# Directors that are underappreciated **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 30, 2012, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-that-are-underappreciated/645555 "2012-12-30T06:56:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-that-are-underappreciated/645555/21 "2012-12-31T16:31:01Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Robert Florey …also directed 2 revolutionary short subjects in the late '20s, [The Love of Zero](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_qKQnt4dP8) and [The Life and Death of 9413](http://fan.tcm.com/_The-Life-and-Death-of-9413-a-Hollywood-Extra-1928-Robert-Florey/video/1593695/66470.html). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-that-are-underappreciated/645555/22 "2012-12-31T16:51:03Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > I would also mention Walter Hill as an under appreciated director. Good call. Hill made a series of really good films in the late seventies and early eighties: _Hard Times, The Driver, The Warriors, The Long Riders, Southern Comfort, 48 Hrs_. But for some reason, his career faded in the eighties. Which seems strange - Hill was successuly in the action movie genre which grew in popularity in the eighties and nineties; it would have seemed his career should have grown with it rather than declined. ---
**Author:** ![thermalribbon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@thermalribbon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thermalribbon)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-that-are-underappreciated/645555/23 "2012-12-31T18:04:24Z")
Probably the highlight of his career was Moonlighting – I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like that movie. But he had a long stretch of making entertaining, character-based films geared toward thinking adults. He was probably seen as conventional during the 70’s and 80’s, but looking back at his films today you can really get a sense for how Hollywood has changed. Just doesn’t seem like there is anyone out there making those types of pictures today. And, I don’t think he’s Jewish, which I find interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Rollo\_Tomasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58956e/32.png) [@Rollo\_Tomasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rollo_Tomasi)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-that-are-underappreciated/645555/24 "2012-12-31T18:26:43Z")
> [@thermalribbon](#): > > Probably the highlight of his career was Moonlighting – I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like that movie. But he had a long stretch of making entertaining, character-based films geared toward thinking adults. He was probably seen as conventional during the 70’s and 80’s, but looking back at his films today you can really get a sense for how Hollywood has changed. Just doesn’t seem like there is anyone out there making those types of pictures today. > > And, I don’t think he’s Jewish, which I find interesting. [Moonstruck](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093565/). And yes, I love that movie. 😃 But he’s a good choice. You’re right that the type of small, character-driven films that he excelled at aren’t being made on a wide scale any more. He made a number of good movies from the 60s throughout the 80s, including **The Cincinnati Kid** , **The Thomas Crown Affair** , **And Justice For All** , **A Soldier’s Story** , and **Agnes of God**. Plus, he even has two decent musicals to his name: **Fiddler on the Roof** and **Jesus Chris Superstar**. Most directors can’t even make one good musical. ---
**Author:** ![thermalribbon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@thermalribbon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thermalribbon)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-that-are-underappreciated/645555/25 "2012-12-31T19:09:47Z")
> [@Rollo\_Tomasi](#): > > [Moonstruck](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093565/). And yes, I love that movie. 😃 > > But he’s a good choice. You’re right that the type of small, character-driven films that he excelled at aren’t being made on a wide scale any more. He made a number of good movies from the 60s throughout the 80s, including **The Cincinnati Kid** , **The Thomas Crown Affair** , **And Justice For All** , **A Soldier’s Story** , and **Agnes of God**. Plus, he even has two decent musicals to his name: **Fiddler on the Roof** and **Jesus Chris Superstar**. Most directors can’t even make one good musical. Thanks for that correction. Was typing faster than I was thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-that-are-underappreciated/645555/26 "2012-12-31T19:47:26Z")
Walter Murch, who directed the brilliant Return To Oz. He only made that one movie but that was because it was so unfairly savaged by idiot critics that the movie died and was buried by Disney. It’s been kept alive by fans who recognize its worth as a film worthy of the dark nature of the books, and not as just a fucking money-grubbing sequel to a beloved movie that had very little to do with the books. I wanted to see what he would do next. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-that-are-underappreciated/645555/27 "2012-12-31T20:17:12Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Good call. Hill made a series of really good films in the late seventies and early eighties: _Hard Times, The Driver, The Warriors, The Long Riders, Southern Comfort, 48 Hrs_. But for some reason, his career faded in the eighties. Which seems strange - Hill was successuly in the action movie genre which grew in popularity in the eighties and nineties; it would have seemed his career should have grown with it rather than declined. I always assume that people like him are either talented but difficult and nobody wants to work with him (tough on actors, goes over budget, etc. like Sam Peckinpah) or he made his money and wants to enjoy it. He has a really crappy looking Stallone movie coming out called Bullet to the Brain or something. ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-that-are-underappreciated/645555/28 "2013-01-02T07:07:21Z")
> [@jordanr2](#): > > Frank Perry. His filmography includes _David and Lisa_, _The Swimmer_, _Last Summer_, _Play It As It Lays_ (especially good), and _Mommie Dearest_. The last one nearly put an end to his career (I think it’s legitimately good, if flawed), and no one but fans really know his name, but he had a distinctive and intriguing sensibility and should get more attention. He also did two of my favorite movies (I am one of the few in these two cases): Rancho Deluxe with Jeff Bridges and Sam Waterston Compromising Positions with Susan Sarandon and Raul Julia ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-that-are-underappreciated/645555/29 "2013-01-02T12:24:58Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > Walter Murch, who directed the brilliant Return To Oz. > > He only made that one movie but that was because it was so unfairly savaged by idiot critics that the movie died and was buried by Disney. It’s been kept alive by fans who recognize its worth as a film worthy of the dark nature of the books, and not as just a fucking money-grubbing sequel to a beloved movie that had very little to do with the books. I wanted to see what he would do next. I’ll second this, and the film. I’ve always loved the fiolm’s attempt to straddle the beloved 1939 musical ad the original Oz books, and its use of Will Vinton’s equally underappreciated _Claymation_ (A term Vinton came up with, and copyrighted) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-that-are-underappreciated/645555/30 "2013-01-02T14:55:52Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > I always assume that people like him are either talented but difficult and nobody wants to work with him (tough on actors, goes over budget, etc. like Sam Peckinpah) or he made his money and wants to enjoy it. It didn’t look like he chose to quit. He kept working on low budget movies and TV so it appears more like his career got downgraded. It’s obviously possible that his career declined because he was so difficult to work with. But this is show business. If somebody’s that difficult, you’ll usually hear stories about it and I’ve never heard any about Hill. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-that-are-underappreciated/645555/31 "2013-01-02T15:03:20Z")
> [@denquixote](#): > > He also did two of my favorite movies (I am one of the few in these two cases): > > Rancho Deluxe with Jeff Bridges and Sam Waterston > Compromising Positions with Susan Sarandon and Raul Julia I came here to mention him but I was going to cite DIARY OF A MAD HOUSEWIFE and DOC as my two favorites. He got a terrific performance out of Carrie Snodgress in the former, and used Dick Benjamin very well, too, and Frank Langella. And for DOC, the “You can pull that gun if you wanna, cowboy, but if you do you’re going to have two assholes and one of them’s gonna be right between your your eyes” scene is a beauty. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-that-are-underappreciated/645555/32 "2013-01-02T16:12:53Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > I submit for your consideration [William Friedkin](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001243/). > > Yes, he had some very successful films in 70’s and 80’s (e.g. The French Connection, The Exorcist). That said, some of his best work did not receive much attention at all, and certainly did not enjoy much commercial success (e.g. [Sorcerer](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070047/), [To Live and Die in LA](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090180/)). > > But the main reason I am bringing him up here is for the terrific [Killer Joe](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1726669/) (2011), admittedly not everyone’s cup of tea (or piece of fried chicken!). I think it is remarkable that he made the film at all, let alone at age 76 and after an over 25-year hiatus since his last major work! I watched _Killer Joe_ a couple of weeks ago. Definitely worth watching, but I agree that many people probably won’t enjoy it. Another recent Friedkin movie worth giving a look is _Bug_. Both _Bug_ and _Killer Joe_ are film versions of plays written by Tracy Letts. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-that-are-underappreciated/645555/33 "2013-01-03T02:16:40Z")
[Richard Linklater.](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000500/) Director of several terrific films, foremost among them _School of Rock_, _Before Sunrise_ and its sequel _Before Sunset_ (and I’m looking forward a third episode that just finished, _Before Midnight_), and _Dazed and Confused_. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-that-are-underappreciated/645555/34 "2013-01-03T02:50:43Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > [Richard Linklater.](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000500/) > > Director of several terrific films, foremost among them _School of Rock_, _Before Sunrise_ and its sequel _Before Sunset_ (and I’m looking forward a third episode that just finished, _Before Midnight_), and _Dazed and Confused_. He’s made good films, but he’s pretty well recognized as well. I don’t think I’d characterize Linklater as “under appreciated”. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-that-are-underappreciated/645555/35 "2013-01-03T02:56:02Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > He’s made good films, but he’s pretty well recognized as well. I don’t think I’d characterize Linklater as “under appreciated”. Oh yeah, like William Friedkin, Frank Oz, Norman Jewison, and George Roy Hill fit the OP better. :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/directors-that-are-underappreciated/645555.md?page=1)