Greatest Film Directors of All-Time: These honored selections are designed as a tribute to some of the greatest directors of predominantly English-language films, with suggested or recommended Best Films or 'Must-See' Films from their filmographies. Unfortunately, some very talented directors have been pushed aside (50 is a limiting number), but it should be noted that many of these acclaimed film-makers were highly innovative mavericks and renegades who challenged the established 'system' that existed during their time.

50 of the listed "Greatest Film Directors" were selected by Filmsite as the greatest of all time (see below)
indicated by the symbol:

The 50 Greatest Film Directors of All Time (alphabetical, unranked)
Woody Allen	Robert Altman	Ingmar Bergman	Mel Brooks	Tim Burton
James Cameron	Frank Capra	John Cassavetes	Charlie Chaplin	Coen, Joel and Ethan
Francis Ford Coppola	George Cukor	Michael Curtiz	Cecil B. DeMille	Clint Eastwood
John Ford	D.W. Griffith	Howard Hawks	Alfred Hitchcock	John Huston
Peter Jackson	Elia Kazan	Stanley Kubrick	Akira Kurosawa	Fritz Lang
David Lean	Spike Lee	Sergio Leone	Ernst Lubitsch	George Lucas
David Lynch	Terrence Malick	Joseph L. Mankiewicz	Vincente Minnelli	Mike Nichols
Sam Peckinpah	Arthur Penn	Roman Polanski	Michael Powell	Otto Preminger
Martin Scorsese	Ridley Scott	Steven Spielberg	Oliver Stone	Preston Sturges
Quentin Tarantino	Orson Welles	Billy Wilder	William Wyler	Robert Zemeckis

These choices are meant to encourage discussion and comparison, and to educate filmgoers about some of film history's most legendary and influential forces in film-making.

The premise of honoring these film directors is based upon the debatable auteur theory -- the idea that the director is the primary 'author' or voice of a movie, and through a director's film, we see one person's way of viewing the world -- one that has the potential to change the way we see the world. This theory also holds that the how of a film (mise en scene, literally meaning 'putting in the scene') is something under the director's control. Elements or features of mise en scene include the action, composition, sets, props, lighting, costumes, make-up, cinematographic style and technique, and visual properties - and the theory postulates that these things are more important than the what or subject of the film.

In any regard, the director is probably the most important person responsible for creating 'movie magic' and mixing together all the ingredients of the film-making process.

Criteria:
What were some of the criteria used to select these Greatest Directors?

• each one has made a significant, indelible, memorable and influential contribution to the development of film and the film industry
  
• each one has skillfully directed a consistent body of work with a number of great movies
  (of predominantly English-language films) - three or four unquestionably great films usually mark a top film-maker
  
• each one has a compelling vision, strong aesthetic, and groundbreaking style that has helped to define cinema as we know it today
  
• each one has a personal stamp that cuts across films, genres, and decades
  
• each one is most deserving of an Academy Award nomination (or award) and critical recognition
  

See also this site's extensive write-up of information about the Best Director Academy Awards. (See the complete list of all Best Director winners here). And for fun, browse this site's information about Afred Hitchcock's Cameos, the Most Famous Film Director Cameos, and Notable Appearances of Directors in Films of Other Directors. A Ranking of the 100 Most Influential People in the History of the Movies from the Film 100 site is also worth a look.

See also this site's multi-part compilation of other deserved film directors (alphabetical) - More Great Film Directors.

Other Lists of Best Directors

MovieMaker Magazine - 25 Most Influential Directors of All-Time (2002)
	1. Alfred Hitchcock	14. John Cassavetes
	2. D.W. Griffith	15. Billy Wilder
	3. Orson Welles	16. Jean Renoir
	4. Jean-Luc Godard	17. Francis Ford Coppola
	5. John Ford	18. Howard Hawks
	6. Stanley Kubrick	19. Francois Truffaut
	7. Sergei Eisenstein	20. Buster Keaton
	8. Charlie Chaplin	21. Fritz Lang
	9. Federico Fellini	22. John Huston
	10. Steven Spielberg	23. Woody Allen
	11. Martin Scorsese	24. Luis Bunuel
	12. Akira Kurosawa	25. Ernst Lubitsch
	13. Ingmar Bergman