Who are the greatest directors of all time?

[Andrew1911]

I gotta give it to Kurosawa, Kubrick, and Hitchcock. They are all masters of cinema. Anyway, who do you think are the greatest directors of all time?

By the way, if anyone dares mention someone like Kevin Smith among names like Kubes and Kurosawa, you will be killed on sight.

[sarcasm_made_Easy]

not a big kubrick fan at all, but Kurosawa and Hitchcock hell yeah.  I guess DeMille for my third. 

[mrbasehart]

Apart from the 3 that you've mentioned, Michael Powell, Howard Hawks, and Billy Wilder have made films over their careers that I really love.  Michael Powell (in collaboration with Emeric Pressburger) made some of the best British films of all time.  Howard Hawks basically invented the film noir and the screwball comedy.  Billy Wilder's later career might've feature more hits than misses (though I really love Avanti and The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes), but his early stuff was hilarious.

I do admire a lot of directors, but these are the three that I sort of look up to.

[Variety of Cells]

I'll spread some love for Gilliam (as you probably know), and Ingmar Bergman.  Artsy?  I guess.  But they get so close to human emotion and problems through their art.

[sarcasm_made_Easy]

I REALLY got to get around to seeing the seventh seal already.

[Bob]

Uwe Bol.   

(sorry, but you knew it was a matter of time)

Besides the folks already mentioned in the above posts, I've always liked John Woo's early work and the Coen Brothers.

[MrTorso]

....I've always liked John Woo's early work .....

How early??

Last Hurrah For Chivalry / Hand of Death / Princess Chang Ping early or Better Tomorrow / Killer / Bullet in the Head early?

[Tarantulas]

I gotta give it to Kurosawa, Kubrick, and Hitchcock. They are all masters of cinema. Anyway, who do you think are the greatest directors of all time?

By the way, if anyone dares mention someone like Kevin Smith among names like Kubes and Kurosawa, you will be killed on sight.

I've been slowly building my Kurosawa collection of DVDs..  I've got all of the period epics and have moved on to his more contemporary dramas.

John Ford is a name that needs to be on this list of greatest directors as well.

[sarcasm_made_Easy]

ive been trying to get a copy of the K's "dreams" for  a while now. 

[Variety of Cells]

ive been trying to get a copy of the K's "dreams" for  a while now. 

I gots me one a few months ago.  The last dream, even before I saw the film, is my own personal dream world. 

[sarcasm_made_Easy]

what good contemporary kurosawa films are there.  ill admit my knowledge is empty there.  The samurai genre ones are great but i really have wanted to see some other stuff done by him

Edit: yes i know i could look it up but eh that sounds like effort.

[Bob]

....I've always liked John Woo's early work .....

How early??

Last Hurrah For Chivalry / Hand of Death / Princess Chang Ping early or Better Tomorrow / Killer / Bullet in the Head early?

I love his Hong Kong Films........ Better Tomorrow and The Killer are two of the most poetic films ever.   

[Rufus T]

 These are in no particular order.

Alfred Hitchcock
Michael Curtiz
Stanley Kubrick
Frank Capra
Steven Spielberg
Martin Scorcese

[davo]

you guys covered em pretty well. a few more (i had to look up some of the movies first..not big on directors' names):

F.W. Murnau (Nosferatu)
Fritz Lang (Metropolis)

David Lean (lawrence of arabia)
William Wyler (ben hur)


you guys thing Ang Lee will be looked upon as a great director?

[sarcasm_made_Easy]

yeah i like ang lee, he needs a few more really good hits though


fritz and wyler very nice