The greatest American director of all time, according to Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick is bound to pop up during any debate about the greatest American director in film history. Kubrick’s near-flawless filmography defined the future trajectory of American cinema in countless ways, shaping entire genres through immortal works like 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Shining.
Kubrick’s cinematic creations have remained vital to contemporary popular culture, inspiring multiple generations of aspiring filmmakers. From Christopher Nolan to Alfonso Cuarón, many prominent directors owe a great debt to Kubrick because they have borrowed from his vision to create their own.
During his formative years, Kubrick also had several cinematic pioneers he looked up to. Since he never received formal training in filmmaking, most of his film education consisted of screenings at the Museum of Modern Art, where he got the opportunity to witness the works of masters like Sergei Eisenstein.
While looking back on the directors who influenced his cinema, Kubrick once said: “Highest of all I would rate Max Ophüls, who for me possessed every possible quality. He has an exceptional flair for sniffing out good subjects, and he got the most out of them. He was also a marvellous director of actors”.
When it came to American filmmakers, there was only one figure whom Kubrick considered to be a cut above the rest. He was none other than Elia Kazan, the pioneering director behind classics like On the Waterfront. Kubrick declared that Kazan was “without question, the best director we have in America, [and] capable of performing miracles with the actors he uses”.
He was definitely not alone in this opinion since Nicholas Ray also cited Kazan as “the best actor’s director the United States has ever produced”. Kazan’s vision of cinema is deeply linked to the evolution of American cinema, and his works have greatly impacted some of the greatest filmmakers working today, including Martin Scorsese.
Although Kubrick believed that Kazan was among the most talented directors in history, he notably did not include any of Kazan’s works when he made a list of his ten favourite films in 1963. Instead of Kazan’s films, the list cited the works of other American directors, such as Orson Welles.
