Movies From Reel Dictators

[@steve.santiago]

Being a movie director is a dream job. Even if your movie doesn’t go well, you still lived your dream just by making a movie. So why not enjoy it?

[@AbeStephan]

Money , duh .

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

@Steve ... your comment immediately reveals that you've never directed any significant project to completion.

[@steve.santiago]

@Novastar. I am a defense lawyer who founded and currently owns a pretty successful law firm. So, guess again.

[@JassminaVellucci]

That doesn’t mean they should be asshol**

[@theboofin]

@@Novastar.SaberCombat Exactly...

[@AlpineWoods]

I've read that Christopher Nolan is, by all accounts, the total opposite of a dictator director. You'd think with his movies having such huge budgets that the behind the scenes atmospheres must be total chaos, or just a free for all. But no, that's not true. Nolan is one of the most mellow guys in the movie business. He almost never loses his temper. And his movies have grossed so much money in addition to being pretty damn good. So, I think the man is living proof that harshness doesn't help, and it's not even needed to begin with.

[@poindextertunes]

using one experience to make a sweeping generalization seems irresponsible

[@neo_bellic]

in Werner Herzog's defense, he had to deal with Klaus Kinski, arguably the worst of the assholes of actors. Working with someone like Klaus, you'd have to be stern and tough in the first place.

[@michaelmonthey5974]

Almost every actor and crew person who have worked with Clint Eastwood have said that he is the easiest director they’ve ever worked with. He’s serious about getting the movie done on time and under budget, but he almost never pushes anyone to the brink. His movies have made tons of money and won a lot of awards. He’s living proof that it costs nothing to be kind.

[@reptongeek]

14:00 Stanley blaming his actors for not knowing their dialogue is a bit of a low blow if the script is constantly changing all the time. Particularly when it was him constantly rewriting it. It's far easier to give a performance if your part is nailed down before you start

[@ivanagustinortiz5237]

That or if you're allowed to improv, which I doubt Stanley Kubrick would do lol

[@isaiahvoss]

I love most of Stanley Kubrick's movies. I remember watching The Shining documentary to The Making of Full Metal Jacket and how Kubrick directs his actors. He picked different actors for their parts to tell his story correctly, according to Vincent D'onofrio and Kubrick has called out Adam Baldwin on better acting during the Full Metal Jacket shoot. They're movies I can watch over and over again, especially 2001: A Space Odyssey. They're art pieces that are meant to not be recreated.

[@kramalerav]

I love FMJ, although I have to say some of the performances by actors in the small roles was not very good. For example, the Marine colonel chewing out Joker for his wearing of the peace symbol. That was some weirdly bad acting right there. Knowing Kubrick, I’m sure that was intentional.

[@hunterscheer1349]

video idea: Famous actors who started out as comedians / successful comedians turned actors

[@daveindezmenez]

One thing that could limit the actions of these dictators would be lawsuits. If their actions cost them money they might be a little more hesitant to abuse their cast and crews. Being a dictator is no guarantee that a film is going to be good and there are mediocre and bad directors who are dictators.

[@michaelmonthey5974]

I agree. Michael Cimano was one such director who being a dictator might have worked with The Deer Hunter, but it didn’t with his follow up, Heaven’s Gate. Not only did being a dictator cost him his career, it cost a lot of directors their creative freedom as it led to studios dictating directors.

[@kramalerav]

@@michaelmonthey5974 “Being a dictator” didn’t cost him his career. Heaven’s Gate cost him his career. The budget spiraled out of control and sunk United Artists after it failed to recoup the costs.

[@michaelmonthey5974]

@@kramalerav But the budget spiraled out of control BECAUSE of his extreme obsession with perfectionism.

[@kramalerav]

@@michaelmonthey5974 The same thing can be said about Titanic. The difference of course being that Titanic was an extremely successful movie.

[@MrGregory777]

1:55 Barry Lyndon doesn't get enough love. It is his magnum opus

[@michaelmonthey5974]

How is it his magnum opus?

[@poindextertunes]

eye wide shut is his magnum opus but Barry Lyndon is a beautiful film. Probably the best period piece of all time even

[@michaelmonthey5974]

@@poindextertunes How is Eyes Wide Shut his magnum opus when 2001 is considered to be his magnum opus? All Eyes Wide Shut is about is a secret sex cult.

[@michaelmonthey5974]

@@poindextertunes How is Eyes Wide Shut his magnum opus?!

[@redpointrana]

Who cares how a director is, what matters is the film!

[@Syntopikon]

I imagine the people working on the film would like to be treated well lol. Thankfully, few directors are actually terrible people, just hard driving.

[@eddyjuillerat835]

Bergman was 100% charming on the set of «Fanny & Alexander». And it's a true masterpiece.

[@bcdside]

Unlike the directors listed, Ron Howard is not among these guys because he’s also a good actor. If these directors had to appear as non-confrontational, completely capitulating actors in a film directed by a maniacal perfectionist director, I think they’d reevaluate their approach to the process.

[@ivanagustinortiz5237]

Kind of like Clint Eastwood as well, being an actor first informed a lot of his directorial method.

[@Whoa802]

Ron Howard ain't that good a director, though.

[@bcdside]

@@Whoa802 I agree that latter-day Ron Howard has lost much of his spark, but the Ron Howard of "Apollo 13," "Ransom," "Backdraft," "Cocoon," "Parenthood," "Willow," and "Cinderella Man" was impressive.

[@AlejandroMimmi]

I want to be a reel dictator

[@polyestermammoth740]

Is that you Donald?

[@AbeStephan]

Not another Trump .

[@mediamanjamessmith251]

6:20 You forgot to mention Cameron breathed through the regulator a second time on the off chance he breathed in wrong. Discovering the regulator was in fact broken, he resumed his ascent. The safety diver however, thought Cameron was getting hysterical and tried to get him to focus and breath through the regulator again. This caused Cameron to punch the safety diver so he could actually get away and swim to the surface

[@HailEarendil]

Bear in mind, when you hear the actor's complaining about things being "too harsh".. These directors are dealing with the most spoiled, selfish, egotistical, and fragile people on the planet.

[@ivanagustinortiz5237]

Not really, at least not always. You don't need to be a dick 24/7 to be a director.

[@ThePrinceofHisOwnKingdom]

Oh, so Joss Whedon was in the right?

[@DavidTyler-o6t]

I think Jim Cameron is alright as long as he holds himself to the same standard. That’s all any professional could ask for

[@Syntopikon]

That he does, if not more. The guy's got an intense work ethic.

[@theodoresgreen]

Your voice reminds me of dreading : crime and psychology

[@Syntopikon]

High praise lol. I enjoyed his work.

[@cinemaarts8795]

Remebr that time David O'Russell had a meltdown and cussed out Lily Tomlin?

[@Syntopikon]

Yup. Dude was wild. But I always think of him more as an asshole than anything, which is why I focused on the others.

[@tumppuman]

@@Syntopikon True. Russell is just a bully who has made some good movies but that are no way masterpieces. Also he seems to target the actresses and extras for his abuse. So basically a coward as well.

[@ThePrinceofHisOwnKingdom]

How the hell does he still have a career?

[@koira1]

Youre developing wit!

[@Syntopikon]

There's a time for everything 😎

[@KatieJMichaels]

i think directors should be nice :)

[@bush-ee]

Love the title! It’s a shame Kubrick was such an asshole on set, as he really was a genius. Every time I see the shining I remember the horrible treatment Shelly duvall went through

[@tumppuman]

Abuse is no way needed to make a masterpiece. Hitchcok is now know to have been a straight up abuser of women. Actors have to decide where to draw the line. Just recently heard a story that Harvey Keitel was cast first for the Sidney Pollack role in Eyes Wide Shut but after Kubrick made him shoot a scene of him just entering a room countless times, he quit the movie. Several takes might not feel wrong for many actors but some do. Fincher seems to go overboard with the number of takes he does. But actors also know what they are getiing into with him.

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

The bottom line is getting the project *completed.* If you've never directed before (and btw, I have; many times), then you don't know what it takes. To reiterate, sometimes you're in a position where the only way to achieve the end goal is to push people, tech, resources, and schedules to their limits. Even then, you might not end up with the DESIRED result, but you know it'll be good enough. 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed. In time, all points converge, hope’s strength resteeled. But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain, we must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)

[@thrillcollectors]

You didn’t even talk about Hitchcock??

[@KapiteinKrentebol]

Kim Jong-Il not on the list?

[@Syntopikon]

Lol that's for a future video. Reading a book on it now. Wild.

[@khaledhesham8721]

David o Russell should be considered

[@Boominator-d8s]

I don’t think that the inclusion of Herzog for Fitzcarraldo is fair. Yes it was one of the most ambitious and arduous productions in history but that doesn’t make Herzog an abusive prick like Kubrick. The box-full-of-nightmares on the set of Fitzcarraldo was Klaus Kinski.

[@branagain]

At least Kubrick movies are good. Fincher is an overrated director

[@polyestermammoth740]

He really isn’t.

[@Formakiwi]

Full Metal Jacket and The Shining are virtually unwatchable bilge, and Eyes Wide Shut is a pretentious jumble of middle class masterbatory fantasies. Command of craft doesn't always equate to quality film-making.

[@Whoa802]

Yeah, I don't rate Fincher that highly myself. He's good at what he does, but personally, I only consider two of his films as all-time classics (Fight Club and Gone Girl). From what I've been able to gather, Fincher's movies don't have a whole lot of depth to them beneath the surface. What you see is what you get with most of them, which honestly makes his reputation as a perfectionist and the stories of his behavior on set seem somewhat pedantic and artificially created for the sake of ego than anything. With directors like Kubrick and Hitchcock, their movies were packed with hidden meaning and depth that could only be achieved through meticulous planning and execution. They may not always have been the most pleasant people to work for, but the results did usually justify the madness. Hell, even with Cameron, his aggression and temper was largely the result of technically demanding shoots such as The Abyss and Titanic than any personal eccentricities on his part. With Fincher, however, it often strikes me as though he does the things just because he can and just to artificially create the persona of an uncompromising artistic genius. For me, his movies simply don't have the amount of artistic depth needed to justify his extreme, occasionally cruel behavior on set. And with the exception of Panic Room, his movies also aren't the kind of daunting, logistical nightmares as Cameron's are to make, so it really strikes me as though he's in it more for the ego and reputation than anything.

[@theboofin]

@@Whoa802 Fincher does what he does and people react accordingly. Your comments show you don't you understand creative endeavours at all. You've never directed? Who said Fincher is cruel on set? No one cares who you rate...

[@Whoa802]

@@theboofin Wow, Fincher simp, much? It's funny that you say that I don't understand creative endeavors or directing when I'm actually a filmmaker myself (nowhere to the level of Fincher, of course). As for Fincher being cruel, I would say some of his antics definitely fit that description. Like that time he made Edward Norton's stuntman fall down a flight of stairs for 12 times on the set of Fight Club, only to end up using the first take. Or that time he erased hours and hours of Jake Gyllenhaal's takes right in front of him on the set of Zodiac. I'm not saying directors should be 100% nice all the time, but these stories strike me as Fincher being a dick just for the sake of being a dick. And like I said earlier, his movies also don't feel multi-layered enough to make these kinds of extreme behavior feel warranted. I'm not asking for Fincher to get sued or cancelled for his actions on set, but I do find it strange how so many people claim Fincher's like Kubrick but less of a dick. To me, in interviews, he comes off as a very pretentious, egotistical individual who gets off on doing the kinds of things he does just to fuck with people and to assert a sense of power over them. By comparison, as extreme as he was at times, Stanley came off far more like a pragmatist.

[@tomsenior7405]

All this commentary about masterpieces. If the end result is such, then does the end justify the means? Hardly worthy of discussion, if the the films herein cited are the end product. The clips shown represent mediocracy at best. For example; The Shinning. What a boring pile of nothing. I would suggest the actors suffered for nought. Art and entertainment are absent. And yes, this is my subjective assessment. What about it, yours is no better.

[@Mr_Simple007]

What are some great movies according to you?

[@tomsenior7405]

@@Mr_Simple007 According to me? That sounds unnecessarily aggressive. Do you genuinely care, or is your intent to defend what you consider a masterpiece and attack what I consider enjoyable? I am not an authority on this matter. Our opinions are equally valid. I perceive The Thing as better than The Shining. The Dead Zone is not better than the book, yet I still find merit and call it a favourite. I see Jaws as a film about humanity, , not about sharks. Close encounters more entertaining than The Abyss, yet equally silly. What you enjoy is your own affair. Why do you care what others think about your top picks?

[@Mr_Simple007]

@@tomsenior7405 I care about what you think and I love shining but it's not my top pick.

[@tomsenior7405]

@@Mr_Simple007 Good for you, I can respect that. There is nothing wrong in finding value in watching The Shining. No one can dismiss your taste, any more that than anyone can say your choice of ice cream is objectively wrong. Your top picks may be judged as a representation of you as a person, so what?. I sometimes wonder what are the top picks of a serial killer? Will this reveal the banality of evil, or will there be hidden clues to the kind of person capable of atrocities? The tastes of Nicolae Ceaușescu, Idi Amin Dada Oumee and Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin are well documented. They reveal nothing noteworthy. On the other hand, arbitrarily assigning the status 'Masterpiece' to a film seems bizarre to me. The subsequent pointless arguments are moot, or purely academic. This does not make me better than anyone else. Despite my pious statements, I still enjoy asking a stranger; "Who is your favourite Bond?" Do you have a preference?