By what measure do I define the "Greatest American Directors"? For one, they have to have been born in this country - no matter how long they eventually ended up working in Hollywood (Sorry Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock and Frank Capra). Secondly, I graded them using my own, special recipe: It's a mixture of pure craftsmanship, artistic merit, originality, influence (positive), consistency, range - and, of course, a bit of personal preference.
This isn't simply a list of the innovators of the medium (though a few certainly are). Nor are they simply the critical darlings, the populist favorites. . . nor favorites of mine, who are often extremely hit-or-miss and unpopular (Sorry John Milius). It's a mix that blends all of those elements together. If you feel like I've left someone important off (and I have had to make some Sophie's Choices with the last few slots), feel free to make your own list, or tell me who I'm missing. There's no right or wrong answers here. Ultimately, the way I look at the list is: If a film layman were to ask me "Which American directors works should I check out?", this is the list I would hand to them.
20. FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA
AKA: The Godfather
BORN: April 7, 1939 Detroit, MI
STRENGTHS: A strong visual storyteller, equally as adept at colorful operatics as he is at muted intimacy, and full of ambition. Made a few of the best films of the 1970's, often considered the best decade in movie history.
WEAKNESSES: Perhaps a bit too ambitious; After a couple expensive failures, he spent the better part of the last three decades cranking out Hollywood hokum, mostly in an effort to pay off his debts. If he'd pulled that trigger in, say, 1980, he might have earned a higher spot on this list.
ESSENTIAL WORKS: The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now
YOU CAN SKIP: The Godfather Part III, Jack
19. HAL ASHBY
AKA: The Hippie
BORN: September 2, 1929 Ogden, UT
DIED: December 27, 1988 Malibu, CA
STRENGTHS: A master satirist, who deftly skewered the morals and mores of American society in a series of films that balance comedy and drama in equal measure.
WEAKNESSES: Drug abuse and an unhealthy fear of doctors. He died, riddled with cancer, at the relatively young age of 59.
ESSENTIAL WORKS: Being There, Harold and Maude, Coming Home, The Last Detail, Shampoo
YOU CAN SKIP: Second-Hand Hearts, The Slugger's Wife
18. JIM JARMUSCH
AKA: The Ur-Hipster
BORN: January 22, 1953 Cuyahoga Falls, OH
STRENGTHS: An independent film pioneer. As strong of a writer as he is a director; has crafted some highly quotable dialogue. Has the ability to make you care about the misadventures of charming losers and lovable lunatics.
WEAKNESSES: One Jarmusch film often feels much like another in tone. Depending on your thoughts about Auteur theory, this may not be a weakness.
ESSENTIAL WORKS: Stranger Than Paradise, Down By Law, Dead Man, Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai
YOU CAN SKIP: The Limits of Control, Coffee and Cigarettes
17. TERRY GILLIAM
AKA: The Madman
BORN: November 22, 1940 Medicine Lake, MN
STRENGTHS: Seemingly boundless imagination, and a strong visual sense carried over from his animation background. A mastery of the wide-angle lens.
WEAKNESSES: Partly through his own tempestuous nature, and partly through plain bad luck, several of his films have been met with tragedy. A documentary, titled Lost In La Mancha, follows him around as his adaptation of Don Quixote falls apart.
ESSENTIAL WORKS: Brazil, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Monty Python and the Holy Grail
YOU CAN SKIP: The Brothers Grimm
16. BLAKE EDWARDS
AKA: The Absurdist
BORN: July 26, 1922 Tulsa, OK
DIED: December 15, 2010 Santa Monica, CA
STRENGTHS: A great deal of range, but best known as a comedic genius, particularly of the slapstick variety.
WEAKNESSES: With minor exceptions, he seemingly had no artistic ambitions. He was "simply" an entertainer.
ESSENTIAL WORKS: A Shot in the Dark, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Experiment in Terror, The Pink Panther Strikes Again, The Party, Days of Wine and Roses
YOU CAN SKIP: The Man Who Loved Women, Son of the Pink Panther
15. JOHN FRANKENHEIMER
AKA: The Lone Gunman
BORN: February 19, 1930 New York City, NY
DIED: July 6, 2002 Los Angeles, CA
STRENGTHS: Coming from a television background, he had the ability to work fast and cheap. Specialized in intense thrillers and action movies.
WEAKNESSES: Due to his speed and thrift, he was often the go-to guy for "fixing" troubled projects. As such, his name is attached to a number of sub-par films (Though usually made with his trademark flair).
ESSENTIAL WORKS: The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Seconds, Birdman of Alcatraz, Ronin
YOU CAN SKIP: Prophecy (1979), The Island Of Dr. Moreau (1996)
14. STANLEY DONEN
AKA: The Dancer
BORN: April 13, 1924 Columbia, SC
STRENGTHS: First as a dancer, then choreographer, and finally director, Donen was intimately involved in several of the most important musicals of the 40's through the 60's. He matched the movement of the performers with the movement of the camera in a style that modern, balletic action films make a direct homage to.
WEAKNESSES: His star began to fade after the demise of the big Hollywood musical, though he still had a couple of brilliant non-musicals in him before his retirement.
ESSENTIAL WORKS: Singin' In The Rain, On The Town, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, Charade, The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees!
YOU CAN SKIP: Saturn 3, Blame it on Rio
13. TERRENCE MALICK
AKA: The Poet
BORN: November 30, 1943 in ? (No one seems to have a clear answer on this.)
STRENGTHS: Creates haunting, almost transcendental tone poems to a particular time and place, be it Jamestown in the 17th Century, or Guadalcanal during WWII. Eye for photography that is only matched by the director who made the #1 spot on this list.
WEAKNESSES: Not the most productive filmmaker - Since his feature debut in 1973, he's only made four movies, with a fifth coming out this year (The Brad Pitt and Sean Penn starer The Tree Of Life).
ESSENTIAL WORKS: Badlands, Days Of Heaven, The Thin Red Line (1998), The New World
YOU CAN SKIP: Ummm. . . I listed everything already!
12. NICHOLAS RAY
AKA: The Existentialist
BORN: August 7, 1911 Galesville, WI
DIED: June 16, 1979 New York City, NY
STRENGTHS: Made troubled youth and crime pictures that functioned perfectly well as simple stories, but had themes of sexual freedom, social isolation, and institutional failure simmering just beneath the surface. Brilliant use of color and framing to help convey theme and mood.
WEAKNESSES: Heavy drug abuse, and lack of hit films, eventually made him a liability.
ESSENTIAL WORKS: Rebel Without A Cause, Johnny Guitar, In a Lonely Place, Bigger than Life
YOU CAN SKIP: 55 Days at Peking, King of Kings (1961)
11. BUSTER KEATON
AKA: The Quiet One
BORN: October 4, 1895 Piqua, KS
DIED: February 1, 1966 Woodland Hills, CA
STRENGTHS: As a director, a great mind for hilarious, and dangerous, stunts. As a performer, having the brilliant comic timing and absolute fearlessness to perform them.
WEAKNESSES: Signed with a major studio in the late 20's, which ended up stifling his creativity. Went into semi-retirement in the early 30's, with only occasional acting work.
ESSENTIAL WORKS: Sherlock Jr, The General (1926), Three Ages
YOU CAN SKIP: Speak Easily, What! No Beer?
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