One hit wonder film directors

Theodebernacius

Theodebernacius

I'm talking about artistic achievement rather than commercial success.

(in no particular order)

1. Charles Laughton – The night of the hunter
A commercial failure but a classic today.

2. Kevin Costner – Dances with the wolves

3. Sofia Coppola – Lost in translation

4. Harold Ramis – Groundhog day

5. Amy Heckerling – Clueless
Some people seem to like Fast times at Ridgemont High, but, despite being a huge Cameron Crowe fan, I find it pretty weak. Clueless is a timeless classic. Alicia Silverstone says it all: “I think it was deep in the way that it was very light.”

6. Scott Hicks – Shine

7. Bart Freundlich - The myth of fingerprints

8. Jared Hess – Napoleon Dynamite

9. Julian Schnabel – The diving bell and the butterfly

10. Mathieu Kassovitz - La Haine


It's actually much harder to find examples of one hit wonders in film than in music, probably because it's much more expensive to make a feature film than a song.

Making an extension to 2 hit wonders, I could've included: Wes Anderson (Rushmore, The royal Tenenbaums), Tod Browning (Dracula, Freaks), Roland Joffe (The killing fields, The mission), Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso, The legend of 1900), Alain Resnais (Hiroshima, Marienbad).

A related phenomenon is the one where a film director makes incredible movies at the very beginning of his/her career and then spend the rest of it incapable of reaching such heights again. Happens to the very best. Truffaut's first 3 features films are among the best movies ever made (The 400 blows, Shoot the pianist, Jules et Jim). He made many movies after that, some of which are pretty good but not in the same league as the golden 3. Same story for Ridley Scott. I don't need to talk about Blade Runner or Alien. Even the lesser known The Duellists is much more compelling than say Gladiator. Other example of this syndrome: Orson Welles (Citizen Kane), Michael Cimino (The deer hunter), Jane Campion (An angel at my table, The piano).
 
Disagree on Orson. Almost all his films are artistically great. Just not commercially. The Trial for one.

It wasn't his fault either. Hollywood fd him over royally.
 
I reckon artistic achievement is a little subjective, but I thought Jared Hess' other films (Nacho Libre, Gentlemen Broncos) were pretty much in line with the style of Napoleon Dynamite.

In other words, I believe he pretty much stuck to the same either-you-really-like-it-or-you-really-don't, quirky characters, and dry humor with all of his films.

Perhaps with the slight exception of Nacho Libre, which I would consider the more "accessible" of the three. ...though I really like them all.

If it were commercial success rather than artistic achievement then definitely, the other two didn't hold up to Napoleon Dynamite.
 
This conversation would feel a whole lot better to me if we were strictly discussing directors who had long since passed. As is, it kinda just feels like hateration.

For example, I don't care how many shitty movies Shyamalan makes; his early career is enough for me to have MAD respect for him, and that will never change. Think of how many THOUSANDS of directors can only dream of his brilliant success.

Now that I've made my point, on a side-note, did you really just mention Wes Anderson and Ridley Scott?!!!

"The Darjeeling Limited" is amazing, "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" ain't nothing to shake a stick at, "American Gangster" is legit, "Matchstick Men" is hilarious, "Black Hawk Down" is nail-biting, and "Gladiator" is simply perfect! Are we watching the same movies?
 
Yeah, I don't know about "one hit wonders"...in music, artists with that label often DO go on to greater artistic achievement, just not commercial achievement. For example, you know the song "Under the Milky Way" by the Church. Now go listen to the album "Priest=Aura".

Before totally derailing this into gushing about my favorite bands that only had one hit, I agree with Cracker Funk. As long as a director keeps working, they can still achieve more. Of course it's all subjective. Of your examples, I enjoyed "Lost in Translation", but to me it didn't hold a candle to "The Virgin Suicides". "La Haine" is definitely Kassovitz's greatest artistic achievement so far, but "Gothika" is a fun movie. I didn't care for "The Royal Tenenabaums", but "Life Aquatic" is an exceptionally moving film. And Ridley Scott...I'd love to see a fantasy film that holds a candle to "Legend" again. Seriously, I want to see it. Someone make it, please? :)
 
Kassovitz is one of my favourite directors, I think its unfair you've listed him as in contrast to La Haine which was superb, his work has been subject to "watering down", Babylon AD being a prime example- to the point where he nearly disowned the film. Theres a big big difference between making a film for art and one for moneymaking, the two elements must fuse. La Haine was made on a small budget and it was totally immersed on his surroundings growing up in Paris. The fact that he acts professionally and directs gives him a lot of depth, and why it is almost tragic that Babylon AD was stripped of the depth he had purposely injected into it- in true David Fincher Alien 3 fashion.

If you think Sofia Coppola is a one hit wonder you need to watch her latest piece, "Somewhere", as well as the Virgin Suicides.

I can understand your mention of Michael Cimino but his situation was amplified by the sheer sum of money lost on Heaven's Gate. The Deer Hunter is in my top 5 of all time and arguably produced De Niro's best character and performance, Cimino is a dam good director.

Could you name directors who have consistently achieved a notable style in each of their films that sets them above the average? Spielberg/Cameron aside?
 
Really the only one you got right is Charles Laughton, since Night of the Hunter was - irrc - his only directorial effort.

And frankly, f you think Orson Wells is a one hit wonder, then you have never seen his body of work. The Lady from Shanghai and Touch of Evil are two outstanding artistic achievements and, frankly, better films than Kane.

Heck, you can easily see how The Lady From Shanghai clearly influences the final fight sequence of Enter the Dragon:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...=e&gs_upl=14068l15089l0l8l8l0l7l0l0l99l99l1l1

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...+mirrors&aq=f&aqi=&q=enter the dragon mirrors

Just saying.

And don't get me started on the opening crane shot from Touch of Evil. :D

This is why I think film history is important, so people don't go around saying silly things like "The only worthwhile thing Orson Wells did was Citizen Kane." :P

I mean seriously, who *else* could possibly have been the voice of Unicron?? :D

Wait, I just looked over your list again. Tod Browning, are you serious?? You can't possibly think The Unknown is a bad movie. Or The Fatal Glass of Beer. Or his dozens of other silent shorter works. Wow.
 
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isn't the common feature of all one-hit wonders that they are the only commercially successful songs/films/etc. by an "artist" or am I missing the point? I don't know if something like "art" one hit wonders exist at all because how do we judge which work is artistically more valuable?
 
Cracker Funk said:
This conversation would feel a whole lot better to me if we were strictly discussing directors who had long since passed. As is, it kinda just feels like hateration.

For example, I don't care how many shitty movies Shyamalan makes; his early career is enough for me to have MAD respect for him, and that will never change. Think of how many THOUSANDS of directors can only dream of his brilliant success.

?
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M Night Shamalan was sued repeatedly for plagiarism on his earlier works, and lost twice, on Sixth sense and The village. When he was forced to stop looking at the next guys test paper, we get lady in the water and Airbender. I have no respect for a guy who takes credit for the work of others and makes enough money to fund everyone on this board doing it. Take away this guys ability to steal others work and call it his own, and he's less a creative mind than I am.
 
Nate North said:
M Night Shamalan was sued repeatedly for plagiarism on his earlier works, and lost twice, on Sixth sense and The village. When he was forced to stop looking at the next guys test paper, we get lady in the water and Airbender. I have no respect for a guy who takes credit for the work of others and makes enough money to fund everyone on this board doing it. Take away this guys ability to steal others work and call it his own, and he's less a creative mind than I am.
Click to expand...


First I've heard of this...what did he plagerise?

This may arguably hinder his talent as a writer (which I completely disagree with, I am a fan), but as a director his movement and choice of angles evokes and carries the story very well. Ironically watching Unbreakable as I type this.

The Happening was ridiculously over exposed as a bad film. It is steeped entirely in the passion of the 1950s horror B movie. Where it did find an audience in "every other person" and fans of that specific aspect of the horror genre- it did prove that kind of horror is not welcomed by a wider audience.
 
Me too.

But it seems the criteria here is a director who made only one film that you like.
 
@Theodebernacius: Tod Browning on your list? Hardly. Just because you can only name two Browning films off the top of your head does not diminish his greatness. Have you seen "The Unknown," "West of Zanzibar," or "The Unholy Three"? Bet you haven't. He was a twisted genius.

And Sophia Coppola isn't a one-hit wonder -- because her films are wretchedly awful. "Lost in Translation" was an over-hyped piece of nothing filled with Japanese stereotypes, saved only by moments of Bill Murray's charm. "Virgin Suicides" was a pointless artsy-fartsy film that thought it meant something but didn't. I skipped her next movies, which will soon be forgotten. Her supposed "talent" is in her last name, which gets her the cast and crew she wants to work with.

@Cracker: I felt that "Fantastic Mr. Fox" was the first truly excellent Wes Anderson movie, because he was finally able to let go of his standard bag of tricks and allow a story to breathe on its own. Everything else he does feels forced.

@David.rhsc: Re: film history -- +1
 
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