Blu Ray.com Community's TOP 20 DIRECTORIAL FEATURE DEBUTS

[spanky87]

WIP. No order yet.

• They Live By Night (Nicholas Ray)
• Citizen Kane (Orson Welles)
• Serenity (Joss Whedon)
• A New Leaf (Elaine May)
• Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino)
• Thief (Michael Mann)
• Pretty Poison (Noel Black)
• The Perfume of the Lady in Black (Francesco Barilli)
• Knife in the Water (Roman Polanski)
• Heathers (Michael Lehmann)
• Red Road (Andrea Arnold)
• Blood Simple (Coen Brothers)
• Sixteen Candles (John Hughes)
• Bottle Rocket (Wes Anderson)
• Eraserhead (David Lynch)
• In the Bedroom (Todd Field)
• The Evil Dead (Sam Raimi)

[Hoke Moseley]

I'm not sure why one-time directors aren't eligible, a great first film is a great first film no matter what came after it.

1. The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton)
2. Thief (Michael Mann)
3. They Live by Night (Nicholas Ray)
4. House of Games (David Mamet)
5. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Elia Kazan)
6. 12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet)
7. sex, lies, and videotape. (Steven Soderbergh)
8. In Bruges (Martin McDonagh)
9. A Bronx Tale (Robert De Niro)
10. Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly)
11. The Virgin Suicides (Sofia Coppola)
12. The Return (Andrey Zvyagintsev)
13. One-Eyed Jacks (Marlon Brando)
14. Le Silence de la Mer (Jean-Pierre Melville)
15. Targets (Peter Bogdanovich)
16. Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy)
17. Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (Michael Cimino)
18. Blood Simple. (Joel Coen)
19. You Can Count on Me (Kenneth Lonergan)
20. Eraserhead (David Lynch)

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Fair enough about Scorsese, but the OP specifically says that Piranha II doesn't count since Cameron wasn't on that production full-time. But I wasn't clear if that meant the Terminator was really eligible or not.

The Terminator is eligible, James Cameron considers it his first real film. The only reason why he was final credit on Piranha 2 was for insurance purposes.

[The Sovereign]

I left off Monty Python and the Holy Grail due to the co-director credit, but I'm glad others included it.

01. Citizen Kane (1941) – Orson Welles
02. The Night of the Hunter (1955) - Charles Laughton
03. Badlands (1973) – Terrence Malick
04. The Maltese Falcon (1941) – John Huston
05. Eraserhead (1977) – David Lynch
06. Repo Man (1984) – Alex Cox
07. Knife in the Water (1962) – Roman Polanski
08. This Is Spinal Tap (1982) – Rob Reiner
09. The Spirit of the Beehive (1973) – Victor Erice
10. Reservoir Dogs (1992) – Quentin Tarantino
11. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) – Mike Nichols
12. Night of the Living Dead (1968) – George Romero
13. Breathless (1960) – Jean-Luc Godard
14. Blue Collar (1978) – Paul Schrader
15. The 400 Blows (1960) – Francois Truffaut
16. A New Leaf (1971) – Elaine May
17. sex, lies, and videotape (1989) – Steven Soderbergh
18. Thief (1981) – Michael Mann
19. Blood Simple (1984) – Joel Coen
20. Hard Eight (1996) – Paul Thomas Anderson

[esteban²]

Originally Posted by Dailyan

The Terminator is eligible, James Cameron considers it his first real film. The only reason why he was final credit on Piranha 2 was for insurance purposes.

Can we say the same about David Fincher then? He didn't have a thing to say in Alien³ and he doesn't see it as his movie at all. That makes Se7en his first.

[Mothravka]

I'll stick with 20 films.

1. The Seventh Continent (1989, Michael Haneke)
2. Uski Roti (1970, Mani Kaul)
3. Silence Has No Wings (1966, Kazuo Kuroki)
4. A Spring for the Thirsty (1965, Yuri Ilyenko)
5. Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (2002, Bing Wang)
6. Mother Dao, the Turtlelike (1995, Vincent Monnikendam)
7. The Man Who Sleeps (1974, Bernard Queysanne)
8. Letters from a Dead Man (1986, Konstantin Lopushanskiy)
9. The 19th Century Georgian Chronicle (1979, Aleksandre Rekhviashvili)
10. Avetik (1992, Don Askarian)
11. Water and Power (1989, Pat O'Neill)
12. Pather Panchali (1955, Satyajit Ray)
13. L'immortelle (1963, Alain Robbe-Grillet)
14. This Transient Life (1970, Akio Jissôji)
15. Funeral Parade of Roses (1969, Toshio Matsumoto)
16. A Simple Event (1974, Sohrab Shahid Saless)
17. La maman et la putain (1973, Jean Eustache)
18. O Sangue (1989, Pedro Costa)
19. The Margin (1967, Ozualdo Ribeiro Candeias)
20. Warrendale (1967, Allan King)

[TajSamKojiJesam]

Avetik is Don Askarian's second feature film. Third, if we count the 60-minute made-for-TV documentary Nagorno Karabakh (1988).

[ArrestedDevelopment]

Work in progress:

The Shawshank Redemption - Frank Darabont
Donnie Darko - Richard Kelly
American Beauty - Sam Mendes
Pi - Darren Aronofsky
District 9 - Neill Blomkamp
Bone Tomahawk - S. Craig Zahler
Little Miss Sunshine - Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
Mission Impossible III - JJ Abrams
Reservoir Dogs - Quentin Tarantino
(500) Days of Summer - Marc Webb
American History X - Tony Kaye
Whiplash - Damien Chazelle
Toy Story - John Lasseter

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by esteban²

Can we say the same about David Fincher then? He didn't have a thing to say in Alien³ and he doesn't see it as his movie at all. That makes Se7en his first.

The biggest difference is that despite constant studio interference, Fincher was there from beginning to end nor was he fired during production. Sometimes your first film is what it is, for better or for worse. The ironic thing is that Camerson himself was a replacement from the original director.

[Mothravka]

Originally Posted by TajSamKojiJesam

Avetik is Don Askarian's second feature film. Third, if we count the 60-minute made-for-TV documentary Nagorno Karabakh (1988).

The rules are that films made for television won't count. Everything he made before Avetik (1992) is either made for television or under 60 minutes, or both.

[Todd Tomorrow]

1. The Night of the Hunter - Charles Laughton
2. The 400 Blows - Francois Truffaut
3. Eraserhead - David Lynch
4. Citizen Kane - Orson Wells
5. You Can Count On Me - Kenneth Lonergan
6. The Iron Giant - Brad Bird
7. Blood Simple - The Coens
8. Being John Malkovich - Spike Jonze
9. The Maltese Falcon - John Huston
10. A New Leaf - Elaine May
11. House of Games - David Mamet
12. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage - Dario Argento
13. Shadows - John Cassavetes
14. Sexy Beast - Jonathan Glazer
15. Targets - Peter Bogdanovich
16. Donnie Darko - Richard Kelly
17. Synecdoche, New York - Charlie Kaufman
18. Bound - The Wachowskis
19. Night of the Living Dead - George A. Romero
20. The Sugarland Express - Steven Spileberg

[Grethiwha]

Originally Posted by Grethiwha

[Show spoiler]1. American Beauty (Sam Mendes)
2. Eraserhead (David Lynch)
3. Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze)
4. The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont)
5. Control (Anton Corbijn)
6. The Chaser (Hong-jin Na)
7. Ocean Heaven (Xiao Lu Xue)
8. Three Outlaw Samurai (Hideo Gosha)
9. Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino)
10. In Bruges (Martin McDonagh)
11. The Lion King (Rob Minkoff & Roger Allers)
12. Pitfall (Hiroshi Teshigahara)
13. Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly)
14. No Man's Land (Danis Tanovic)
15. Sincere Heart (Masaki Kobayashi)
16. L'Age d'Or (Luis Buñuel)
17. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones)
18. Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson)
19. Cronos (Guillermo del Toro)
20. Dumb & Dumber (Farrelly brothers)

Originally Posted by Dailyan

I’ve updated the rules to only not allow one time directors. I feel it’s unfair for some of the more recent films not to be included. So if they made at least two, they’re considered!

Well that changes my list...

Updated: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...2#post14995612

[TajSamKojiJesam]

Originally Posted by Mothravka

The rules are that films made for television won't count. Everything he made before Avetik (1992) is either made for television or under 60 minutes, or both.

Well, darn it. Time to edit my list once again.

Originally Posted by Hoke Moseley

I'm not sure why one-time directors aren't eligible, a great first film is a great first film no matter what came after it.

Yeah, I'd also like to know. That rule doesn't make sense to me.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by Dailyan

One time directors such as Charles Laughton (Nightbof the Hunter), Jerome Robbins (West Side Story), and Tommy Wiseau (You know who you are) will not be considered. Films such as Lady Bird will be considered as Gerwig has intentions continuing directing.

Charles Laughton fully intended to continue directing, he was lined up to direct an adaptation of Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead. He was removed from the project when The Night of the Hunter failed at the box office and then never got to direct a film again. Not his fault, really.

Anyways, can't be bothered to re-number everything.

[KID_Q]

Still a work in progress

1. Reservoir Dogs
2. Shawshank Redemption
3. Citizen Kane
4. Eraserhead
5. The Terminator
6. This is Spinal Tap!
7. Monty Python and The Holy Grail
8. Donnie Darko
9. Blood Simple
10. Maltese Falcon
11. The Kid
12. The 400 Blows
13. Evil Dead
14. Ivan's Childhood
15. Pee Wee's Big Adventure
16. Airplane
17. Night of the Living Dead
18. Christmas Vacation
19. Following
20. Assault on Precinct 13

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

Charles Laughton fully intended to continue directing, he was lined up to direct an adaptation of Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead. He was removed from the project when The Night of the Hunter failed at the box office and then never got to direct a film again. Not his fault, really.

Anyways, can't be bothered to re-number everything.

Duly noted. The only reason why I did that rule so I wouldn't see people put up "The Room" unironically but I can't leave off a hell of a film like "The Night of the Hunter".

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by KID_Q

Still a work in progress

1. Reservoir Dogs
2. Shawshank Redemption
3. Citizen Kane
4. Eraserhead
5. The Terminator
6. This is Spinal Tap!
7. Monty Python and The Holy Grail
8. Donnie Darko
9. Blood Simple
10. Maltese Falcon
11. The Kid
12. The 400 Blows
13. Evil Dead
14. Ivan's Childhood
15. Pee Wee's Big Adventure
16. Airplane
17. Night of the Living Dead
18. Christmas Vacation
19. Following
20. Assault on Precinct 13

"Dark Star" is Carpenter's first theatrical feature not "Assault on Precinct 13".

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Dailyan

Duly noted. The only reason why I did that rule so I wouldn't see people put up "The Room" unironically but I can't leave off a hell of a film like "The Night of the Hunter".

Just my observation from running these threads before--you'd be surprised how diligent and serious voters take these lists.

Chances are slim that The Room would rank over the best of the best.

Originally Posted by Dailyan

"Dark Star" is Carpenter's first theatrical feature not "Assault on Precinct 13".

Dang, I forgot about that.

[stvn1974]

Eraserhead - David Lynch
THX-1138 George Lucas
Badlands - Terrence Malick
The Terminator - James Cameron
Citizen Kane - Orson Welles
Blood Simple - Coen Bros.
Evil Dead - Sam Raimi
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Tobe Hooper
Night Of The Living Dead - George A. Romero
Re-Animator - Stuart Gordon
Mad Max - George Miller

[surfdude12]

1. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles)
2. Eraserhead (David Lynch)
3. The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck)
4. Following (Christopher Nolan)
5. The 400 Blows (Francois Truffaut)
6. Badlands (Terrence Malick)
7. The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton)
8. Monty Python and The Holy Grail
9. The Terminator (James Cameron)
10. Baraka (Ron Fricke)
11. American History X (Tony Kaye)
12. The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont)
13. The Cell (Tarsem Singh)
14. Mad Max (George Miller)
15. Pi (Darren Aronofsky)
16. Cronos (Guillermo del Toro)