All Right, Mr. DeMille, I'm Ready For My Close-Up ... It's The ILXOR's Top 101 Director Poll Results Thread

81. Jean-Pierre Melville (459.5 points; 7 votes)
82. Sergio Leone (453 points; 6 votes)
83. Kelly Reichart (446 points; 6 votes)
84. Peter Watkins (441.5 points; 6 votes)
85. Brian De Palma (440 points; 5 votes)
86. Ousmane Sembène (435.5 points; 6 votes)
87. Frank Capra (431.5 points; 6 votes)
88. Jean Cocteau (421 points; 6 votes)
89. Chuck Jones (416 points; 6 votes)
90. Jean Vigo (414 points; 6 votes)
91. Paul Verhoeven (403 points; 6 votes)
92. (tie) Pedro Almodóvar (401 points; 5 votes)
92. (tie) G.W. Pabst (401 points; 5 votes)
94. Olivier Assayas (400.5 points; 6 votes)
95. Jim Jarmusch (394 points; 6 votes)
96. Sergei Parajanov (385 points; 5 votes)
97. Woody Allen (375.5 points; 5 votes)
98. Robert Aldrich (370 points; 5 votes)
99. Claire Denis (367.5 points; 5 votes)
100. Jonathan Demme (366 points; 5 votes)
101. D.W. Griffith (365.5 points; 5 votes)

thank you this has been great already. given the mix of names that have placed i'm really looking to the upper reaches of this poll.

there is a lifetime of great film with these already. had i voted, two of them (Jarmusch and Melville) would be in my top 10.

I enjoyed Le Deuxieme Souffle a lot, but I'm not particularly into much else Melville. It might be my loss.

xxp *really looking forward

Almodóvar WAY too low, IMO. In what universe is Paul Verhoeven a better director than Almodóvar? Also too low Woody Allen, but I guess that one's understandable.

I wish I could've voted. I only found out about this poll after voting had closed.

wtf@ De Palma above Sembene and Parajanov - he only made half a great film and then many could've made that.

Watkins also on my list. Also pissy I couldn't find room for Vigo because stupid.

I love Army of Shadows but he's not a fave otherwise, didn't vote for him

Le Samourai is 10/10 but that's all I've seen so I didn't vote for Melville

he really was involved in the resistance as well, should probably watch AoS some time. Bresson spent some time as a Nazi POW as well, some of these French directors back then lived dangerously.

Clouzot making Le Corbeau in 1943 is probably the ballsiest of them all.

wtf@ De Palma above Sembene and Parajanov - he only made half a great film

I loved your ballot and was grateful for some of the directors it pushed up in the standings but ... I gotta know, which half of which film?

We're at 7 votes already for Melville, wonder how many complete curveballs there can be

Second half of carrie

Predict akerman for highest ranking lady

Re. Pabst: He was one of several names on my ballot whom I expected no one else to vote for. Westfront 1918 and Kameradschaft are coming from Criterion later this month. I don't exactly recommend A Modern Hero, but it pushes some of my buttons.

And 87 is WAY too low for Capra. The Miracle Woman alone is top-ten stuff.

Capra films are all super annoying. I guess he is a "great" director in the way people are good at sports

all of them, every one?

Yes

I can't speak to Capra's screwball (I loathe the genre) or human interest comedies, but all of the pre-codes and silents I've seen are prime material.

I'm not sure how The Miracle Woman is "annoying" (esp with the kind of performance Barbra Stanwyck's giving) but whatev

I can't really put myself into the mindset of loathing screwball so this is probably a lost cause, but, fwiw, IHON isn't nearly as madcap as something like Bringing Up Baby

I knew I’d find some other kindred soul who has a very limited amount of time for screwball

IHON and Twentieth Century leave me cold. And if Capra-hatas are going to deny themselves American Madness, that's their loss.

The Battle of Russia was almost screwball in its depiction of the absolute USSR beneficence towards its neighbours, pre-Barbarossa, but awesome propaganda movie. I almost felt like getting into a feight with Hitler myself after watching it quite drunk one night.

Looked for Miracle Woman on amazon and according to them, the bluray version of the film is It Could Happen To You with Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda.

I missed today's results (I was out seeing a movie) -- Chuck Jones was the only name that made it from my ballot. Though I wish I'd voted for Leone.

I've got four so far. I'm guessing about 2/3 of my 30 make the big list; I think my #1 will place, but I'm not sure. Considered Assayas, but too much of that vote would be concentrated in one film, Carlos.

Capra is screwball [sic] for people who don't like screwball; hence nowhere near my ballot.

I assume Sembene will be the only African filmmaker. *tsk tsk* And his stuff is not that hard to see.

Been busy and didn't encounter the ballot. I hope Tarr places. I suppose Tarkovsky is a given.

I would think quite high from Tarkovsky-related posts around here--somewhere between 5-10?

yeah and for sure in the top 20

I doubt Tarr will place

really? I hope he does

I think tarr has a shot

Not to be a tease, but some of the directors who landed in slots 102 thru 150 or so were shocking for ILX.

I suppose with only 30-something voters anything is possible and I shouldn't be disappointed, but Sátántangó, Werckmeister Harmonies, and The Turin Horse are three of the most amazing movies I've ever seen

I would call at least two of those amazing, sure -- but not nec great.

Eric - Scarface, 1st half. Probably seen it over 10 times easy. Used to be screened on TV quite a bit.

I will regret not voting if Tarkovsky doesn't make it. Top 5 for me.

I had drafted a shortlist but when I was under-familiar with ~ 2/3 of the nominations list I didn't feel well placed to vote. Maybe in a couple of years if I keep up my current film consumption.

there's no way Tarkovsky doesn't place but lately I've been pondering his ratedness - I think there's a big variation in how good his films are but nobody agrees on which are the great ones

long-winded way of saying last time I watched Stalker I felt a big agnostic also he's probably not best-suited to TV viewing

I very much agree here. The number of re-screenings that are happening actually lead to worship, v little critical engagement.

(a couple of cinemas in London have bored me with constant re-screenings of Stalker stop already)

calling HackPalma one of the 85 best is exceedingly generous, esp if John Frankenheimer doesn't appear.

Fair warning ... today's batch ends with the last two ties of the rundown.

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80. Spike Lee
(466 points; 6 votes)

I've meant to subject myself to a Spike joint retrospective, but I don't know if I'm up to sussing out what I dislike about his work.

Capra is screwball sic] for people who don't like screwball; hence nowhere near my ballot.

― ice cream social justice (Dr Morbius)

This rings true. If you hate screwball comedy based on Capra, try Leo McCarey or some other director who made that genre sing. I love screwball, but It Happened One Night is not near any list of mine even if I limit it to top 100 30s Hollywood films. There's something conservative about Capra that shines through in all his movies even if it isn' made explicit. Stanwyck is my favorite actress so I'm conflicted - he have her some big roles that maybe made her a star, but I don't care much for those movies. Certainly not Meet John Doe. Pre-code he did some interesting stuff, 'Forbidden' is great, I probably need to rewatch others.