Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Top Ranked 100 Directors, 2011 Edition

Updated 10.11.11

Top ranked directors of all-time, ranked by total points in all polls, based on our compendium of all polls,  2011 update edition, the Top Ranked 1000 Films of All Time

[For these rankings, we only included the top 1000 films - this hurt Fritz Lang and Woody Allen the most, who each had 10+ titles listed outside the top 1000]

Ranked By Total Points

Hitchcock with James Stewart

Rank - Director - #Films (Top 100) - Total Pts – [Avg per film]

1. Hitchcock, Alfred 14 (5) 64881 [4634]
2. Kubrick, Stanley 11 (6) 57302 [5209]
3. Scorsese, Martin 13 (3) 54060 [4158]
4. Kurosawa, Akira 11 (3) 47529 [4321]
5. Godard, Jean-Luc 12 (1) 41002 [3417]
6. Bergman, Ingmar 12 (3) 40929 [3411]
7. Spielberg, Steven 7 (3) 38147 [5450]
8. Chaplin, Charles 8 (3) 37417 [4677]
9. Fellini, Federico 9 (2) 35022 [3891]
10. Coppola, Francis Ford 4 (3) 32229 [8057]

11. Ford, John 10 (1) 32107 [3211]
12. Wilder, Billy 7 (4) 31120 [4446]
13. Buñuel, Luis 10 (1) 31040 [3104]
14. Welles, Orson 6 (2) 27256 [4543]
15. Coen, Joel and Ethan 10 (1) 26803 [2680]
16. Bresson, Robert 8 (1) 25877 [3235]
17. Polanski, Roman 5 (1) 25530 [5106]
18. Hawks, Howard 8 (0) 25343 [3168]
19. Keaton, Buster (some shared) 7 (2) 22817 [3260]
20. Allen, Woody 6 (2) 22541 [3757]
21. Tarantino, Quentin 5 (1) 22495 [4499]
22. Tarkovsky, Andrei 7 (0) 21663 [3095]
23. Renoir, Jean 8 (1) 21372 [2672]
24. Leone, Sergio 4 (2) 21210 [5303]
25. Lang, Fritz 4 (2) 21131 [5283]
26. Antonioni, Michelangelo 6 (0) 21045 [3508]
27. Scott, Ridley 4 (2) 20824 [5206]
28. Lean, David 4 (1) 20784 [4157]
29. Truffaut, François 5 (2) 20408 [4082]
30. Lynch, David 6 (0) 20400 [3400]
31. Dreyer, Carl Theodor 5 (1) 19997 [3999]
32. Cameron, James 5 (1) 19369 [3874]
33. Altman, Robert 7 (0) 19243 [2749]
34. Powell, Michael (some shared) 8 (0) 19155 [2394]
35. Eastwood, Clint 5 (1) 18885 [3777]
36. Capra, Frank 4 (1) 18411 [4603]
37. Eisenstein, Sergei 7 (0) 18094 [2585]
38. Murnau, F.W. 5 (1) 18076 [3615]
39. Miyazaki, Hadayo 6 (0) 18021 [3004]
40. Visconti, Luchino 8 (0) 17919 [2240]
41. Huston, John 5 (1) 17680 [3536]
42. Lumet, Sidney 5 (0) 17393 [3479]
43. Lucas, George 3 (2) 17171 [5724]
44. Jackson, Peter 3 (2) 17076 [5692]
45. Nolan, Christopher 5 (0) 16073 [3215]
46. De Sica, Vittorio 3 (2) 15777 [5259]
47. Mizoguchi, Kenji 5 (1) 15534 [3107]
48. Bertolucci, Bernardo 5 (0) 15127 [3025]
49. Fleming, Victor 2 (1) 15032 [7516]
50. Forman, Milos 3 (2) 14737 [4912]
51. Rossellini, Roberto 6 (0) 14671 [2445]
52. Kieslowski, Krszystof 6 (0) 14576 [2429]
53. Gilliam, Terry 4 (1) 14392 [3598]
54. Anderson, Paul Thomas 4 (0) 13990 [3498]
55. Kazan, Elia 3 (1) 13688 [4563]
56. Malick, Terrence 4 (0) 13683 [3421]
57. Herzog, Werner 5 (1) 13638 [2728]
58. Almodóvar, Pedro 5 (0) 13429 [2686]
59. Griffith, D.W. 3 (0) 13198 [4399]
60. Resnais, Alain 5 (0) 13162 [2632]
61. Sturges, Preston 4 (0) 13154 [3289]
62. Wyler, William 4 (0) 13008 [3252]
63. Fassbinder, Rainer Werner 6 (0) 12837 [2140]
64. Lasseter, John 3 (1) 12806 [4269]
65. Fincher, David 4 (0) 12755 [3189]
66. Ozu, Yasuhiro 4 (1) 12735 [3184]
67. Cassavetes, John 5 (0) 12669 [2534]
68. Kiarostami, Abbas 7 (0) 12625 [1804]
69. Wong Kar-Wai 5 (0) 12544 [2509]
70. Curtiz, Michael 3 (1) 12398 [4133]
71. McCarey, Leo 4 (1) 11916 [2979]
72. Reed, Carol 3 (1) 11909 [3970]
73. Lubitsch, Ernst 5 (0) 11597 [2319]
74. Ophüls, Max 4 (0) 11419 [2855]
75. Cronenberg, David 6 (0) 11293 [1882]
76. Pasolini, Pier Paolo 6 (0) 11149
77. Wenders, Wim 4 (0) 11082 [2771]
78. Demme, Jonathan 4 (1) 10819 [2705]
79. Melville, Jean-Pierre 4 (0) 10778 [2695]
80. Ray, Nicholas 4 (0) 10267 [2567]
81. Tati, Jacques 3 (0) 10100 [3367]
82. Sirk, Douglas 3 (0) 10048 [3349]
83. Clouzot, Henri-Georges 3 (0) 10033 [3344]
84. Ray, Satyajit 5 (1) 9953 [1991]
85. Boyle, Danny 3 (0) 9917 [3306]
86. Aronofsky, Darren 3 (0) 9885 [3295]
87. Peckinpah, Sam 4 (0) 9876 [2469]
88. Zemeckis, Robert 3 (0) 9822 [3274]
89. Friedkin, William 2 (1) 9575 [4788]
90. Roeg, Nicolas 4 (0) 9472 [2368]
91. Minnelli, Vincente 5 (0) 9392 [1878]
92. Bird, Brad 3 (0) 9188 [3063]
93. Reiner, Rob 3 (0) 9078 [3026]
94. Donen, Stanley & Gene Kelly 2 (1) 8908 [4454]
95. Laughton, Charles 1 (1) 8796 [8796]
96. Stanton, Andrew 2 (0) 8535 [4268]
97. Anderson, Wes 4 (0) 8524 [2131]
98. Nichols, Mike 2 (1) 8476 [4238]
99. Lee, Ang 3 (0) 8153 [2718]
100. Lee, Spike 3 (0) 8099 [2700]
101. Zinnemann, Fred 4 (0) 7846 [1962]
102. De Palma, Brian 3 (0) 7725 [2575]
103. Cocteau, Jean 3 (0) 7611 [2537]
104. Linklater, Richard 4 (0) 7591 [1895]
105. von Stroheim, Erich 3 (0) 7565 [2522]
106. Sharpsteen, Ben 3 (0) 7377 [2459]
107. Weir, Peter 3 (0) 7237 [2412]
108. Cukor, George 3 (0) 7191 [2397]
109. Hill, George Roy 2 (0) 7152 [3576]
110. Mankiewicz, Joseph L. 1 (1) 7138 [7138]
111. von Sternberg, Josef 3 (0) 7094 [2365]
112. Leigh, Mike 3 (0) 7063 [2354]
113. Wise, Robert 3 (0) 6944 [2315]
114. von Trier, Lars 4 (0) 6732 [1683]
115. Jarmusch, Jim 3 (0) 6706 [2235]
116. Cuarón, Alfonso 2 (0) 6643 [3322]
117. Van Sant, Gus 4 (0) 6641 [1660]
118. Whale, James 2 (0) 6615 [3308]
119. Pontecorvo, Gillo 1 (1) 6595 [6595]
120. Hanson, Curtis 1 (1) 6589 [6589]
121. Mann, Michael 2 (0) 6467 [3234]
122. Tourneur, Jacques 3 (0) 6365 [2122]
123. Demy, Jacques 2 (0) 6351 [3176]
124. Cooper, Merian C./Ernest B. Schoedsack 1 (0) 6222 [6222]
125. Stevens, George 3 (0) 6214 [2071]

[I went a few beyond 100 to show those that are close behind. Only Laughton and Manckiewicz made the top 100 with only one film listed]
Listed Directors, Titles in Top 1000: 540
Listed Directors, Titles in Top 100: 90
Avg Pts per ranked director: 16,929
Avg Pts per ranked director's film: 3,599


Alphabetical By Director Top 200 Listed


"My only regret in life is that I'm not somebody else" - Woody Allen






Rank - Director - #Films (Top 100) - Total Pts – [Avg per film]

Rank - Director – Titles - Points - Avg/Film
170. Akerman, Chantal 1 - 4157 [4157]
20. Allen, Woody 6 - 22541 [3757]
58. Almodóvar, Pedro 5 - 13429 [2686]
33. Altman, Robert 7 - 19243 [2749]
54. Anderson, Paul Thomas 4 - 13990 [3498]
97. Anderson, Wes 4 - 8524 [2131]
163. Angelopoulos, Theo 2 - 4332 [2166]
26. Antonioni, Michelangelo 6 - 21045 [3508]
86. Aronofsky, Darren 3 - 9885 [3295]
164. Ashby, Hal 2 - 4332 [2166]
196. Avildsen, John G. 1 - 3491 [3491]
6. Bergman, Ingmar 12 - 40929 [3411]
48. Bertolucci, Bernardo 5 - 15127 [3025]
92. Bird, Brad 3 - 9188 [3063]
154. Boorman, John 2 - 4833 [2417]
85. Boyle, Danny 3 - 9917 [3306]
16. Bresson, Robert 8 - 25877 [3235]
195. Brooks, Mel 1 - 3498 [3498]
13. Buñuel, Luis 10 - 31040 [3104]
186. Burnett, Charles 1 - 3765 [3765]
132. Burton, Tim 3 - 5890 [1963]
32. Cameron, James 5 - 19369 [3874]
140. Campion, Jane 1 - 5506 [5506]
36. Capra, Frank 4 - 18411 [4603]
133. Carné, Marcel 2 - 5792 [2896]
127. Carpenter, John 2 - 6068 [3034]
67. Cassavetes, John 5 - 12669 [2534]
8. Chaplin, Charles 8 - 37417 [4677]
142. Cimino, Michael 1 - 5416 [5416]
160. Clair, René 2 - 4466 [2233]
83. Clouzot, Henri-Georges 3 - 10033 [3344]
103. Cocteau, Jean 3 - 7611 [2537]
15. Coen, Joel and Ethan 10 - 26803 [2680]
124. Cooper, Merian C./Ernest B. Schoedsack 1 - 6222 [6222]
10. Coppola, Francis Ford 4 - 32229 [8057]
190. Coppola, Sofia 1 - 3610 [3610]
75. Cronenberg, David 6 - 11293 [1882]
116. Cuarón, Alfonso 2 - 6643 [3322]
108. Cukor, George 3 - 7191 [2397]
70. Curtiz, Michael 3 - 12398 [4133]
126. Darabont, Frank 2 - 6117 [3059]
102. De Palma, Brian 3 - 7725 [2575]
46. De Sica, Vittorio 3 - 15777 [5259]
146. del Toro, Guillermo 1 - 5164 [5164]
78. Demme, Jonathan 4 - 10819 [2705]
123. Demy, Jacques 3 - 7719 [2573]
178. Denis, Claire 2 - 3951 [1976]
94. Donen, Stanley/Gene Kelly 2 - 8908 [4454]
31. Dreyer, Carl Theodor 5 - 19997 [3999]
35. Eastwood, Clint 5 - 18885 [3777]
192. Edwards, Blake 2 - 3559 [1780]
37. Eisenstein, Sergei 7 - 18094 [2585]
151. Erice, Victor 1 - 4931 [4931]
63. Fassbinder, Rainer Werner 6 - 12837 [2140]
9. Fellini, Federico 9 - 35022 [3891]
65. Fincher, David 4 - 12755 [3189]
200. Flaherty, Robert 2 - 3362 [1681]
49. Fleming, Victor 2 - 15032 [7516]
11. Ford, John 10 - 32107 [3211]
50. Forman, Milos 3 - 14737 [4912]
139. Fosse, Bob 2 - 5562 [2781]
131. Frankenheimer, John 1 - 5960 [5960]
165. Frears, Stephen 3 - 4319 [1440]
89. Friedkin, William 2 - 9575 [4788]
53. Gilliam, Terry 4 - 14392 [3598]
5. Godard, Jean-Luc 12 - 41002 [3417]
157. Gondry, Michael 1 - 4634 [4634]
134. Greengrass, Paul 3 - 5779 [1926]
59. Griffith, D.W. 3 - 13198 [4399]
175. Hamer, Robert 1 - 4100 [4100]
155. Hand, David 2 - 4760 [2380]
174. Haneke, Michael 2 - 4100 [2050]
120. Hanson, Curtis 1 - 6589 [6589]
18. Hawks, Howard 8 - 25343 [3168]
57. Herzog, Werner 5 - 13638 [2728]
109. Hill, George Roy 2 - 7152 [3576]
1. Hitchcock, Alfred 14 - 64881 [4634]
188. Hooper, Tobe 1 - 3716 [3716]
194. Hooper, Tom 1 - 3518 [3518]
176. Hopper, Dennis 1 - 4070 [4070]
161. Hou, Hsiao-Hsien 3 - 4448 [1483]
41. Huston, John 5 - 17680 [3536]
182. Iñárritu, Alejandro González 1 - 3852 [3852]
185. Ivory, James 3 - 3771 [1257]
44. Jackson, Peter 3 - 17076 [5692]
115. Jarmusch, Jim 3 - 6706 [2235]
187. Jeunet, Jean-Pierre 1 - 3746 [3746]
128. Jonze, Spike 2 - 6020 [3010]
55. Kazan, Elia 3 - 13688 [4563]
19. Keaton, Buster 7 - 22817 [3260]
159. Kelly, Richard 1 - 4481 [4481]
68. Kiarostami, Abbas 7 - 12625 [1804]
52. Kieslowski, Krszystof 6 - 14576 [2429]
2. Kubrick, Stanley 11 - 57302 [5209]
4. Kurosawa, Akira 11 - 47529 [4321]
25. Lang, Fritz 4 - 21131 [5283]
138. Lanzmann, Claude 1 - 5638 [5638]
64. Lasseter, John 3 - 12806 [4269]
95. Laughton, Charles 1 - 8796 [8796]
28. Lean, David 5 - 20784 [4157]
99. Lee, Ang 3 - 8153 [2718]
100. Lee, Spike 3 - 8099 [2700]
112. Leigh, Mike 4 - 7063 [1766]
24. Leone, Sergio 4 - 21210 [5303]
162. Lester, Richard 1 - 4436 [4436]
104. Linklater, Richard 4 - 7581 [1895]
73. Lubitsch, Ernst 5 - 11597 [2319]
43. Lucas, George 3 - 17171 [5724]
42. Lumet, Sidney 5 - 17393 [3479]
30. Lynch, David 6 - 20400 [3400]
156. Mackendrick, Alexander 1 - 4732 [4732]
56. Malick, Terrence 4 - 13683 [3421]
110. Mankiewicz, Joseph L. 1 - 7138 [7138]
121. Mann, Michael 2 - 6467 [3234]
71. McCarey, Leo 4 - 11916 [2979]
179. McTiernan, John 1 - 3930 [3930]
144. Meirelles, Fernando 1 - 5269 [5269]
79. Melville, Jean-Pierre 4 - 10778 [2695]
137. Mendes, Sam 1 - 5643 [5643]
193. Milestone, Lewis 1 - 3534 [3534]
91. Minnelli, Vincente 5 - 9392 [1878]
39. Miyazaki, Hayao 6 - 18021 [3004]
47. Mizoguchi, Kenji 5 - 15534 [3107]
148. Mulligan, Robert 1 - 5072 [5072]
38. Murnau, F.W. 5 - 18076 [3615]
98. Nichols, Mike 2 - 8476 [4238]
45. Nolan, Christopher 5 - 16073 [3215]
74. Ophüls, Max 4 - 11419 [2855]
66. Ozu, Yasujiro 4 - 12725 [3181]
189. Parajanov, Sergei 2 - 3639 [1820]
191. Park Chan-Wook 1 - 3582 [3582]
76. Pasolini, Pier Paolo 4 - 11149 [2787]
180. Payne, Alexander 2 - 3924 [1962]
87. Peckinpah, Sam 4 - 9876 [2469]
150. Penn, Arthur 1 - 5002 [5002]
184. Peterson, Wolfgang 1 - 3800 [3800]
17. Polanski, Roman 5 - 25530 [5106]
198. Pollack, Sydney 1 - 3439 [3439]
119. Pontecorvo, Gillo 1 - 6595 [6595]
34. Powell, Michael 8 - 19155 [2394]
145. Preminger, Otto 2 - 5254 [2627]
197. Raimi, Sam 2 - 3446 [1723]
158. Ramis, Harold 1 - 4538 [4538]
80. Ray, Nicholas 4 - 10267 [2567]
84. Ray, Satyajit 5 - 9953 [1991]
72. Reed, Carol 3 - 11909 [3970]
93. Reiner, Rob 3 - 9078 [3026]
23. Renoir, Jean 8 - 21372 [2672]
60. Resnais, Alain 5 - 13162 [2632]
173. Rivette, Jacques 1 - 4128 [4128]
169. Rocha, Glauber 3 - 4166 [1389]
90. Roeg, Nicolas 4 - 9472 [2368]
129. Romero, George A. 2 - 5996 [2998]
51. Rossellini, Roberto 6 - 14671 [2445]
177. Rossen, Robert 1 - 4062 [4062]
141. Schnabel, Julian 2 - 5496 [2748]
3. Scorsese, Martin 13 - 54060 [4158]
27. Scott, Ridley 4 - 20824 [5206]
106. Sharpsteen, Ben 3 - 7377 [2459]
153. Singer, Bryan 1 - 4893 [4893]
82. Sirk, Douglas 4 - 10048 [2512]
183. Snow, Michael 2 - 3842 [1921]
147. Soderbergh, Steven 3 - 5107 [1702]
172. Sokurov, Aleksandr 3 - 4141 [1380]
7. Spielberg, Steven 7 - 38147 [5450]
96. Stanton, Andrew 2 - 8535 [4268]
125. Stevens, George 3 - 6214 [2071]
61. Sturges, Preston 4 - 13154 [3289]
181. Takahata, Isao 1 - 3864 [3864]
21. Tarantino, Quentin 5 - 22495 [4499]
22. Tarkovsky, Andrei 7 - 21663 [3095]
171. Tarr, Béla 2 - 4155 [2078]
81. Tati, Jacques 3 - 10100 [3367]
143. Tornatore, Giuseppe 1 - 5344 [5344]
122. Tourneur, Jacques 3 - 6365 [2122]
29. Truffaut, François 5 - 20408 [4082]
117. Van Sant, Gus 4 - 6641 [1660]
136. Vertov, Dziga 1 - 5704 [5704]
135. Vigo, Jean 1 - 5761 [5761]
40. Visconti, Luchino 8 - 17919 [2240]
149. von Donnersmarck, Florian Henckel 1 - 5033 [5033]
111. von Sternberg, Josef 3 - 7094 [2365]
105. von Stroheim, Erich 3 - 7565 [2522]
114. von Trier, Lars 4 - 6732 [1683]
166. Wachowski, Andy & Larry Wachowski 1 - 4314 [4314]
168. Wajda, Andrzej 1 - 4182 [4182]
107. Weir, Peter 3 - 7237 [2412]
14. Welles, Orson 6 - 27256 [4543]
77. Wenders, Wim 4 - 11082 [2771]
118. Whale, James 2 - 6615 [3308]
199. Wiene, Robert 1 - 3392 [3392]
12. Wilder, Billy 7 - 31120 [4446]
113. Wise, Robert 3 - 6944 [2315]
69. Wong Kar-Wai 5 - 12544 [2509]
62. Wyler, William 4 - 13008 [3252]
152. Yang, Edward 2 - 4927 [2464]
130. Yimou, Zhang 3 - 5992 [1997]
88. Zemeckis, Robert 3 - 9822 [3274]
101. Zinnemann, Fred 3 - 7846 [2615]
167. Zwigoff, Terry 2 - 4275 [2138]

Some are woefully underranked:
Fritz Lang at 25th, Sergai Eisenstein at 37th, Michael Powell at 34rd, Elia Kazan at 55rd (baffling), William Wyler at 62th, Ozu at 66th, De Sica at 46th, Lubitsch at 73rd(!), Cukor at 108th (not in the top 100?), Von Sternberg at 111th (also out of the top 100). I'm sure most of these were hurt by being bypassed in the popular polls, and only scoring on the critics polls.


Ranked by Avg Per Film (2+ films only)

Peter Jackson's first film, Heavenly Creatures

Director - # Films [Avg/Film]

1. Coppola, Francis Ford 4 [8057]
2. Fleming, Victor 2 [7516] Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind
3. Lucas, George 3 [5724] Two Star Wars films and American Graffiti
4. Jackson, Peter 3 [5692] Only the Lord of the Rings trilogy
5. Spielberg, Steven 7 [5450]
6. Leone, Sergio 4 [5303] Three spaghetti westerns
7. Lang, Fritz 4 [5283]
8. De Sica, Vittorio 3 [5259]
9. Kubrick, Stanley 11 [5209] This is every film Kubrick made!
10. Scott, Ridley 4 [5206]
11. Polanski, Roman 5 [5106]
12. Forman, Milos 3 [4912]
13. Friedkin, William 2 [4788]
14. Chaplin, Charles 8 [4677]
15. Hitchcock, Alfred 14 [4634]
16. Capra, Frank 4 [4603]
17. Kazan, Elia 3 [4563]
18. Welles, Orson 6 [4543]
19. Tarantino, Quentin 5 [4499]
20. Donen, Stanley & Gene Kelly 2 [4454]
21. Wilder, Billy 7 [4446]
22. Griffith, D.W. 3 [4399]
23. Kurosawa, Akira 11 [4321]
24. Lasseter, John 3 [4269]
25. Stanton, Andrew 2 [4268]
26. Nichols, Mike 2 [4238]
27. Scorsese, Martin 13 [4158]
28. Curtiz, Michael 3 [4133]
29. Truffaut, François 5 [4082]
30. Dreyer, Carl Theodor 5 [3999]
31. Reed, Carol 3 [3970]
32. Fellini, Federico 9 [3891]
33. Cameron, James 5 [3874]
34. Eastwood, Clint 5 [3777]
35. Allen, Woody 6 [3757]
36. Murnau, F.W. 5 [3615]
37. Gilliam, Terry 4 [3598]
38. Hill, George Roy 2 [3576]
39. Huston, John 5 [3536]
40. Antonioni, Michelangelo 6 [3508]
41. Anderson, Paul Thomas 4 [3498]
42. Lumet, Sidney 5 [3479]
43. Malick, Terrence 4 [3421]
44. Godard, Jean-Luc 12 [3417]
45. Bergman, Ingmar 12 [3411]
46. Lynch, David 6 [3400]
47. Tati, Jacques 3 [3367]
48. Sirk, Douglas 3 [3349]
49. Clouzot, Henri-Georges 3 [3344]
50. Cuarón, Alfonso 2 [3322]
51. Boyle, Danny 3 [3306]
52. Aronofsky, Darren 3 [3295]
53. Sturges, Preston 4 [3289]
54. Zemeckis, Robert 3 [3274]
55. Keaton, Buster (some shared) 7 [3260]
56. Bresson, Robert 8 [3235]
57. Mann, Michael 2 [3234]
58. Nolan, Christopher 5 [3215]
59. Ford, John 10 [3211]
60. Fincher, David 4 [3189]
61. Ozu, Yasuhiro 4 [3184]
62. Demy, Jacques 2 [3176]
63. Hawks, Howard 8 [3168]
64. Mizoguchi, Kenji 5 [3107]
65. Buñuel, Luis 10 [3104]
66. Tarkovsky, Andrei 7 [3095]
67. Bird, Brad 3 [3063]
68. Reiner, Rob 3 [3026]
69. Bertolucci, Bernardo 5 [3025]
70. McCarey, Leo 4 [2979]
71. Wenders, Wim 4 [2771]
72. Altman, Robert 7 [2749]
73. Herzog, Werner 5 [2728]
74. Lee, Ang 3 [2718]
75. Demme, Jonathan 4 [2705]
76. Lee, Spike 3 [2700]
77. Melville, Jean-Pierre 4 [2695]
78. Almodóvar, Pedro 5 [2686]
79. Coen, Joel and Ethan 10 [2680]
80. Renoir, Jean 8 [2672]
81. Resnais, Alain 5 [2632]
82. Eisenstein, Sergei 7 [2585]
83. De Palma, Brian 3 [2575]
84. Ray, Nicholas 4 [2567]
85. Cocteau, Jean 3 [2537]
86. Cassavetes, John 5 [2534]
87. von Stroheim, Erich 3 [2522]
88. Peckinpah, Sam 4 [2469]
89. Rossellini, Roberto 6 [2445]
90. Kieslowski, Krszystof 6 [2429]
91. Cukor, George 3 [2397]
92. Powell, Michael (some shared) 8 [2394]
93. Roeg, Nicolas 4 [2368]
94. von Sternberg, Josef 3 [2365]
95. Leigh, Mike 3 [2354]
96. Lubitsch, Ernst 5 [2319]
97. Visconti, Luchino 8 [2240]
98. Jarmusch, Jim 3 [2235]
99. Fassbinder, Rainer Werner 6 [2140]
100. Anderson, Wes 4 [2131]
101. Tourneur, Jacques 3 [2122]
102. Ray, Satyajit 5 [1991]
103. Zinnemann, Fred 4 [1962]
104. Cronenberg, David 6 [1882]
105. Minnelli, Vincente 5 [1878]
106. Kiarostami, Abbas 7 [1804]
107. Van Sant, Gus 4 [1660]

Highest ranked directors for only one listed title:

1. Charles Laughton (10, Night of the Hunger) - Due to its tepid reception, Laughton vowed to never again direct another film and he kept that promise
2. Joseph L. Manckiewicz (41, All About Eve)
3. Gillo Pontecorvo (60, Battle of Algiers)
4. Curtis Hanson (61, L.A. Confidential)
5. John Frankenheimer (81, Manchurian Candidate) - Ronin, The Train, and Seven Days in May should also be ranked

Laughton's Night of the Hunter
Mitchum plays a demented preacher, so note
the church motif created with lighting here

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

seriously?? 125 directors, not one single woman??

Mac said...

Not a single woman and all the "women's directors" are absent from the top 10.

William Wyler and George Cukor have some spectacular movies, but they guys that compile these lists (and lets face it, it's a bunch of white guys), they just don't care for films in which women talk to other women.

José Sinclair said...

IF you would read HOW this was compiled, from over 250 different polls, you would know that HAD women directors been in those polls, they would show up here -- some of the polls were FAN polls even, so had women made films that got into the polls, they would show up. I think Leni Reifenstahl and Lena Wertmuller definitely belong here myself, but it's not OPINION, just straight numbers compiled in a huge Excel spreadsheet..

Elsewhere here I have a post of strong women in films that Huffington Post linked to in an article. Others on the net have their opinionated lists of "Top 100 films by female directors", which I may duplicate at some point, but this is not a POLITICAL blog, just historical film lists compiled from publicly listed polls.