Best director of all time
<b>Orson Welles</b>

1

Orson Welles

L'Infernale Quinlan (Touch of Evil); Quarto Potere (Citizen Kane), L'Orgoglio degli Amberson, Il Processo
<b>Stanley Kubrick</b>

2

Stanley Kubrick

Arancia Meccanica; 2001: Odissea nello Spazio; Barry Lyndon; Shining
<b>Alfred Hitchcock</b>

3

Alfred Hitchcock

Il Delitto Perfetto, La Donna che Visse Due Volte, Psycho, L'Uomo che Sapeva Troppo, L'Ombra del Dubbio, The 39 Steps
<b>Ingmar Bergman</b>

4

Ingmar Bergman

Fanny e Alexander; Il Settimo Sigillo; Sussurri e Grida; Il Volto; La Fontana della Vergine; Il Posto delle Fragole
<b>Sydney Pollack</b>

5

Sydney Pollack

I Tre Giorni del Condor, Diritto di Cronaca, Tootsie, Corvo Rosso Non Avrai il Mio Scalpo (Jeremiah Johnson)
<b>Alan J. Pakula</b>

6

Alan J. Pakula

Tutti gli Uomini del Presidente; Perchè un Assassinio (The Parallax View); La Scelta di Sophie; Una Squillo per l'Ispettore Klute,
<b>John Schlesinger</b>

7

John Schlesinger

Il Maratoneta; Un Uomo da Marciapiede; Domenica, Maledetta Domenica
<b>George Roy Hill</b>

8

George Roy Hill

La Stangata (The Sting); Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
<b>Francis Ford Coppola</b>

9

Francis Ford Coppola

Apocalypse Now; Il Padrino (The Godfather) I e II; The Cotton Club;
<b>Elia Kazan</b>

10

Elia Kazan

Fronte del Porto (On the Waterfront); La Valle dell'Eden (East of Eden); Un Tram che si Chiama Desiderio (A Streetcar Named Desire);
<b>Martin Scorsese</b>

11

Martin Scorsese

Taxi Driver; Toro Scatenato; Casinò; The Departed
<b>Robert Wise</b>

12

Robert Wise

West Side Story, Lassù Qualcuno mi Ama, Tutti Insieme Appassionatamente
<b>Mike Nichols</b>

13

Mike Nichols

Il Laureato (The Graduate); Silkwood, Chi ha paura di Virginia Wolf?; Una Donna in Carriera
<b>Frank Capra</b>

14

Frank Capra

La Vita è Meravigliosa; Accadde una Notte; È Arrivata la Felicità (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town)
<b>Luis Buñuel</b>

15

Luis Buñuel

L'Angelo Sterminatore; il Fascino Discreto della Borghesia; Quell'Oscuro Oggetto del Desiderio ; Bella di Giorno
<b>Dino Risi</b>

16

Dino Risi

Il Sorpasso; Profumo di Donna; I Mostri; In Nome del Popolo Italiano
<b>Ridley Scott</b>

17

Ridley Scott

Blade Runner, Alien, Thelma & Louise, I Duellanti; The Gladiator
<b>Vittorio de Sica</b>

18

Vittorio de Sica

Ladri di Biciclette; Ieri, Oggi, Domani; Sciuscià; Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini
<b>Sidney Lumet</b>

19

Sidney Lumet

Quinto Potere (Network); Serpico; Il Verdetto
<b>Milos Forman</b>

20

Milos Forman

Qualcuno Volò sul Nido del Cuculo, Amadeus, Taking Off, Man on the Moon
<b>John Sturges</b>

21

John Sturges

Sfida all'O.K. Corral, La Grande Fuga, i Magnifici Sette
<b>Roman Polański</b>

22

Roman Polański

Chinatown, Tess, L'Inquilino del Terzo Piano (Le Locataire)
<b>Robert Aldrich</b>

23

Robert Aldrich

Che fine ha fatto Baby Jane?; Un bacio e una pistola (Kiss Me Deadly); The Big Knife.
<b>Peter Weir</b>

24

Peter Weir

Picnic at Hanging Rock, Mosquito Coast, L'Attimo Fuggente, The Truman Show,
<b>Steven Spielberg</b>

25

Steven Spielberg

L'Impero del Sole, Schindler's List, Minority Report, Incontri Ravvicinati Del Terzo Tipo
<b>Robert Altman</b>

26

Robert Altman

America Oggi (Short Cuts), M.A.S.H., Nashville
<b>Michael Cimino</b>

27

Michael Cimino

Il Cacciatore ( The Deer Hunter), Una Calibro 20 per lo Specialista, I Cancelli del Cielo,
<b>Louis Malle</b>

28

Louis Malle

Arrivederci Ragazzi; Atlantic City; Les Amantes
<b>Barry Levinson</b>

29

Barry Levinson

Sleepers; Rain Man - L'uomo della pioggia; Bugsy; Good Morning Vietnam
<b>Brian De Palma</b>

30

Brian De Palma

Scarface, Carlito's Way, Gli Intoccabili (The Untouchables); Mission: Impossible
<b>Akira Kurosawa</b>

31

Akira Kurosawa

Kagemusha; Ran; I Sette Samurai
<b>Frank Darabont</b>

32

Frank Darabont

Le Ali della Libertà; Il Miglio Verde
<b>John Landis</b>

33

John Landis

Animal House; The Blues Brothers; Una Poltrona per Due
<b>Peter Yates</b>

34

Peter Yates

Bullitt; All American Boys; Il Servo di Scena
<b>Joel & Ethan Coen</b>

35

Joel & Ethan Coen

L'Uomo che non c'era, Fargo, Il Grande Lebowski, Non è un Paese per Vecchi (No Country for Old Men)
<b>James Ivory</b>

36

James Ivory

Camera con Vista; Casa Howard; Quel che Resta del Giorno
<b>Quentin Tarantino</b>

37

Quentin Tarantino

Pulp Fiction; Reservoir Dogs; Inglourious Basterds
<b>Richard Brooks</b>

38

Richard Brooks

La Gatta sul Tetto che Scotta; A Sangue Freddo; I Professionisti (The Professionals)
<b>David Fincher</b>

39

David Fincher

Fight Club; Seven; The Social Network
<b>Clint Eastwood</b>

40

Clint Eastwood

Gli Spietati; Mystic River; Million Dollar Baby; Hereafter
<b>Francois Truffaut</b>

41

Francois Truffaut

Effetto Notte; L'Ultimo Metrò; La Signora della Porta Accanto; I Quattrocento Colpi
<b>George Cukor</b>

42

George Cukor

My Fair Lady; Angoscia; Scandalo a Filadelfia
<b>Martin Ritt</b>

43

Martin Ritt

La Lunga Estate Calda; Hud il Selvaggio; I Cospiratori; La Spia che Venne dal Freddo
<b>Sam Peckinpah</b>

44

Sam Peckinpah

II Mucchio Selvaggio (The Wild Bunch); Cane di Paglia (Straw Dogs); The Getaway; La Ballata di Cable Hogue
<b>Woody Allen</b>

45

Woody Allen

Io e Annie; Hannah e le sue Sorelle; Crimini e Misfatti
<b>David Lean</b>

46

David Lean

Doctor Zhivago; Lawrence d'Arabia; Il Ponte sul Fiume Kwai
<b>Robert Benton</b>

47

Robert Benton

Kramer contro Kramer, Le Stagioni del Cuore (Places in the Heart)
<b>John Huston</b>

48

John Huston

L'Onore dei Prizzi, Giungla d'Asfalto; Il Tesoro della Sierra Madre,
<b>Gregory Hoblit</b>

49

Gregory Hoblit

Il Caso Thomas Crawford (Fracture); Il Tocco del Male (Fallen);Schegge di Paura (Primal Fear)
<b>Alan Parker</b>

50

Alan Parker

Fuga di Mezzanotte; The Commitments; Pink Floyd The Wall; Mississippi Burning
<b>Oliver Stone</b>

51

Oliver Stone

Platoon; Nato il Quattro Luglio; Natural Born Killers
<b>Robert Zemeckis</b>

52

Robert Zemeckis

Forrest Gump
<b>Jim Sheridan</b>

53

Jim Sheridan

Il Mio Piede Sinistro, Nel Nome del Padre
<b>Zhang Yimou</b>

54

Zhang Yimou

Lanterne Rosse; La Storia di Qiu Ju; La Foresta dei Pugnali Volanti
<b>Baz Luhrmann</b>

55

Baz Luhrmann

Moulin Rouge!, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, Australia
<b>George Lucas</b>

56

George Lucas

American Graffiti, Star Wars I, II, III.
<b>Norman Jewison</b>

57

Norman Jewison

La Calda Notte dell'Ispettore Tibbs, Il Caso Thomas Crown, Jesus Christ Superstar, Rollerball
<b>Sam Mendes</b>

58

Sam Mendes

American Beauty, Revolutionary Road
<b>Peter Greenaway</b>

59

Peter Greenaway

The Draughtsman's Contract (I Misteri del Giardino di Compton House), The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
<b>Curtis Hanson</b>

60

Curtis Hanson

L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys
<b>Paul Thomas Anderson</b>

61

Paul Thomas Anderson

Magnolia; Boogie Nights; Il Petroliere
<b>Spike Lee</b>

62

Spike Lee

Inside Man; La 25ª Ora
Your comment on the chart
Comments on this chart
  • Emerson
    Emerson
    3 mar 10
    John Sturges, the great director of "The Great Escape" and "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," is missing from the Debaser Database.
     
  • Marcellol'Hippy
    Marcellol'Hippy
    6 mar 10
    Great even without John Sturges.
     
  • Mr Wolf
    Mr Wolf
    10 apr 10
    Great ranking, I’ll do one too!
     
  • Emerson
    Emerson
    10 apr 10
    Thank you Marcello & Mr. Wolf, who knows when I'll finish it.....
     
  • marcofiorin
    marcofiorin
    10 apr 10
    Tarantino only 38th? What a shame!
     
  • Emerson
    Emerson
    10 apr 10
    What can I say? Do you know the others? Tarantino amuses me, but I like the others more. Some, very talented and certainly greater than Tarantino (like Chaplin, for example), I didn't even include.
     
  • WayneGretzky
    WayneGretzky
    17 apr 10
    Very big!
     
  • panNZZOone
    panNZZOone
    17 apr 10
    Very beautiful.
     
  • stockalper
    stockalper
    17 apr 10
    As a connoisseur, really. You've made me want to make it my own...
     
  • Blackdog
    Blackdog
    18 apr 10
    I felt a strong physical pain when I saw Coppola after Pollack, Pakula, Schlesinger, Roy Hill & Wise: not mentioning "The Conversation" is like discussing Keeley Hazell's eyes. David Lynch at 50° (better Alan Parker or any Curtis Hanson) is pure blasphemy.
     
  • Emerson
    Emerson
    18 apr 10
    Blackdog, I went solely based on my personal tastes (and I also pointed that out if you have the patience to read). That said, you put a genius like Welles behind an unhinged person like Dreyer, who isn't even worthy of tying his shoelaces. And you even mention a whore.........
     
  • Emerson
    Emerson
    18 apr 10
    Not to mention that you've ranked what I consider the worst director of all time as the third best director of the seventies. In direction, I'd prefer the almost namesake midfielder from Fiorentina of that time...
     
  • rupertsciamenna
    rupertsciamenna
    3 jun 10
    Given Tarantino's presence, his masters could have fit in perfectly as well: Carpenter and Sarafian... :D but also Russ Meyer.
     
  • Emerson
    Emerson
    3 jun 10
    ;D
     
  • Emerson
    Emerson
    18 aug 10
    Thanks to a review from Hellring, I can rank John Sturges. Hooray!
     
  • jack daniel's
    jack daniel's
    19 aug 10
    Carlo Vanzina is missed, but the rest is very beautiful :)
     
  • teenagelobotomy
    teenagelobotomy
    11 oct 10
    Great ranking, but the shocking absence of Leone stands out... As for Zemeckis, I would have also mentioned Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
     
  • Emerson
    Emerson
    15 oct 10
    @teenagelokomotive: well, in my opinion, Leone's third place in the overall Debaser ranking stands out. He is ahead of people whom he wouldn’t even deserve to shine their shoes (not to mention those from whom he has blatantly copied, by the way).
     
  • teenagelobotomy
    teenagelobotomy
    15 oct 10
    "he stands in front of people to whom he wouldn't even be worthy of polishing their shoes" come on... still, he made an impact and has been widely copied and imitated. "Once Upon a Time in America" remains one of the greatest films of all time for me, not to mention the Dollar Trilogy. And let’s not forget that he directed some of the greatest examples of the fusion of cinema and music, with the help of Ennio, of course.
     
  • Emerson
    Emerson
    16 oct 10
    For me, "Once Upon a Time in America" was quite disappointing. And in general, I can't stand those who dilute films with endless pauses. But who is he? The Celentano of the camera? As for the western genre: I didn't include John Ford, let alone Leone.
     
  • berlinboy85
    berlinboy85
    7 jan 11
    de palma? ok, but you can't put those movies there to define it.
     
  • Francesc
    Francesc
    7 jan 11
    At first glance, Scorsese seems to be missing...do you confirm?
     
  • Emerson
    Emerson
    7 jan 11
    @ Francesc: Scorsese is definitely there. He's 11th.
     
  • Emerson
    Emerson
    7 jan 11
    @ Berlin: which films did you want to define De Palma? Carrie? Blow Out? The Phantom of the Opera?
     
  • YRO167
    YRO167
    7 jan 11
    Great ranking, I completely agree with the top two spots (even though Kubrick...). I also think Leone deserves a lot, it might come down to personal taste, but he deserves a spot just for "Once Upon a Time in America," an authentic masterpiece. The great Werner Herzog is also missing!
     
  • Emerson
    Emerson
    7 jan 11
    Exactly, it’s a matter of taste. As for Welles, first (and by far) I won’t compromise.
     
  • YRO167
    YRO167
    7 jan 11
    And what about Herzog?
     
  • Emerson
    Emerson
    7 jan 11
    Herzog and Klaus Kinski keep me from sleeping well at night :) The greatest absence in here is Chaplin. But it's clear that this is a purely personal and mood-driven ranking. Made by a simple viewer, not by a critic.
     
  • hjhhjij
    hjhhjij
    17 jan 11
    Emerson, you're right, I have to add Levinson, Pakula, and Schlesinger too!
     
  • fedezan76
    fedezan76
    17 jan 11
    Hey Emerson, it looks like my grandfather's ranking! ;D
     
  • Emerson
    Emerson
    17 jan 11
    And indeed I am your grandfather, you little rascal! What are you doing all day on debaser?
     
  • Fredo_
    Fredo_
    17 jan 11
    Don't you really like Fellini? And Jim Jarmusch? (2 directors that have nothing to do with each other, but I've noticed their absence, just my curiosity)
     
  • Emerson
    Emerson
    17 jan 11
    I will be irreverent (we're talking about tastes, I believe it's allowed). I like various things in Amarcord and I Vitelloni by Fellini, but on average, I find him overrated. Generally, I'm not the type to watch movies with Zampanò & co. shouting masterpiece. Regarding Jim Jarmusch, off the top of my head, I think I have only seen Daunbailò (good) and Night on Earth (anything but memorable). So I will reserve my judgment.
     
  • berlinboy85
    berlinboy85
    17 jan 11
    @emerson: exactly.
     
  • Geo@Geo
    Geo@Geo
    12 feb 11
    In the top 11-12 places, there are the good ones, but you need to revisit Fellini: you can't call him overrated, it's just the way it is ;)
     
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