Director ≠ Picture. (And Other Theories)
Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 1:36AM One of the things that's most bothersome during awards season is the persistent notion that Best Direction must = Best Picture. There's a healthy bit of correlation of course but this is not how I view film so it's different for my own awardage. All of the top 24 films I covered in my year end review have have strong direction of course. But Direction, like acting or writing or editing or whatnot is not always the most important element, auteur theory be damned. Some films achieve greatness through a consistent cumulation of "good" efforts across the board, others through one or two specific "Great" elements, some through strength of story, theme and plotting.
Other times the director is the principle reason that a movie is great and the auteur theory works just fine. Two examples this year: David O. Russell (The Fighter) and Jacques Audiard (Un Prophete) are both working in excessively familiar genres yet they're finding fresh new pockets of life. They have such great eyes and formidable guiding visions. So I compose my directorial list each year separate from my Best Picture list and though there's a healthy bit of correlation (7/10) the order is definitely different and these would be my top ten players (alpha order)
- Andrea Arnold for Fish Tank
- Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan
- Jacques Audiard for Un Prophete
- David Fincher for The Social Network
- Luca Guadagnino for I Am Love
- Bong Joon-Ho for Mother
- David Michôd for Animal Kingdom
- Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer
- David O. Russell for The Fighter
- Lee Unkrich for Toy Story 3
I've also posted my Screenplay choices. I was torn as to what to do with Toy Story 3. I don't really think of sequels as adapted despite the trending and campaigning that way with Oscars. If sequels are adapted than aren't all original screenplays that are inspired by true stories or real life characters or that riff on other stories adapted? I considered letting it slide since Toy Story 3 needs the other two films to exist. It's not really a stand-alone. But then that we be true of all sequels and all movies based on true stories or inspired by actual characters and so on and, well, it's a slippery slope and virtually 85%-90% of movies become "adapted". So I've stuck to the original definition. Adapted meaning based on previously published work
Reader Comments (27)
This is random, but I was thinking about Inception (since it didn't make your screenplay list) and you know what I wish? I wish Nolan had asked a different visual director to construct a different "dreamscape" for each character. One of the things that disappointed me about Inception was that all of the characters' minds appeared to be so uniformly mundane - apparently, everyone dreams about living in a James Bond movie. The wonder of dreams, the inexplicable and unfathomable were left out. Wouldn't it have been wonderful if each dream level had been a different world, each designed by a different director - like Guillermo Del Toro or David Lynch? Wouldn't that have made Inception so beautiful to revisit?
Unfortunately, I've seen it once and have no interest in seeing it again.
its so glad to see Rabbit Hole being recognized here. I hope Nicole, Aaron and Dianne end up on your top 5 in their respective fields.
What´s the problem with Inception?? THE BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY of this year!!...and no Best Picture or Director?...But is your opinion :)
"I don't buy the argument that movies based on preexisting characters are 'adaptations'..."
Wait, what about remakes? Aren't those based on preexisting characters? Just want to know what the official Film BiTCH policies are. ;)
Also, is it too late to post personal FYC ads/arguments for these awards? It's getting lonely here on Team Hawkes and Team Bening!
@ stella: That's exactly why I think Inception should not be the frontrunner for Best Art Direction...and I have a feeling Nat agrees.
Great choices. Oh, how I love the Film Bitch Awards. I can't wait for my favorite categories to get put up.
Things are getting exciting!! You should totally skype/podcast your nominations!! We'll watch while eating popcorn and get angry when you snub people...
Anthony -- I actually thought about doing that. HA. if only i could rig five screens to show up behind me!
Luis -- i liked Inception but didn't love it and was bored trying to watch it a second time because it's ALL exposition. If we're just voting on concept alone it might have made the top 12 there (i always list 12 movies for some reason once you add up finalists and semi-finalists) but even the concept I have a couple of issues with. I just don't think it's great writing when it comes right down to it.
Robert -- remakes are adapted yes. PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED MATERIAL. :)
YAY!
I find it so funny that you say "The Fighter" has such strong direction, and yet I felt the complete opposite. At times I felt like there wasn't even a director on set. Or, at least, the director wasn't there on certain days and so the rhythm is so choppy comedy-drama-comedy-movie of the week-etc and I got almost none of O'Russell's personality in it (although, that's what comes from cultivating such a distinct "style" and then completely abandoning it). Hmmm. To each their own.
Not passing a judgement, just making an observation - the Academy's official title for Adapted Screenplay is 'Screenplay Based On Material Previously Produced Or Published', so "Toy Story 3" would be adapted according to their rules since the first two films were, obviously, produced. "Milk" and "The Fighter" and "The Aviator" were original as their character's lives weren't produced in the literal sense (or, indeed, published).
The Jack -- hmmm. i suppose that's one way to look at it. Not an unimportant distinction. But I still feel weird about sequels to original material as being "adapted" since they're telling new stories (if they're any good at all that is).
i almost went there with Toy Story but I guess I was just horrified by those memories that Before Sunset was "adapted" which I just couldn't fathom.
I consider Toy Story 3 an Original Screenplay as well.
Jesus...Your hard on for THE FIGHTER dumbfounds me. It's easily the most overrated and overacted film of the year.
Nate, can you explain why you think "The Fighter" is such a "director's film"? I'm not disagreeing, it's just that these terms-- "writer's film," "director's film," etc.-- they do not compute with me. Is it just because of his directorial vision on the boxing scenes?
So glad you picked Michod for director. I'm rather disappointed his film hasn't garnered any traction this race. It's a beautifully controlled film.
I would have added Christopher Nolan for Inception, but hey, that's only my opinion . . . . Nice to see Michod and Guadagnino on you list (Animal Kingdom and I Am Love both in my top ten films of the year).
I love the film bitch awards, especially your descriptions of the nominees, it's just love for cinema :) <3
Writer's Film: At the most extreme, think Glengarry Glen Ross or The Social Network or In the Company of Men. (Although, even managing to navigate a movie of such lingusitic flourish is worthy of acting nominations.)
Director's Film: At the most extreme, think Eraserhead or 2001 (You wouldn't give Keir Dullea or Jack Nance Lead Actor noms, even if you held the films in high esteem.)
Actor's Film: At the most extreme, think Nashville or The Rules of the Game. (You wouldn't deny that there aren't some great performances in those films.)
To explain: Each of these film types, at the highest extreme, go light on the other two aspects. Writer's films are directed with an eye toward visual and performance minimalism, Director's films are, at their most extreme, mostly devoid of performance and writing, while Actor's films have a minimum of visual or linguistic flourish.
Volvagia- I haven't seen most of the films that you mentioned, but I still think I get your point.
That said, wouldn't "The Fighter" with so many amazing characters and performances be an actor's film? So where does the direction part come in? And as for Robert Altman's Nashville, you're saying it has minimal directing? (Haven't seen it, but it *is* Bob Altman.)
no best director citation for john cameron mitchell for RABBIT HOLE? the film is full of his aesthetics
I finally saw Blue Valentine -- now that's a director's movie if ever there was one. Derek Cianfrance even moved into a house with his two leads for a month to build the relationships so that the camera could capture something very close to realism. Not sure which director of your top five I'd bump for him... Maybe Fincher? He was a "director for hire", coming on board after Rudin and Sorkin were already in place. Though I can't imagine The Social Network being as successful as it is without Fincher at the helm.
Kent -- he was #13. argh. I love him. he's 3 for 3 now.
San Fran -- see i get that Sorkin's script is amazing but it's not like all of his projects come off this well (think Charlie Wilson's War so it's possible to misdirect them. And also my thinking about Fincher is rather like what they said at the Globes. He can make typing... or even thinking about typing feel like an action scene. I've loved him since MADONNA VIDEOS. so i'm so pleased that he continues to amaze.
volvagia --i can't even begin to think of Nashville as an actor's film. That is ULTIMATE ALTMANGASM.
Evan -- i don't mean that it's a director's film so much as that he is the element lifting it up. I just see his boisterous energy and ability to deal with eclectic ensembles and make them feel cohesive (this isn't the first time by a longshot) are very underregarded skills. And it could have been so flat. It's a story we've seen a zillion times and it just feels so alive and fresh. And I credit that to him. Many biopics have great performances. Few have this much energy. (the boxing scenes are actually the dullest part of the movie for me.)
So it's really about what feel a director brings to the movie and how he or she helps the movie to rise above what it would otherwise be. Got it. Thanks for the explanation, Nathaniel (and Volvagia).
While Director =/= Picture in terms of nominees for me, the winners usually end up being the same for both.
Awesome directing/ writing lineups commentary!
My only quam being the absence of the Andrea Arnold’s deft balancing of gritty British realism and poetic imagery in FISH TANK. But Guadagnino is a fine choice and I while I’m not quite as enthusiastic about the film itself, I agree Russell’s helming brought out THE FIGHTER’s better qualities. Also, love the inclusions of ANIMAL KINGDOM and RABBIT HOLE in screenplay.
For the record, my own personal picks…
DIRECTING:
BLACK SWAN, Darren Aronofsky
DOGTOOTH, Giorgos Lanthimos
FISH TANK, Andrea Arnold
THE GHOST WRITER, Roman Polanski
THE SOCIAL NETWORK, David Fincher
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
THE GHOST WRITER, Polanski, Harris
RABBIT HOLE, Lindsay-Abaire
THE SOCIAL NETWORK, Sorkin
TOY STORY 3, Arndt
WINTER’S BONE, Granik, Rosellini
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
ANIMAL KINGDOM, Michod
BLUE VALENTINE, Cianfrance, Curtis & Delavigne
DOGTOOTH, Lanthimos, Filippou
FISH TANK, Arnold
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, Cholodenko, Blumberg
I almost said "A Woman Under the Influence" but that probably doesn't have a huge enough cast by half. The giant (12 or more major and distinct (The Thin Red Line was about emphasizing the sameness of soldiers, after all) characters) ensemble is the ultimate "actor's movie." That's what I meant by what I said. (Yes, controlling that many people also solidifies you as a great director, in a sense, even though movies with cast's that big largely get ignored.) So, the 25 person cast of Nashville? Yeah, that's what I mean by "Actor's Movie."
Even with the explanation, I'm not really sure what "Blue Valentine" does in your top 5 films of the year with Derek Cianfrance not making it even to TOP 13 directors ;)! I wouldn't call it a "Director's Film" nor "Writer's Film", but just like "The Fighter"'s, the story isn't that remarkable, yet both Cianfrance and screenwriters manage to make something extraordinary out of it. Do you think it's just about actors?
I hope that Ryan Gosling will take his well-deserved gold medal for his performance. IIt's the best male performance I've seen in years.