Directors, part 9: ones who have died

This list continues from part 8.

Richard Attenborough

Attenborough’s 3 brilliant movies are all based on true stories. Also known as an actor, he starred in such movies as The Great Escape and Jurassic Park.

  • Masterpieces
    • Chaplin
    • Gandhi
  • Great movie
    • A Bridge Too Far

Frank Capra

Both of Capra’s brilliant movies star Jimmy Stewart.

  • Masterpiece
    • It’s a Wonderful Life
  • Great movie
    • Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
  • Not-so-great movie
    • Lost Horizon

George Cukor

Cukor was the original director of Gone with the Wind before being replaced. He was also intermediate director on The Wizard of Oz and helped shape some aspects of that movie.

  • Masterpiece
    • My Fair Lady

Victor Fleming

Both of Fleming’s brilliant movies were released in 1939.

  • Masterpiece
    • The Wizard of Oz
  • Great movie
    • Gone with the Wind

George Roy Hill

Hill’s 2 brilliant movies both star Robert Redford and Paul Newman.

  • Masterpiece
    • The Sting
  • Great movie
    • Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
  • Good movie
    • Slaughterhouse-Five

Stanley Kubrick

Dr. Strangelove is still hilarious and 2001, written with Arthur C. Clarke, is still magnificent.

  • Masterpieces
    • 2001: A Space Odyssey
    • Dr. Strangelove
  • Brilliant but difficult to watch
    • A Clockwork Orange
  • Great movie
    • Paths of Glory
  • Good movie
    • Eyes Wide Shut
  • Surprisingly mediocre
    • Barry Lyndon

Fritz Lang

Lang’s Metropolis was hugely influential in science fiction movies, and even though it was made in 1927 it’s still well worth watching today.

  • Masterpiece
    • Metropolis
  • Great movie
    • M

Leonard Nimoy

Nimoy played Spock in Star Trek. He helped write the story for Star Trek IV and VI. Among other things, he guest starred as William Bell in Fringe.

  • Masterpieces
    • Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
    • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
  • Movie that was funny at the time
    • 3 Men and a Baby

Orson Welles

I might not give Citizen Kane 5/5 now but it seems clear I would have in 1941. Welles’ radio broadcast of War of the Worlds set off a bit of a panic. He had trouble getting his movies made but he’s an interesting figure — I particularly recommend the documentary The Battle Over Citizen Kane.

  • A masterpiece in 1941
    • Citizen Kane
  • Good movie
    • Touch of Evil
  • Odd documentary
    • F for Fake

Robert Wise

Wise directed 2 of the best musicals of all time, plus a couple of science fiction movies that are worth watching.

  • Masterpieces
    • The Sound of Music
    • West Side Story
  • Good movie (especially the special edition)
    • Star Trek: The Motion Picture
  • Worth watching once
    • The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

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