Patricia Abbott (pattinase): What is the worst film by a great director(s)?

Monday, September 30, 2013

What is the worst film by a great director(s)?

Even the best directors have one misfire in their resume. Sometimes it's early on but in the two cases I mention, it was not.
I am thinking of two: LADYKILLERS by the Cohn brothers and PRET A PORTER by Robert Altman.
Can you top those?

23 comments:

Anonymous said...: I recently saw Hitchcock's Frenzy again, which I hadn't seen for at least 25 years, and I was shocked at its ugliness--in both its simultaneously dingy and lurid visuals and in its misogyny (which Hitchcock had previously managed to tamp down through a combination of censorship and working with top-notch actresses). And the storyline was sloppy too--the main character was supposedly a former RAF fighter pilot in WWII, but he's clearly about 30 years old in what is clearly the early 1970s--what was he, the first infant to fly a bombing mission? A very disappointing film from one of the greats.

Deb; 7:08 AM
pattinase (abbott) said...: His last films were bad indeed.; 7:15 AM
David Cranmer said...: I'm going with CONVOY by Sam Peckinpah. A hit at the time but no where on the level of THE WILD BUNCH or THE GETAWAY.; 7:26 AM
George said...: How about 1941 by Steven Spielberg.; 8:32 AM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Was that as awful as I remember. Almost willing to watch again to see.
I never saw CONVOY. And guess I won't.; 8:33 AM
Loren Eaton said...: Sometimes I think I'm the only person in the world who liked The Ladykillers. Perhaps there's something wrong with me.; 9:13 AM
Anonymous said...: I hated Hudsucker Proxy.

1941 was not good but I've seen a lot worse. What about Hook?

Jeff M.; 9:21 AM
Anonymous said...: I hated Hudsucker Proxy.

1941 was not good but I've seen a lot worse. What about Hook?

Jeff M.; 9:21 AM
Charles Gramlich said...: I typically have no idea who directs films. I never pay attention.; 9:24 AM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Funny about not knowing a director. To those who believe in the auteur theory, the director is paramount. To those born in the first half of the 20th century, the stars are paramount. To me, it's the writers.
I don't know who directed HOOK. Will have to check. And Hudsucker would be my third worst Cohn film with the one with Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand coming in second.; 9:29 AM
Anonymous said...: HOOK was directed by Spielberg.

Yeah, the one with Brad Pitt (BURN AFTER READING) was disappointingly stupid.

Of course, we could have a discussion about who fits onto our "great director" lists.

I agree that the late Hitchcocks were both bad and nasty.

Jeff M.; 10:31 AM
Graham Powell said...: 1941 was a misfire but BURN AFTER READING was really, really bad. The only remotely sympathetic characters end up dead.; 11:23 AM
Rick Robinson said...: You ask a question this time that I have no answer, not being one to pay attention to most directorial credits. I will say about HOOK, however, it has a very good soundtrack.; 12:05 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: If you took film classes in college at a certain time, all they talked about was the director. But I still can't always name one.; 12:37 PM
Prashant C. Trikannad said...: Tim Burton's BATMAN with Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne.; 1:05 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Ugh!; 1:09 PM
Dan_Luft said...: John Huston directed ANNIE and Sidney Lumet directed THE WIZ. Coppola directed JACK.; 1:16 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Which says , stick to your genre.; 1:18 PM
Kelly Robinson said...: I'm a huge David Lynch fan, enough so that I don't really think he can do much wrong. I could live without DUNE, perhaps, but there are parts I really like.; 3:44 PM
Patrick said...: How about Rob Reiner's NORTH?; 3:45 PM
Dan_Luft said...: Reiner didn't direct a good movie after North either.; 3:59 PM
Anonymous said...: Reiner and NORTH were what I had in mind when I got into that "who is a great director?" question earlier. He's done good movies. I don't think of him in the pantheon of great directors.

I'm surprised Patti hasn't mentioned Woody Allen....

Jeff M.; 5:54 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Too many to choose from.; 6:31 PM