# Popular Directors Who Important Work Was Outside of Directing?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 25, 2020, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221 "2020-03-25T01:34:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/21 "2020-03-25T17:35:36Z")

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> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> Francois Truffaut is famous for directing films like _The 400 Blows_ (and sequels) \*Jules and Jim, Fahrenheit 451, \* and _Day for Night_ (Best Foreign Film Oscar). Like Bogdanovich, he started out as a film critic and a noted proponent of the auteur theory.
> 
> Jean-Luc Godard also was a critic promoting the auteur theory before switching to directing.

Out of curiosity, have you read “cahiers du cinema”? I haven’t (but I did love 400 Blows)… I prefer Robert Bresson, who I think is heads and shoulders above the others.

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**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/22 "2020-03-25T17:51:24Z")

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> [@MortSahlFan](#):
>
> But preferably, still movie related…

Director Peter Hyams has done the cinematography in most of his films, which is unusual.

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**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/23 "2020-03-25T18:19:22Z")

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> [@Dropo](#):
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> Woody Allen and Roman Polanski – directors now better known for events in their off-screen…

Although it’s largely forgotten now, if you talk to knowledgeable comics or students of the genre many will cite Woody Allen as one of the most influential stand up comics in the 20th century.

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/24 "2020-03-25T18:56:12Z")

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> [@MortSahlFan](#):
>
> Out of curiosity, have you read “cahiers du cinema”? I haven’t (but I did love 400 Blows)… I prefer Robert Bresson, who I think is heads and shoulders above the others.

Never read them, though I did read _Hitchcock/Truffaud_

In the film world, Bob Fosse was a very successful director (_Cabaret, All That Jazz_, but on Broadway, he was a legendary choreographer. He also danced a little.

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**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-directors-who-important-work-was-outside-of-directing/850221/25 "2020-03-25T19:10:52Z")

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> [@Dropo](#):
>
> Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan – two directing credits, but better known in some other field (stamp collecting?)

I would much rather listen to Bob working on his stamp collection than singing.  
(I came in here to say “Opie Taylor!” but I was too late…)

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