Great Directors by Angela Ismailos

Great Directors is a celebration of films and filmmaking starring 10 of the world's most acclaimed, provocative, and individualistic living directors. The documentary is a deeply personal and intimate look at the art of cinema and the artists who create it and features original, in—depth conversations with world—class filmmakers Bernardo Bertolucci, David Lynch, Stephen Frears, Agnes Varda, Ken Loach, Liliana Cavani, Todd Haynes, Catherine Breillat, Richard Linklater and John Sayles.

Great Directors had its world premiere at the 2009 Venice Film Festival and is released in the US today. As for release dates in the UAE, probbaly never. Guess I will have to wait to get this on DVD.

Comments

[Narain]

Will try to check this out while travelling this summer even if I disagree with most of the choices:

- Bertolucci: overrated, his best film was more Marlon Brando's work than his own.

- Lynch: no problem with him being on the list, has done some of his best work in the past couple of years, Inland Empire took things to another level.

- Stephen Frears: WTF?

- Agnes Varda: have never understood the alleged appeal of her work.

- Ken Loach: ok, fine, last of the inheritors of Cassavetes still working...

- Liliana Cavani: can't comment as I don't know her work which, given that I went to film school & used to watch 500+ films a year may make a point by itself.

- Todd Haynes: Safe is a masterpiece and I'm Not There flirted with masterpiece territory, not so convinced about the rest of his oeuvre...but then which other American directors are you going to go with: Soderbergh?

- Catherine Breilat: she's made the same film at least five times, isn't Claire Denis vastly more deserving?

- Richard Linklater: speaking of Americans... Slacker is great, as are the Before Sunrise/Sunset duo, his animated pseudo-sequel to Slacker (the name of which escapes me) is underrated as is Tape but then he also made School of Rock and Me and Orson Welles...

- John Sayles: don't dispute his credentials but when was the last time he made a film?

Whither Cronenberg, Kiarostami, any Asian directors (Wong Kar Wai, Pen Ek Ratanurang, Kim Ki Duk)?