout his decades-long career. Many fans will prefer his lean, mean 70s films or his 1980s iconic films, but the 2010s was also an exciting (and amazing) period for Scorsese.
In this decade, he became more experimental and varied in the stories he sought to realize. He delivered Shutter Island in 2010, then moved on to more fantasy and family Hugobefore going in the direction of complete opposition with The wolf of Wall Street. Then another 180-degree turn with a religious epic. Silencebefore returning to the gangster genre with an overgrown Irishman. The entire decade has been like Scorsese emphatically reminding us, “I’m still here and I still have this.”
Source: Collider
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