Buzz
Numerous directors establish a signature style, making their names synonymous with a specific kind of film experience. However, when these cinematic visionaries venture into uncharted territory, the outcomes can range from groundbreaking triumphs to notable misfires.
10. Steven Spielberg
At just 28, Steven Spielberg revolutionized cinema with Jaws (1975), his second feature film, which set the standard for summer blockbusters. He followed this with a series of iconic, effects-driven hits like Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), its sequels, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and Jurassic Park (1993). Later, he shifted focus to profound historical narratives such as Amistad (1997), War Horse (2011), and Lincoln (2012), earning over twenty Oscar nominations and winning for Schindler’s List (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998).
Following his exploration of cosmic wonders in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Spielberg took a sharp turn with 1941 (1979), billed as a “Comedy Spectacular!” This chaotic farce boasted a stellar comedic cast, including John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and John Candy, with a script by Robert Zemeckis, who would later helm the Back to the Future series.
Their characters, driven by paranoia in coastal California after the Pearl Harbor attack, wreak havoc on a dance hall, a massive Ferris wheel, and nearly everything in their path. This marked another shift for Spielberg, as the film’s box office plummeted harder than Belushi’s wayward fighter plane. To this day, Spielberg has not directed another comedy.
9. Brian De Palma
Brian De Palma spent over a decade as an independent filmmaker before achieving mainstream success with Carrie (1976). Soon after, he was hailed as the “Master of the Macabre” in promotions for Dressed to Kill (1980). Films like Scarface (1983), Body Double (1984), The Untouchables (1987), and Carlito’s Way (1993) solidified his legacy for crafting intense, suspenseful, and often provocative dramas, featuring stars such as Al Pacino, Michael Caine, Kevin Costner, and Sean Connery.
However, De Palma’s first foray into studio filmmaking was the quirky comedy Get to Know Your Rabbit (1972), starring the unlikely duo of Tom Smothers and Orson Welles. Smothers, without his brother Dick, made his film debut as a man abandoning a dull corporate job to chase his dream of becoming a tap-dancing magician, mentored by Welles, who famously showcased his magic skills by levitating Lucy Ricardo on I Love Lucy (1956).
Warner Bros. disapproved of De Palma’s work, firing him, reshooting scenes, and re-editing the film. Dissatisfied with the outcome, the studio delayed its release for a year and then pulled it from theaters after a brief, limited run. De Palma didn’t collaborate with a major studio again until The Bonfire of the Vanities, which also failed to impress.
8. Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards started his film career with lighthearted comedies like the largely forgotten Bring Your Smile Along (1955). He gained prominence with Operation Petticoat (1959), featuring Cary Grant, and cemented his legacy with The Pink Panther (1963) and its initial sequels. Elements of his slapstick style influenced the refined humor of 10 (1979) and Victor/Victoria (1982), both starring his wife, Julie Andrews. The latter earned Edwards his sole Oscar nomination for its screenplay.
Before launching the Pink Panther series, Edwards directed two highly praised dramas: the heartfelt Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) and Days of Wine and Roses (1962), which depicted a marriage unraveling due to alcoholism. One of his early collaborators would later make a dramatic shift to a completely different genre.
William Peter Blatty, who wrote the screenplay for A Shot in the Dark (1964), the second—and arguably funniest—Inspector Clousseau film, later authored The Exorcist. His adaptation became the highest-grossing film of 1973 and earned him his only Academy Award.
7. Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese is frequently linked to Robert De Niro or Leonardo DiCaprio portraying intense, often violent or morally complex characters in films like Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), Gangs of New York (2002), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and most recently, Killers of the Flower Moon (2023). These gritty, male-driven narratives have garnered Scorsese fourteen Oscar nominations, including a Best Director win for The Departed (2006).
Yet, between Mean Streets (1973) and Taxi Driver (1976), Scorsese directed a quiet yet powerful love story that became a feminist landmark. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974) featured Ellen Burstyn as a widowed mother pursuing her own aspirations. Fresh off her Oscar-nominated role in The Exorcist, Warner Bros. granted Burstyn significant creative influence over her next project.
Keen to collaborate with an emerging director, Burstyn met with Scorsese. Worried about his lack of experience with female-centric stories, she questioned his understanding of women, to which he responded, “Nothing, but I’d like to learn.” Scorsese proved to be a fast learner, as the film earned Burstyn her third of six Oscar nominations and her only win, alongside a supporting actress nod for Diane Ladd.
6. Sidney Lumet
After a prolific career in television, Sidney Lumet transitioned to film with Twelve Angry Men (1957), earning his first of four Best Director Oscar nominations. He continued to deliver impactful narratives with films like Fail Safe (1964), Serpico (1973), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), and The Verdict (1982).
Lumet’s reputation for tackling gritty, intense themes made him an unexpected choice to direct The Wiz (1978), a film adaptation of the wildly successful Broadway musical. The movie featured Diana Ross as Dorothy (reimagined as a Harlem kindergarten teacher to suit the 34-year-old star), Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow, and Richard Pryor as The Wiz. Despite its acclaimed theatrical origins and a star-studded cast, the film was a commercial failure, as was Lumet’s marriage to Lena Horne’s daughter, who played Glinda the Good.
5. Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was known for creating grand, ambitious films, whether it was the anti-war drama Paths of Glory (1957), the satirical Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), the groundbreaking sci-fi epic 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), or the provocative A Clockwork Orange (1971). He also played a pivotal role in dismantling the influence of the House Un-American Activities Committee in Hollywood by ensuring Spartacus (1960) credited blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo.
Kubrick, no stranger to controversy, challenged societal norms with Lolita (1962), based on Vladimir Nabokov’s novel about a middle-aged man’s obsession with his landlady’s young daughter (aged up to fourteen for the film, though still controversial). Years later, Kubrick admitted he might not have made the film had he fully grasped its moral complexities and the censorship battles it would provoke.
These challenges were foreseeable, given that the novel had been banned as obscene in several countries, including France, just a few years earlier. Though the film was officially unrated, it was marketed as suitable only for viewers over 18. Sue Lyon, the film’s teenage star, couldn’t attend the New York premiere because, at 16, she was still too young to watch it.
4. Otto Preminger
Otto Preminger’s career, which began with the rise of sound films, explored a variety of weighty topics, such as heroin addiction in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), the legal system in Anatomy of a Murder (1959), the establishment of Israel in Exodus (1960), and political maneuvering in Advise & Consent (1962). He earned Oscar nominations for his work on Laura (1944) and The Cardinal (1963).
Following decades of producing serious films, Preminger’s release of Skidoo (1968) left audiences wondering what inspired such a drastic shift. The answer wasn’t far from speculation—Preminger’s experimentation with LSD, influenced by his son’s experiences as a Greenwich Village hippie, led to this psychedelic comedy about gangster conflicts.
Another mystery was how Preminger attracted mainstream stars like Jackie Gleason, Frankie Avalon, Peter Lawford, George Raft, Cesar Romero, Mickey Rooney, and Carol Channing, who sang the title song and appeared in underwear and stockings just years after winning a Tony for Hello, Dolly! On the bright side, this bizarre film offers a rare glimpse of Groucho Marx in color, complete with his iconic greasepaint mustache, portraying a mob boss in what can loosely be described as a plot.
3. John Ford
Born John Martin Feeney to Irish immigrant parents, Ford is most celebrated for his iconic westerns like Stagecoach (1939), which catapulted John Wayne from low-budget cowboy films to stardom. Ford repeatedly cast Wayne in western classics such as Fort Apache (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), The Searchers (1956), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962).
However, Ford earned his highest praise for films that shifted focus from the sweeping vistas of Monument Valley to the emotional depth of human stories. He won his first Oscar for directing The Informer (1935), a tale of a destitute Irishman in the 1920s who betrays an IRA rebel for a British reward.
He later secured consecutive Oscars for The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and How Green Was My Valley (1941), a poignant exploration of struggles in a Welsh mining community. Ford revisited his heritage with The Quiet Man (1952), starring Wayne as an Irish-American boxer returning to his homeland after a tragic fight. This film beautifully intertwined Ford’s personal and creative themes.
2. Billy Wilder
Over nearly five decades, Billy Wilder seamlessly transitioned between genres, creating masterpieces in comedy (The Seven Year Itch, 1955, and Some Like It Hot, 1959), drama (The Lost Weekend, 1945, Stalag 17, 1953, and Witness for the Prosecution, 1957), and film noir (Double Indemnity, 1944, and Sunset Blvd., 1950). Whether evoking laughter or suspense, Wilder drew unforgettable performances from leading ladies like Greta Garbo, Barbara Stanwyck, and Marilyn Monroe. He even convinced audiences that Audrey Hepburn would choose Humphrey Bogart over William Holden in Sabrina (1954).
Despite not speaking English when he escaped Europe in 1933 during Hitler’s rise, Wilder quickly began writing his own screenplays. He earned an Oscar nomination for the witty dialogue in the political comedy Ninotchka (1939), the first of twelve nominations for his screenwriting, whether comedic or dramatic. As a director, he received eight Oscar nominations and two wins, including for The Apartment (1960), a bittersweet exploration of corporate greed, infidelity, and the triumph of genuine love, blending multiple genres seamlessly.
1. Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock’s name is synonymous with suspense and chilling thrillers like The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934, remade in 1956), The Lady Vanishes (1938), Strangers on a Train (1951), Dial M for Murder (1954), Vertigo (1958), and Psycho (1960). Yet, his filmography also includes the quirky romantic comedy The Trouble with Harry (1955), marketed as “The unexpected from Hitchcock!” and featuring an uncharacteristically happy ending.
The titular character is a corpse found in a rural field, with the “trouble” stemming from repeated burials and exhumations due to misunderstandings. Hitchcock’s casting choices reflect this tonal shift, featuring Edmund Gwenn, famous as Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street (1947), and Shirley MacLaine, a fresh-faced brunette contrasting the sultry blondes like Grace Kelly from his earlier thrillers.
