David O'Connell10 Great Directorial Debuts
July 1st 2008 05:11
12 ANGRY MEN - SIDNEY LUMET (1957)
It’s hard to believe that 50 years later this man is still making relevant films, with an astounding body of work now behind him. Even more remarkable is that his debut may be close to the most perfect film ever made. I could watch it on a loop forever, just Henry Fonda and his eleven 'combatants' on a stifling New York day in a single room, with the freedom of an ordinary young man at stake. One of the greatest films ever made.
PI - DARREN ARONOFSKY (1998)
It’s a shame this brilliant young director, whose genius was confirmed in his follow-up, Requiem for a Dream, has gone on to make only one further film since. Pi, made on a shoe-string with friends over many weekends, is memorable for its unique vision and narrative, a fascinating inquiry - exploring the fine line between mathematics and madness!!
DUEL - STEVEN SPIELBERG (1971)
The ultimate road movie, and a wonderful psychological thriller as man battles faceless beast on the open highways. Dennis Weaver’s internal monologues as he struggles to understand the nature and motivations of his stalker are fascinating and Spielberg shows his adeptness at creating palpable suspense at a very early stage. Billy Goldenberg’s atonal score probes even further beneath the layers of frustration, rage and paranoia.
WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? - MIKE NICHOLS (1966)
Has there ever been a more stark and vitriolic paring back of the layers of marriage on screen as Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor let fly in this tumultuous, but never less than compelling adaptation of Edward Albee’s play. It gets ugly and uncomfortable to watch but like a car crash you can’t look away. The stunning, invasive cinematography of Haskell Wexler and Alex North’s heart-rending score compliment this masterpiece perfectly.
ERASERHEAD - DAVID LYNCH (1977)
This one has divided audiences like few other debuts ever. It’s hypnotic, infuriating, repulsive and utterly beyond human comprehension…………..and that’s just in the first few scenes!! I have no idea what it’s about – and if Lynch himself does he’s never let on in any coherent or rational way either - but it’s a surreal, unforgettable mind-trip, full of bizarre, seemingly random visuals and the most frightening proof for the merits of contraception ever shown on film!
PUBLIC ACCESS - BRYAN SINGER (1993)
For his low-key but gripping debut Singer probes beneath the surface of small-town American life as anonymous revelations spiral out of control after a mysterious stranger waltzes into town and, through his new radio program, throws the doors open to the people and their previously silent black hearts. Singer would follow this relatively unknown gem with the phenomenal The Usual Suspects but a much more subtle side of his immense talent is clearly evident in this fine beginning which is well worth tracking down.
DELICATESSEN - JEAN-PIERRE JEUNET (1991)
Long before the whimsical Amelie, this debut, co-directed with Marc Caro, (his collaborator on the later City of Lost Children as well) gave the world an hilarious black comedy which is also a spectacular visual feast – a riot of energy and colour and outrageously odd characters inside a post-apocalyptic apartment house where the landlord is adding a special little “something” to his culinary concoctions! For me it’s a brilliant film but it seemingly has the power to draw either love or hatred from those who’ve seen it.
ORDINARY PEOPLE - ROBERT REDFORD (1980)
The great actor has always been choosy when stepping behind the camera and his very first project was an intimate and moving study of a middle-class family’s disintegration after one son is killed in a terrible accident, whilst the guilt of his brother eats away at his existence and threatens all their relationships. Timothy Hutton won an Oscar as the troubled son, as did Redford’s sensitive direction. The scenes between Hutton and Judd Hirsch as his psychiatrist are a highlight as is the use of Pachelbel’s Canon, which I always remember vividly.
BOTTLE ROCKET - WES ANDERSON (1996)
This brilliant, quirky debut may still be Anderson’s best work and the one most representative of his later approach to films with slightly bigger budgets. Owen Wilson’s collaborations with the director as co-screenwriters have been nothing but gold and this tale of an aimless, hilarious group of bumbling would-be crims turns into one of the most original and endearing films of recent years, a true indie classic.
THE EVIL DEAD - SAM RAIMI (1982)
What could possibly happen at a cabin in the woods at night?……….only one of the scariest films from my childhood, but I can now view it for what it is as an adult – a thrillingly inventive and audacious funhouse ride which is still just as scary as it is brilliant. Raimi may have gone off the rails and sold his soul to committee filmmaking in the last decade but as a precocious young director he gave us this classic debut which still stands the test of time.
It’s hard to believe that 50 years later this man is still making relevant films, with an astounding body of work now behind him. Even more remarkable is that his debut may be close to the most perfect film ever made. I could watch it on a loop forever, just Henry Fonda and his eleven 'combatants' on a stifling New York day in a single room, with the freedom of an ordinary young man at stake. One of the greatest films ever made.
12 Angry Men
PI - DARREN ARONOFSKY (1998)
It’s a shame this brilliant young director, whose genius was confirmed in his follow-up, Requiem for a Dream, has gone on to make only one further film since. Pi, made on a shoe-string with friends over many weekends, is memorable for its unique vision and narrative, a fascinating inquiry - exploring the fine line between mathematics and madness!!
DUEL - STEVEN SPIELBERG (1971)
The ultimate road movie, and a wonderful psychological thriller as man battles faceless beast on the open highways. Dennis Weaver’s internal monologues as he struggles to understand the nature and motivations of his stalker are fascinating and Spielberg shows his adeptness at creating palpable suspense at a very early stage. Billy Goldenberg’s atonal score probes even further beneath the layers of frustration, rage and paranoia.
Duel
WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? - MIKE NICHOLS (1966)
Has there ever been a more stark and vitriolic paring back of the layers of marriage on screen as Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor let fly in this tumultuous, but never less than compelling adaptation of Edward Albee’s play. It gets ugly and uncomfortable to watch but like a car crash you can’t look away. The stunning, invasive cinematography of Haskell Wexler and Alex North’s heart-rending score compliment this masterpiece perfectly.
ERASERHEAD - DAVID LYNCH (1977)
This one has divided audiences like few other debuts ever. It’s hypnotic, infuriating, repulsive and utterly beyond human comprehension…………..and that’s just in the first few scenes!! I have no idea what it’s about – and if Lynch himself does he’s never let on in any coherent or rational way either - but it’s a surreal, unforgettable mind-trip, full of bizarre, seemingly random visuals and the most frightening proof for the merits of contraception ever shown on film!
Eraserhead
PUBLIC ACCESS - BRYAN SINGER (1993)
For his low-key but gripping debut Singer probes beneath the surface of small-town American life as anonymous revelations spiral out of control after a mysterious stranger waltzes into town and, through his new radio program, throws the doors open to the people and their previously silent black hearts. Singer would follow this relatively unknown gem with the phenomenal The Usual Suspects but a much more subtle side of his immense talent is clearly evident in this fine beginning which is well worth tracking down.
DELICATESSEN - JEAN-PIERRE JEUNET (1991)
Long before the whimsical Amelie, this debut, co-directed with Marc Caro, (his collaborator on the later City of Lost Children as well) gave the world an hilarious black comedy which is also a spectacular visual feast – a riot of energy and colour and outrageously odd characters inside a post-apocalyptic apartment house where the landlord is adding a special little “something” to his culinary concoctions! For me it’s a brilliant film but it seemingly has the power to draw either love or hatred from those who’ve seen it.
ORDINARY PEOPLE - ROBERT REDFORD (1980)
The great actor has always been choosy when stepping behind the camera and his very first project was an intimate and moving study of a middle-class family’s disintegration after one son is killed in a terrible accident, whilst the guilt of his brother eats away at his existence and threatens all their relationships. Timothy Hutton won an Oscar as the troubled son, as did Redford’s sensitive direction. The scenes between Hutton and Judd Hirsch as his psychiatrist are a highlight as is the use of Pachelbel’s Canon, which I always remember vividly.
BOTTLE ROCKET - WES ANDERSON (1996)
This brilliant, quirky debut may still be Anderson’s best work and the one most representative of his later approach to films with slightly bigger budgets. Owen Wilson’s collaborations with the director as co-screenwriters have been nothing but gold and this tale of an aimless, hilarious group of bumbling would-be crims turns into one of the most original and endearing films of recent years, a true indie classic.
Bottle Rocket - those crazy Wilson boys
THE EVIL DEAD - SAM RAIMI (1982)
What could possibly happen at a cabin in the woods at night?……….only one of the scariest films from my childhood, but I can now view it for what it is as an adult – a thrillingly inventive and audacious funhouse ride which is still just as scary as it is brilliant. Raimi may have gone off the rails and sold his soul to committee filmmaking in the last decade but as a precocious young director he gave us this classic debut which still stands the test of time.
The Evil Dead
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
The obvious one Orson Welles Citizen Kane
Terence's Malick's Badlands
John Huston's The Maltese Falcon
Guillermo del Toro's Cronos
Paul Thomas Anderson's Hard Eight
Charles Laughton's Night of the Hunter
Spike JonzeBeing John Malkovich
Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko
Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs
Christopher Nolan's Memento
Ridley Scott's The Duellists
Neil La Bute's In The Company of Men
Oliver Stone's Salvador
Mike Hodges Get Carter
Coen Brothers Bloodsimple
Richard Donner The Omen
i know I've missed other pesonal favourites, but that all thats in my head rightnow.
Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Jia Zhangke's "Xiao Wu"
Truffaut's "The 400 Blows"
Godard's "Breathless"
Li Yang's "Blind Shaft"