The one director Denis Villeneuve considers a “master”
There is something distinctively competitive about the realm of music. Ticket sales and record releases seem to resonate more heavily with the creators of those songs and albums than in the world of cinema. Of course, blockbusters and box office flops are still well-documented in the media, but those people behind the titles that triumph or fail to meet their expected returns are rarely dismayed by the outcomes. Directors like Denis Villeneuve aren’t concerned with the financial return on the Dune franchise, just that it was loved by audiences.
Of course, there is some thinking behind why the box office returns are important—they’re an indication of what stories you will be allowed to tell and with what budget you will be afforded to unfurl them. But, among directors, especially, there aren’t many people who are willing to compete with one another. Instead, that particular Hollywood elite clique is focused on celebrating and understanding one another.
“I think I’m attracted to subjects that I’m afraid of,” Villeneuve once remarked while talking about his work. Indeed, the worlds that he constructs are uncanny and disturbing but revelatory at the same time. Deeply psychological in nature, Villeneuve’s films force us to confront our own anxieties as only art can do. This, in itself, has made him a popular moviemaker with his peers. In addition, he has been able to transfer these ideals to the global hit Dune and Dune 2, and you have an extremely well-rounded director.
But that doesn’t mean he is now confounded by ego or the notion that he is, somehow, greater than any of those peers. Quite the opposite. Villeneuve is a noted lover of movies and has often shared his admiration for other filmmakers. He called Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now the movie he had “probably watched most in my life”. He also shared praise for Steven Spielberg when picking out his favourite films ever made.
The two directors offer up a vision of Villeneuve’s two halves. On one side is the auteur, a man determined to bring his vision to fruition and lay waste to anything fluffy that tries to make it more palatable to the public. On the other, there is a director who is intent on telling beautiful stories for everyone to enjoy.
In more recent times, Villeneuve has been compared to Christopher Nolan. The English filmmaker has been on a red-hot streak of late, culminating in his Oscar wins for Oppenheimer. It’s a comparison Villeneuve feels uncomfortable with; for him, Nolan is “an exceptional filmmaker”.
One of the best working today,” he added. “What he can do with a camera, the complexity of his projects, it’s really impressive. I would not dare to compare myself to someone I consider a master. I have massive respect for his work, and what we have in common is a massive love for the theatrical experience.”
The two directors offer the greatest spectacles in modern cinema and manage to do so without degrading their intellectual integrity. It’s a sign that not only are the two men perhaps leagues above their peers — though they might not want to admit it — but that mainstream cinema is well-placed for a few more years to come.
