# Who's Your All-Time Favorite Director? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 11, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318 "2011-10-11T16:35:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/21 "2011-10-11T22:10:23Z")
> [@Yaxche](#): > > …specifically, a couple of brothers? That could be either of two famous pairs of brothers, only one of which has been explicitly mentioned. Since my true favorite has already been mentioned, I’ll list my very-close runner-up, David Lynch. ---
**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:** [October 11, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/22 "2011-10-11T22:14:26Z")
I’ll go with Werner Herzog. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/23 "2011-10-11T22:22:07Z")
Coen Brothers, but I probably haven’t seen enough films by the old directors to make a proper opinion (Kubrick, Hitchcock, etc). ---
**Author:** ![stegon66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@stegon66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stegon66)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/24 "2011-10-11T22:45:08Z")
Aki Kaurismaki. Also a fan of Kieslowski, Kubrick, Herzog, Kurosawa and Welles. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/25 "2011-10-11T22:49:20Z")
David Lynch. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/26 "2011-10-12T00:21:47Z")
A third vote for the Cohen Brothers. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/27 "2011-10-12T00:54:32Z")
Spielberg runners up: Peter Weir, Clint Eastwood, Tarantino ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/28 "2011-10-12T00:57:47Z")
Quentin Tarantino by a nose over Akira Kurosawa and Sidney Lumet. ---
**Author:** ![jordanr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@jordanr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jordanr2)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/29 "2011-10-12T01:03:22Z")
> [@janeslogin](#): > > [Fassbinder.jpg (image)](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DB06CdeHh9I/S4wtiRUNAAI/AAAAAAAAANA/-WqRbTzeFNA/s1600-h/Berlin_Fassbinder.jpg) this! Godard is a close runner-up. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/30 "2011-10-12T01:07:47Z")
Tough call. Kubrick is way up there (I just saw _Clockwork Orange_ the other night, and I loved most of his films). But Akira Kurasowa’s \*TThe Seven Samurai is my all-time favorite. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/31 "2011-10-12T01:15:51Z")
John Huston His Wikipedia biography states that a common theme in his films is the individual who is willing to sacrifice everything in order to gain self-understanding. I disagree with this theme, since plenty of people sacrifice everything and don’t gain jack shit. A more realistic theme would make the willingness to redeem self-understanding from among the wreckage the better part of valor. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/32 "2011-10-12T01:20:15Z")
Frank Capra ---
**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:** [October 12, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/33 "2011-10-12T03:20:16Z")
Oh boy, I can’t decide between Kubrick & Kurosawa. I’m a Director groupie so I could list dozens, but it’d have to come down to those two. Gun to head? Kurosawa. Or Kubrick. Damn! Whichever one I’m watching at the time. ---
**Author:** ![hazynlazy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bb73d2/32.png) [@hazynlazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hazynlazy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/34 "2011-10-12T04:14:01Z")
I’ll go with Paul Thomas Anderson. Ask me tomorrow and my answer will probably change. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/35 "2011-10-12T04:30:34Z")
I don’t think I have one. I looked at the 100 movies I gave the highest ratings to on IMDB, and with the exception of sequels and series, no two movies have the same director. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/36 "2011-10-12T07:41:27Z")
Hmmm… a good poll might be, what Job Title most influences/interests you in a movie? Actor, Director, Producer, Cinematographer, etc…? I am definitely in the “director” camp. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/37 "2011-10-12T07:51:08Z")
Chuck Jones. ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/38 "2011-10-12T07:54:33Z")
incredible, i’m the first to nominate eyebrows marty! ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/39 "2011-10-12T09:01:03Z")
David Lean ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318/40 "2011-10-12T09:07:29Z")
Difficult question. Today, right now, I’d say … Andrei Tarkovskij. Tomorrow it could be Werner Herzog, David Lean, Ken Russell, Satyajit Ray, Ulrich Seidl, Bela Tarr, Ingmar Bergman, Woody Allen, Carl T. H. Dreyer, Alain Resnais, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-all-time-favorite-director/599318.md?page=3)