# Who is now the best living director not to have an Oscar (for directing)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 2, 2010, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350 "2010-01-02T00:03:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/1 "2010-01-02T00:03:10Z")
Once Spielberg won for Schindler’s list, the answer to this question was easily Scorsese. Of course, as it is defensible to say Scorsese is the best director of all time (not my position), you could say he held the title before that. However, with him safely securing his directing Oscar for the Departed, who inherited the title as the best (living) director with out Oscar? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/2 "2010-01-02T00:26:36Z")
Paul Thomas Anderson. Arguably, Quentin Tarantino. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/3 "2010-01-02T00:26:39Z")
I’d probably say Ridley Scott, he’s done some incredible movies over the years and all he’s gotten Academy Awards-wise is three nominations. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/4 "2010-01-02T00:36:59Z")
Ridley Scott’s a good choice. Michael Mann is a very good director, but he doesn’t direct many films. (His best was _Last of the Mohicans_.) Guy Ritchie came out of the gate strong with _Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels_ and _Snatch_, but has been uneven after that. [John Sayles](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000626/) ought to be in the conversation, and might be my pick. (_Lone Star_, _Matewan_, _Eight Men Out_) ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/5 "2010-01-02T00:38:46Z")
Tarantino is a good choice. Christopher Nolan is also a good candidate. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/6 "2010-01-02T00:56:32Z")
Werner Herzog ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/7 "2010-01-02T00:59:36Z")
Terry Gilliam. [Nominated for Brazil](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000416/awards), nothing since. ---
**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:** [January 2, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/8 "2010-01-02T01:35:19Z")
**Wim Wenders** , who should have won or at least been nominated for directing **Wings of Desire** and **Until the End of the World**. He’s only ever received one Academy Award nomination, via his documentary **Buena Vista Social Club** (it lost, understandably, to **One Day In September** ). I’m also on board with Paul Thomas Anderson, Werner Herzog, Terry Gilliam, John Sayles and Quentin Tarantino. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/9 "2010-01-02T01:39:30Z")
I’d say either: Werner Herzog or Quentin Tarantino - I’m wondering if he’ll get it for Basterds, though. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/10 "2010-01-02T01:48:52Z")
Of the cited names I’d have to pick Werner Herzog. A common theme here is that many of these guys don’t direct a LOT of movies. Terry Gilliam is a daring, innovative filmmaker, but he has directed just ten feature films in 34 years. Michael Mann is ridiculously talented but has just ten feature films in 30 years. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/11 "2010-01-02T03:47:36Z")
Herzog & Wenders (along with Godard, Angelopoulos, Rohmer, Varda, etc.) don’t really count since no director has ever won the prize for a completely foreign language film (and probably won’t for a long time). So given that Sidney Lumet has an honorary Oscar, I vote for 3-time loser **David Lynch** with honorable mentions to David Cronenberg and Mike Leigh. ---
**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:** [January 2, 2010, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/12 "2010-01-02T06:25:14Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Herzog & Wenders (along with Godard, Angelopoulos, Rohmer, Varda, etc.) don’t really count since no director has ever won the prize for a completely foreign language film (and probably won’t for a long time). [Herzog](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0001348/) and [Wenders](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000694/) have both directed several English-language films, and will again. Herzog especially seems to focus mainly on English-language films now. He could have and should have gotten nominated for **Rescue Dawn** , which was tragically overlooked last awards season. Either could win in the future for something truly spectacular, in English. Good call with David Lynch, though he seems to have set aside directing to concentrate on his David Lynch Foundation and produce movies (including [My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt1233219/), the next English-language Werner Herzog film). It’s hard to believe **Inland Empire** was 2006, and he doesn’t have anything on the burner that’s listed on IMDB. ---
**Author:** ![Pray\_for\_peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pray\_for\_peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pray_for_peace)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/13 "2010-01-02T06:31:16Z")
I came in to say John Sayles. I see I’m not the first one. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/14 "2010-01-02T06:51:40Z")
Peter Weir is high on the list. Nominated four times the last being Master and Commander unfortunately in the same as year as ROTK. I think Master and Commander is the better film but I don’t begrudge Jackson his win for the trilogy as a whole. ``` Before that he was nominated for the Truman Show, IMO a terrific film and easily better than Saving Private Ryan. I don't care too much for Dead Poet's Society and haven't seen Witness which sounds like an excellent film. ``` ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/15 "2010-01-02T07:20:25Z")
Oops, living. Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/16 "2010-01-02T08:19:27Z")
Lumet or Weir for mine. Weir has done terrific movies with casting choices that seem obvious in retrospect but were often surprising at the time. Linda Hunt as a man in _The Year of Living Dangerously_, Ford in \*Witness \*, goofy Robin Williams in _Dead Poet’s Society_, goofy Jim Carrey in _The Truman Show_. He even made a sex symbol out of Gérard Depardieu in _Green Card_. Actors must love him. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/17 "2010-01-02T14:03:05Z")
I also vote for Sayles. I will consider Lumet and Weir. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/18 "2010-01-02T15:01:30Z")
After thinking about my own question, I add the following names to the list (though no one stands out like Marty did). Gus Van Sant Frank Darabont David Fincher Stephen Frears Alexander Paine Jason Reitman (if we are including youngsters to watch) Altmann probably held the title until his death. ---
**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/19 "2010-01-02T15:06:46Z")
GOD – Herzog has never gotten an Oscar??? Where is the “weeping” smiley when we need it?? ---
**Author:** ![Short\_Guy\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9adbd/32.png) [@Short\_Guy\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Short_Guy_1)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350/20 "2010-01-02T15:11:34Z")
[QUOTE=] Arguably, Quentin Tarantino. [/QUOTE] I’d substitute “definitely” for “arguably”. If he doesn’t win for “Basterds” this year, he never will. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-now-the-best-living-director-not-to-have-an-oscar-for-directing/523350.md?page=2)