My favorite movie directors
Alan Parker
NB: He was born 14 February 1944. First he became famous as excellent TV-ads director and then as British movie director. Soon after that he moved to Hollywood where created his best films. Alan Parker made films in many genres (comedy, musical, detective story, drama, thriller) but his favorite genre has always been drama. With no doubts Parker is one of the most talented movie directors of all-time. Two of his best works- "Midnight Express" and "Angel Heart" actually created genres of prison-drama and mystical detective. Parker uses his unique features- heart beat sound and chicken-connected-themes in many of his movies. Parker worked with Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, Madonna, Gene Hackman, Jodie Foster... Parker had 2 Academy Award Oscar nominations as Best Director (for "Midnight Express" (1978) and "Mississippi Burning" (1988)) and 3 Golden Globe nominations (for "Midnight Express", "Mississippi Burning" and "Evita" (1996)). He got Cannes Film Festival Grand-Prix in 1984 for his film "Birdy" and also 5 nominations for Golden Palm (for "Bugsy Malone" (1976), "Midnight Express", "Shoot The Moon" (1982), "Birdy" and "Come See The Paradise" (1990)). Parker also got 3 BAFTA Awards for "Bugsy Malone", "Midnight Express" and "The Commitments" (1993) (totally he had 8 BAFTA nominations during his career). In 1989 he was nominated for Golden Bear Award of Berlin Film Festival fot "Mississippi Burning". 1 of January 2002 he was given "Knight" title.
My favorite films: Midnight Express (1978), Birdy (1984), Angel Heart (1987)
Alfred Hitchcock
NB: Was born 13 August 1899. Died 29 April 1980. Made his first films in England and then moved to Hollywood. His first American film was "Rebecca" (1940). Hitchcock is one of the best filmmakers of 20th century and outstanding master of "suspense" and "thriller"- genres that he actually created. In many of his films Hitch made use of revolutionary methods of shooting. In "Rope" (1948) he made use of experimental innovative method of continuous shooting when he shot 10-minutes parts of the film and turned off the camera only for reload it with new tape. 1950s were Hitchcock`s best years when he created his main masterpieces- "Strangers On The Train" (1951), "Dial M for Murder" (1954), "Rear Window" (1954), "Vertigo" (1958), "North by Northwest" (1959) and "Psycho" (1960). Hitchock made short cameos showing up before camera for 2-3 seconds in his every film beginning with "The Lodger" (1926). Worked with Anthony Perkins, Kim Novak, Grace Kelly, Cary Grant, James Stewart, Janet Leigh... Hitchock got 6 Academy Award Oscar nominations as Best Director (for "Rebecca", "Suspicion" (1941), "Lifeboat" (1944), "Spellbound" (1945), "Rear Window", "Psycho"). In 1968 he was awarded Honorary Oscar (the so called Irwing Talberg Award). In 1958 and 1959 Hitchcock was awarded St. Sebastian Film Festival Awards as Best Director (for "Vertigo" and "North by Northwest"). He also was given "Knight" title...
My favorite films: Psycho (1960), Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), Saboteur (1942)
David Fincher
NB: Was born in 1962. When he was 18, he entered George Lucas` "Industrial Light & Magic" where he worked for 4 years. In ILM Fincher took part in making of one of "Indiana Jones" parts and the last part of "Star Wars"- "The Return of Jedi". Then Fincher left ILM for television where he shot ads and music videos. David started his career as Hollywood filmmaker in 1992 with his debut "Alien 3". He also created only 3 more films- but these films were just great. "Se7en" (1995), "The Game" (1997) and "Fight Club" (1999). His last director effort called "Panic Room" with Jodie Foster will be released soon... Fincher worked with Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Sigourney Weaver, Morgan Freeman, Jodie Foster... In 1996 Fincher was awarded International Fantasy Film Award (Fantasporto) for "Se7en". He also got nomination for Online Film Critics Society Awards for "Fight Club" in 2000...
My favorite films : Seven (1995), Game (1997), Fight Club (1999)
Dario Argento
NB: Was born 7 September 1940. Early in his career Argento wrote a screenplay for Sergio Leone`s "Once upon A Time in Wild West" (in cooperation with Bernardo Berolucci). Dario Argento actually created the famous genre of Italian horror films when made such movies as "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage", "Deep Red" etc. Moreover, Argento can be cosidered as the creator of surreal and hypnotic branch of European horror cinema. Argento is terrific in using his famous "subjective camera" shooting method when we see the action from the eyes of murderer and this method became Argento`s trademark for years. This method was used dramatically in his masterpiece "Terror At The Opera" (1987) which was terrific and very cruel thriller with the main idea of vuajerism of the murderer. Argento made use of outstanding style in music and soundtracks, "subjective camera", odd visual effects, shooting from a long distance... Dario made art out of death and cruelty and many of his murder scenes are so talented and stylish that become cinema masterpieces. His outstanding visualisation: we can see from the victim`s mouth how knife stabbs his larynx ("Terror At The Opera"); close cut of the bullet that fly to the victim`s head through the peephole ("Terror At The Opera"); slow motion of bullet flying through victim`s brain ("The Stendhal Syndrome")... Argento worked with Jennifer Connelly, Daria Nicolodi, John Saxon, Julian Sands...
My favorite films: Phenomena (1985), Terror At The Opera (1987), Tenebrae (1982), Inferno (1980)
Links:
Cool website about Dario Argento
My
favorite directors. Still to come- Tim Burton, Ridley Scott, James Cameron,
Luc Besson
