Francis Ford Coppola occupies three of the top seven spots
The Directors Guild of America has unveiled its list of the 80 best-directed feature films since the guild’s founding in 1936 and only one female director made the list — Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker.”
Nearly 2,200 members (13.7 percent of all DGA members) participated in the poll in honor of the guild’s 80th anniversary, though films directed by non-members were also eligible.
Francis Ford Coppola scored three of the top seven spots thanks to the first two “Godfather” movies and “Apocalypse Now.”
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Meanwhile, Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick each had five films on the list — “Schindler’s List,” “Jaws,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Saving Private Ryan” and “E.T.” for Spielberg, and “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Dr. Strangelove,” “A Clockwork Orange,” “The Shining” and “Barry Lyndon” for Kubrick.
The earliest films on the list were the 1939 releases “Gone With the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz,” both of which were directed by Victor Fleming, while Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s 2014 film “Birdman” was the most recent film on the list.
Iñárritu was the rare filmmaker of color on the DGA’s list, while openly gay director Bryan Singer also made the cut with his superb second feature “The Usual Suspects.”
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Bigelow landed one spot behind her ex-husband James Cameron, whose “Avatar” came in 10 spots behind “Titanic.” Cameron’s blockbusters are the two highest-grossing movies of all-time.
Did the DGA overlook any female directors? Check out the list below and let us know which films you think should’ve made the cut.
1. The Godfather Francis Ford Coppola 1972
2. Citizen Kane Orson Welles 1941
3. Lawrence of Arabia David Lean 1962
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey Stanley Kubrick 1968
5. Casablanca Michael Curtiz 1942
6. The Godfather: Part II Francis Ford Coppola 1974
7. Apocalypse Now Francis Ford Coppola 1979
8. Schindler’s List Steven Spielberg 1993
9. Gone With the Wind Victor Fleming 1939
10. Goodfellas Martin Scorsese 1990
11. Chinatown Roman Polanski 1974
12. The Wizard of Oz Victor Fleming 1939
13. Raging Bull Martin Scorsese 1980
14. Jaws Steven Spielberg 1975
15. It’s a Wonderful Life Frank Capra 1946
16. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb Stanley Kubrick 1964
17. The Shawshank Redemption Frank Darabont 1994
18. The Graduate Mike Nichols 1967
19. Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope George Lucas 1977
20. Blade Runner Ridley Scott 1982
21. On the Waterfront Elia Kazan 1954
22. Pulp Fiction Quentin Tarantino 1994
23. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Steven Spielberg 1982
24. Annie Hall Woody Allen 1977
25. Saving Private Ryan Steven Spielberg 1998
26. Seven Samurai Akira Kurosawa 1954
27. A Clockwork Orange Stanley Kubrick 1971
28. Raiders of the Lost Ark Steven Spielberg 1981
29. Vertigo Alfred Hitchcock 1958
30. Sunset Boulevard Billy Wilder 1950
31. To Kill A Mockingbird Robert Mulligan 1962
32. Psycho Alfred Hitchcock 1960
33. The Searchers John Ford 1956
34. Forrest Gump Robert Zemeckis 1994
35. Singin’ in the Rain Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly 1952
36. 8 ½ Federico Fellini 1963
37. The Third Man Carol Reed 1949
38. The Best Years of Our Lives William Wyler 1946
39. Rear Window Alfred Hitchcock 1954
40. The Bridge on the River Kwai David Lean 1957
41. North by Northwest Alfred Hitchcock 1959
42. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Miloš Forman 1975
43. The Sound of Music Robert Wise 1965
44. Taxi Driver Martin Scorsese 1976
45. Titanic James Cameron 1997
46. The Shining Stanley Kubrick 1980
47. Amadeus Miloš Forman 1984
48. Doctor Zhivago David Lean 1965
49. West Side Story Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise 1961
50. Some Like it Hot Billy Wilder 1959
51. Ben-Hur William Wyler 1959
52. Fargo Ethan Coen, Joel Coen 1996
53. The Silence of the Lambs Jonathan Demme 1991
54. The Apartment Billy Wilder 1960
55. Avatar James Cameron 2009
56. The Hurt Locker Kathryn Bigelow 2008
57. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre John Huston 1948
58. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Alejandro G. Iñárritu 2014
59. All About Eve Joseph L. Mankiewicz 1950
60. The Deer Hunter Michael Cimino 1978
61. There Will Be Blood Paul Thomas Anderson 2007
62. The Sting George Roy Hill 1973
63. The Wild Bunch Sam Peckinpah 1969
64. Alien Ridley Scott 1979
65. Rocky John G. Avildsen 1976
66. The Conformist Bernardo Bertolucci 1970
67. Gandhi Richard Attenborough 1982
68. The Bicycle Thief Vittorio De Sica 1948
69. Cinema Paradiso Giuseppe Tornatore 1988
70. Brazil Terry Gilliam 1985
71. The Grapes of Wrath John Ford 1940
72. All the President’s Men Alan J. Pakula 1976
73. Barry Lyndon Stanley Kubrick 1975
74. Touch of Evil Orson Welles 1958
75. Once Upon a Time in America Sergio Leone 1984
76. Unforgiven Clint Eastwood 1992
77. The Usual Suspects Bryan Singer 1995
78. Network Sidney Lumet 1976
79. Rashomon Akira Kurosawa 1950
80. Once Upon a Time in the West Sergio Leone 1968
21 Best and Worst Oscars Moments of 2016, From Sarah Silverman to Lady Gaga (Photos)
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WORST: The introduction clip for the show -- you know, the one that sets the tone for the show and gets viewers into the mood -- started with a cheesy clip of all the ingredients that go into an Oscar, like heart, passion and inspiration. And just so viewers get the idea, the ingredients were then funneled into the Oscar statutes in pixie-dust form.
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BEST: Chris Rock's opening monologue. The host of the evening wasted no time in addressing the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, or as he dubbed this year's Oscars, "the white People's Choice Awards." Rock then took a jab at actress Jada Pinkett Smith for boycotting the event, saying that "Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna's panties. I wasn't invited."
Getty ImagesBEST: Skit spoofing how hard it is for black actors to land a role in white Hollywood. The clip started with Whoopi Goldberg lending her two cents to the mop scene from "Joy." Leslie Jones took on the role of the bear in "The Revenant," Tracy Morgan played a danish-eating "Danish Girl," while "The Martian's" Jeff Daniels and Kristen Wiig discussed whether or not to spend "white dollars" to save a black astronaut, played by Chris Rock.
WORST: Everyone's favorite Fox News correspondent Stacey Dash made what can only be described as the most uncomfortable appearances of the night. The "Clueless" actress waved at the audience as she wished everyone a happy Black History Month. Dash raised eyebrows last month when she stated that Black History Month, BET and other institutions that celebrate racial differences should be eliminated.
BEST: If you hate the music the Oscars orchestra plays when a winner's acceptance speech runs on too long, producers of this year’s event may have found a solution to the problem: A scroll at the bottom of the screen with the winners' thank-yous. Hallelujah!
WORST: Cate Blanchett, one of Hollywood’s most stylish actors, presented the Oscar for best costume design... makes sense. What didn’t make sense was having her struggle her way through a bunch of mannequins as she did her bit, making for a less than seamless moment.
BEST: Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe reminded us that banter between presenters doesn't always have to be stiff or boring. As they presented the Oscar for best adapted screenplay, Gosling bragged about how he and Crowe have "two Oscars between the two of us." But Crowe only won a single Oscar for Best Actor in 2000's "Gladiator;" Gosling himself has yet to win.
BEST: For another pre-taped skit, Rock recruited actress Angela Basset to celebrate an Academy legend who was in films like “Enemy of State” and “Shark Tale” — Jack Black. This potshot to lack of Academy diversity joins other highlights like montages starring Leslie Jones and Whoopi Goldberg.
BEST: C-3PO, R2-D2 and BB-8 took the stage to give a shout out to "Star Wars" composer John Williams who received his 50th Oscar nomination for this year's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." The moment was so awesome it had "Room" star Jacob Tremblay jumping out of his seat for a closer look.
BEST: Chris Rock isn’t only trying to dazzle as an Oscar host -- he’s going after Father of the Year. Rock demand the millionaires in the audience help his daughter’s Girl Scouts of America troop sell the most cookies this year. Buyers included Kate Winslet, Sam Smith and Jennifer Lawrence and David O. Russell.
BEST: Kevin's Hart showed his serious side as he addressed this year’s lack of diversity in Hollywood. The comedian put a positive spin on the issue as he addressed actors of color, saying, “Let's not let this issue of diversity beat us."
BEST: Chris Rock tackled the #OscarsSoWhite Controversy in a taped "man on the street" clip outside a movie theater in Compton, California. Rock then asked moviegoers whether they'd seen any of this year's Best Picture nominees. After getting mostly blank stares, Rock then asked one movie-goer whether she’s seen “Straight Out of Compton,” to which she replied, "Oh, hell yeah!"
BEST: Louis C.K. took a light-hearted jab at documentary filmmakers as he presented the Oscar for best documentary feature. While feature filmmakers who win an Oscar go on to make millions, documentary filmmakers "will never be rich as long as they live," adding that "this Oscar is going home in a Honda Civic."
WORST: Sarah Silverman’s introduction for this year's Best Song nominee "Writing's On the Wall" from "Spectre" took a bizarre turn when the comedian went on a rant about James Bond, saying the iconic British spy is "a grower not a shower.” We’ll file this one under "TMI."
BEST: With an incredibly heavy subject matter, Lady Gaga brought home another fabulous Oscar performance with her Diane Warren co-penned “Til It Happens To You,” from rape documentary “The Hunting Ground.” Survivors joined the singer on stage for a triumphant statement of support, which brought tears to the eyes of audience members like Rachel McAdams.
BEST: Dave Grohl gave everyone goosebumps with a touching rendition of The Beatles' classic "Blackbird" as the In Memoriam tribute played behind him. Interestingly, the song touches on race relations in America in the 1960s.
WORST: In a completely unexpected upset win, Sam Smith won the Oscar for Best Original Song over Lady Gaga's "Till It Happens to You." Even worse, Diane Warren has lost for the eighth time in that category.
BEST: Sacha Baron Cohen had probably one of the funniest lines of the night. Arriving in full Ali G gear Cohen described the film “Room” as “a movie about a room full of white people."
WORST: On a night all about diversity, Rock trotted out three Asian children for a tone-deaf segment, joking they were accountants and were like other Asian children responsible for making iPhones in slave-like conditions.
BEST: Leonardo DiCaprio, winning his first Oscar on his fifth nomination, gave a heartfelt acceptance speech and even included a plug for his pet political issue, climate change.
BEST: The closing credits were played over a soundtrack of Public Enemy's "Fight the Power," which was featured in the 1989 Spike Lee film "Do the Right Thing." It was the final nod of many to the Oscars diversity issue that occurred throughout the night. It's just a shame that Lee, who boycotted this year's ceremony, wasn't there to hear it.
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From Lady Gaga‘s emotional performance to Chris Rock‘s tone-deaf Asian joke, ABC’s live broadcast of the 88th Academy Awards ran the gamut
WORST: The introduction clip for the show -- you know, the one that sets the tone for the show and gets viewers into the mood -- started with a cheesy clip of all the ingredients that go into an Oscar, like heart, passion and inspiration. And just so viewers get the idea, the ingredients were then funneled into the Oscar statutes in pixie-dust form.
