Michelangelo Antonioni • Ingmar Bergman • Robert Bresson • Luis Buñuel • John Cassavetes • Charlie Chaplin • Jean Cocteau • Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne • Vittorio De Sica • Jacques Demy • Carl Th. Dreyer • Victor Erice • Rainer Werner Fassbinder • Federico Fellini • John Ford • Louis Feuillade • Samuel Fuller • Howard Hawks • Alfred Hitchcock • Hou Hsiao-hsien • Shohei Imamura • Aki Kaurismäki • Abbas Kiarostami • Krzysztof Kieslowski • Hirokazu Kore-Eda • Shunji Iwai • Stanley Kubrick • Akira Kurosawa • Fritz Lang • David Lean • Ernst Lubitsch • David Lynch • Terrence Malick • Anthony Mann • Jean-Pierre Melville • Kenji Mizoguchi • Lukas Moodyson • F. W. Murnau • Mikio Naruse • Yasujiro Ozu • Sergei Parajanov • Roman Polanski • Otto Preminger • Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger • Satyajit Ray • Jean Renoir • Jacques Rivette • Nicolas Roeg • Eric Rohmer • Roberto Rossellini • Mrinal Sen • Douglas Sirk • Alexander Sokurov • Andrei Tarkovsky • Bela Tarr • Jacques Tati • Hiroshi Teshigahara • Jacques Tourneur • Anh Hung Tran • François Truffaut • Tsai Ming-liang • Edgar Ulmer • Agnès Varda • Luchino Visconti • Erich von Stroheim • Peter Weir • Orson Welles • Wim Wenders • Wong Kar-wai • William Wyler • Zhang Yimou
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Through his influential story-telling abilities director Krzysztof Kieslowski gravitated from socially-conscious political documentary cinema to one exploring the breadth of emotional disillusionment, desire and co-existence using episodes of chance, paradoxical circumstance and mysterious interconnectivities. Loosely using thematic representations such as the ten commandments, the nationalistic symbology of "Le drapeau tricolore" or even satire on communist propaganda, Kieslowski's film language encouraged metaphysical celebrations of intuition and the power of fatalism with his use of specific camera framing and movement, extended pauses and precise use of music interludes. Frequently recognized as the greatest director of the 90's his relatively short oeuvre of film has developed a flourishing niche of devout cineastes. |
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Suggested Reading (click cover or title for more info)
Kieslowski on Kieslowski |
Director - Feature filmography and DVDBeaver links: Trois couleurs: Rouge (1994), Trois couleurs: Blanc (1994), Trois couleurs: Bleu (1993). The Double Life of Veronique (1991) "Dekalog" (1989), (mini) including A Short Film About Killing (1988/I), A Short Film About Love (1988), Seven Days a Week (1988), Blind Chance (1987), No End (1985), The Calm (1980), Railway Station (1980), Camera Buff (1979) |
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The work of Hirokazu Kore-eda is characterized by timidity and tenderness, both in his in-depth psychographies as well as his narrative rythms. Subtle hints, barely perceptible mood shifts and muted emotions combine to portray inner-states in desperate need for a language. Ordinary words often fail Kore-eda's characters; their longing for grappling with their guilt and their memories (the main thematic axis of both Distance and Maboroshi) shapes into an archetypical quest to understand life, co-existence and iltimately death itself. In the absence of suitable language, the films allow the characters to embody the graceful compositions, to project their confusion and yearning on the color palette and the soundtrack, the slow and meditative pacing and the absence of closeups. From the indirect and slowly shifting images of "Maboroshi", to the immediacy of the loose framing and dynamic compositions of "Distance", to the inanimate objects-as-characters of "Nobody knows", Kore-eda has become renowned for his films' sensitive and insightful humanity. |
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After graduating from Yokohama National University, Shunji Iwai started his career by directing music videos and television dramas. Just prior to his debut as a feature film director, he was awarded Best Newcomer by the Japanese Director's Association for his short film "Uchiage hanabi, shita kara Miruka? Yoko kara Miruka?" (aka "Fireworks, Should We See It From The Side Or From The Bottom") in 1993. He is said to be " the Messiah of Japanese Film Industry" for his distinctive visual style and unique variance from popular contemporaries. His films have a feminine balance perspective that make them (and him) very popular with young women. |
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Through a 48 year career Stanley Kubrick made only 13 feature films, yet their consistently cold and sterile expression (showing the dark side of human nature) have brought him a strong and dedicated following. All his films share a common theme of dehumanization, he always constructs three-way conflicts, he uses extreme close-ups of intensely emotional faces, and symmetric image composition (long "zooming out" and/or "zooming in" sequences). An intensely personal and intellectual man, Kubrick is quoted as saying "I would not think of quarreling with your interpretation nor offering any other, as I have found it always the best policy to allow the film to speak for itself." |
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by Alison Castle |
Director - Feature filmography and DVDBeaver links: Eyes Wide Shut (1999) , Full Metal Jacket (1987), The Shining (1980), Barry Lyndon (1975), A Clockwork Orange (1971), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), Lolita (1962), Spartacus (1960), Paths of Glory (1957), The Killing (1956), Killer's Kiss (1955), Fear and Desire (1953) |
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After working in an extensive range of genres, Akira Kurosawa made his breakthrough film in 1950 with the technically perfect Rashomon. It won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival (Golden Lion), and first revealed the richness of Japanese cinema to the rest of the world. Heavily revered in the West, Kurosawa's films have always been more popular there than in his homeland of Japan. His native critics often view his adaptations of Western authors and genres (ex. Shakespearean plays in Feudal Japanese settings) with apprehension. Kurosawa was best know for his utilization of the mis-en-scene - taking advantage of the full widescreen scope to isolate characters and introduce extraneous detail. His films ranged from samurai action to touching dramas. Kurosawa worshipped American director John Ford, signifying him as his primary influence as a filmmaker. He is quoted as saying "For me, film-making combines everything. That's the reason I've made cinema my life's work. In films, painting and literature, theatre and music come together. But a film is still a film." |
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by Donald Ritchie |
Director - Feature filmography and DVDBeaver links: Madadayo (1993), Rhapsody in August (1991), Dreams (1990), Ran (1985), Kagemusha (1980), Dersu Uzala (1975), Dodesukaden (1970), Red Beard (1965), High and Low (1963), Sanjûrô (1962), Yojimbo (1961), The Bad Sleep Well (1960), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Lower Depths (1957), Throne of Blood (1957), I Live in Fear (1955), Seven Samurai (1954), Ikiru (1952), The Idiot (1951), Rashômon (1950), Scandal (1950), Stray Dog (1949), Drunken Angel (1948), No Regrets for My Youth (1946), Zoku Sugata Sanshiro (1945), The Men Who Tread On the Tiger's Tail (1945), The Most Beautiful (1944) |
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Fritz Lang's work has been highly influential over the years. Since his beginnings in German silent film, Lang mastered a variety of genres, from mythical sagas and mysteries, to science fiction, action films and film noir. His films are characterized by the primacy of the cinematic image, where the mise-en-scene overcomes mere narrative purposes to achieve expressional eloquence and autonomy as a universal statement. In films saturated with poignant socio-political commentary, Lang often explores dark aspects of the human psychology through an array of super-villains, conspirators, murderers or even common folk. The camera unfolds richly textured and geometrically majestic spaces, exposing in carefully crafted shots their interaction with narrative and characters. In the end, despite the tragedy or horror, the images immortalize the perseverance of the human spirit. |
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Suggested Reading (click cover or title for more info)
The Films of Fritz Lang: Allegories of Vision and
Modernity |
Director - Feature filmography and DVDBeaver links: The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960),
The Indian Tomb (1959),
The Tiger of Eschnapur (1959), Beyond a Reasonable
Doubt (1956), While the City Sleeps (1956), Moonfleet (1955), Human Desire
(1954),
The Big Heat (1953),
The Blue Gardenia (1953), Clash by
Night (1952),
Rancho Notorious (1952), American Guerrilla in the
Philippines (1950), House by the River (1950), Secret Beyond the Door...
(1948),
Cloak and Dagger (1946),
Scarlet Street (1945), The Woman in
the Window (1945), Ministry of Fear (1944), Man Hunt (1941),
Western Union (1941), The Return of
Frank James (1940), You and Me (1938),
You Only Live Once (1937),
Fury (1936),
Liliom (1934),
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933),
The Last Will of Dr. Mabuse (1933),
M (1931),
Woman in the Moon (1929),
Spione (1928),
Metropolis (1927), Die Nibelungen:
Kriemhilds Rache (1924), Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924),
Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler (1922), |
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Although David Lean is best known as film director with a career spanning over 40 years, he initially was a skilled editor for some of Britain's most famous early films. His job coincided with the sound era -- with uniquely new requirements for an editor. His lauded career in the world of cinema seemed to have an unlikely start being raised with a strict religious background where film was actually forbidden. Lean initially made war films and social dramas before advancing to his niche of epics. His films often have trains which figure prominently into travel and communication issues of the narrative (e.g., Brief Encounter, River Kwai, Summertime, Zhivago, etc.). Lean had a very disjointed personal life marrying 6 times before his eventual death in 1991. |
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Suggested Reading (click cover or title for more info)
David Lean and His Films |
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Ernst Lubitsch had a chain of film triumphs, in Germany, during the silent period that remained popular even during the volatile transition to sound. This could be attributed to his subtle humor embodied through witty dialogue and effectual music and gave his expression, what became known as, the 'Lubitsch Touch'. These silent films showed his directorial versatility by alternating between escapist comedies and epic-scale historical dramas. His breakthrough in sound came in 1939, at MGM, with Ninotchka, a effervescent political and sexual expression starring Greta Garbo. It is known as one of the greatest triumphs of his career. After he struck a cord with critics and movie-goers with Heaven Can Wait (1943), To Be or Not to Be (1942) and The Shop Around the Corner (1940). He is amusingly quoted as saying "I let the audience use their imaginations. Can I help it if they misconstrue my suggestions?". |
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Suggested Reading (click cover or title for more info)
Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise |
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Horizons West: Directing the Western From John Ford to Clint Eastwood
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Director - Feature filmography and DVDBeaver links: The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), El Cid (1961), Cimarron (1960), Man of the West (1958), God's Little Acre (1958), The Tin Star (1957), Men in War (1957), Serenade (1956), The Last Frontier (1955), The Man from Laramie (1955), Strategic Air Command (1955), The Far Country (1954), The Glenn Miller Story (1953), Thunder Bay (1953), The Naked Spur (1953), Bend of the River (1952), The Tall Target (1951), Devil's Doorway (1950), The Furies (1950), Winchester '73 (1950), Side Street (1950), Border Incident (1949), Reign of Terror (1949), Follow Me Quietly (1949), He Walked by Night (1948) (uncredited), Raw Deal (1948), T-Men (1947), Railroaded! (1947), Desperate (1947), The Bamboo Blonde (1946), Strange Impersonation (1946) |
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A voracious filmgoer in his childhood, Jean-Pierre Grumbach began making amateur films in his late teens, but WWII delayed his professional debut until after the war when he was 30. He formed his own production company in 1946 and began making films on shoestring budgets, shooting on actual locations with skeleton crews and amateur performers. Often he was director, cameraman and art director. His, essentially independent, productions served as a model for the directors of the French New Wave, although he was much more exacting and linear in their construction. He found his greatest notoriety in the early 60s, when he began obtaining with healthier budgets and casting stars like Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo. He is best remembered for his noir style reminiscent of the American films of the 50's that he enjoyed. He chose his pseudonym after his favorite novelist, Herman Melville. |
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