Vatican Directors
by majfoalbkeopaza | created - 02 Dec 2016 | updated - 02 Jun 2018 | PublicA companion list to this list: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls063880308/
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of cinema in 1995, the Vatican compiled this list of "great films." The 45 movies are divided into three categories: "Religion," "Values" and "Art."
These are people credited with directing one or more of the movies on that list.
1. Ingmar Bergman
Writer | Smultronstället
Ernst Ingmar Bergman was born July 14, 1918, the son of a priest. The film and T.V. series, The Best Intentions (1992) is biographical and shows the early marriage of his parents. The film Sunday's Children (1992) depicts a bicycle journey with his father. In the miniseries Private Confessions (...
The Seventh Seal (1957) [Values] Wild Strawberries (1957) [Values]
2. Federico Fellini
Writer | Le notti di Cabiria
The women who both attracted and frightened him and an Italy dominated in his youth by Mussolini and Pope Pius XII - inspired the dreams that Fellini started recording in notebooks in the 1960s. Life and dreams were raw material for his films. His native Rimini and characters like Saraghina (the ...
La Strada (1954) [Art] 8½ (1963) [Art]
3. Stanley Kubrick
Director | 2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick was born in Manhattan, New York City, to Sadie Gertrude (Perveler) and Jacob Leonard Kubrick, a physician. His family were Jewish immigrants (from Austria, Romania, and Russia). Stanley was considered intelligent, despite poor grades at school. Hoping that a change of scenery would ...
4. Akira Kurosawa
Writer | Kakushi-toride no san-akunin
After training as a painter (he storyboards his films as full-scale paintings), Kurosawa entered the film industry in 1936 as an assistant director, eventually making his directorial debut with Sanshiro Sugata (1943). Within a few years, Kurosawa had achieved sufficient stature to allow him greater...
Dersu Uzala (1975) [Values]
5. Orson Welles
Actor | Citizen Kane
His father, Richard Head Welles, was a well-to-do inventor, his mother, Beatrice (Ives) Welles, a beautiful concert pianist; Orson Welles was gifted in many arts (magic, piano, painting) as a child. When his mother died in 1924 (when he was nine) he traveled the world with his father. He was ...
Citizen Kane (1941) [Art]
6. Charles Chaplin
Writer | The Great Dictator
Considered to be one of the most pivotal stars of the early days of Hollywood, Charlie Chaplin lived an interesting life both in his films and behind the camera. He is most recognized as an icon of the silent film era, often associated with his popular character, the Little Tramp; the man with the ...
Modern Times (1936) [Art]
7. Steven Spielberg
Producer | Schindler's List
One of the most influential personalities in the history of cinema, Steven Spielberg is Hollywood's best known director and one of the wealthiest filmmakers in the world. He has an extraordinary number of commercially successful and critically acclaimed credits to his name, either as a director, ...
Schindler's List (1993) [Values]
8. Richard Attenborough
Actor | Jurassic Park
Richard Attenborough, Baron Attenborough of Richmond-upon-Thames, was born in Cambridge, England, the son of Mary (née Clegg), a founding member of the Marriage Guidance Council, and Frederick Levi Attenborough, a scholar and academic administrator who was a don at Emmanuel College and wrote a ...
Gandhi (1982) [Values]
9. Luis Buñuel
Writer | Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie
The father of cinematic Surrealism and one of the most original directors in the history of the film medium, Luis Buñuel was given a strict Jesuit education (which sowed the seeds of his obsession with both religion and subversive behavior), and subsequently moved to Madrid to study at the ...
Nazarin (1959) [Religion]
10. John Ford
Director | The Quiet Man
John Ford came to Hollywood following one of his brothers, an actor. Asked what brought him to Hollywood, he replied "the train". He became one of the most respected directors in the business, in spite of being known for his westerns, which were not considered "serious" film. He won six Oscars, ...
Stagecoach (1939) [Art]
11. D.W. Griffith
Director | The Birth of a Nation
David Wark Griffith was born in rural Kentucky to Jacob "Roaring Jake" Griffith, a former Confederate Army colonel and Civil War veteran. Young Griffith grew up with his father's romantic war stories and melodramatic nineteenth-century literature that were to eventually shape his movies. In 1897 ...
12. Fritz Lang
Actor | Le mépris
Fritz Lang was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1890. His father managed a construction company. His mother, Pauline Schlesinger, was Jewish but converted to Catholicism when Lang was ten. After high school, he enrolled briefly at the Technische Hochschule Wien and then started to train as a painter. ...
Metropolis (1927) [Art]
13. Frank Capra
Director | It's a Wonderful Life
One of seven children, Frank Capra was born on May 18, 1897, in Bisacquino, Sicily. On May 10, 1903, his family left for America aboard the ship Germania, arriving in New York on May 23rd. "There's no ventilation, and it stinks like hell. They're all miserable. It's the most degrading place you ...
It's a Wonderful Life (1946) [Values]
14. Vittorio De Sica
Director | Ladri di biciclette
Vittorio De Sica grew up in Naples, and started out as an office clerk in order to raise money to support his poor family. He was increasingly drawn towards acting, and made his screen debut while still in his teens, joining a stage company in 1923. By the late 1920s he was a successful matinee ...
Bicycle Thieves (1948) [Values]
15. Elia Kazan
Director | On the Waterfront
Known for his creative stage direction, Elia Kazan was born Elias Kazantzoglou on September 7, 1909 in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (now Istanbul, Turkey). Noted for drawing out the best dramatic performances from his actors, he directed 21 actors to Oscar nominations, resulting in nine wins. He ...
On the Waterfront (1954) [Values]
16. Krzysztof Kieslowski
Writer | Trois couleurs: Bleu
Krzysztof Kieslowski graduated from Lódz Film School in 1969, and became a documentary, TV and feature film director and scriptwriter. Before making his first film for TV, Przejscie podziemne (1974) (The Underground Passage), he made a number of short documentaries. His next TV title, Personnel (...
Dekalog (1989) [Values]
17. Louis Malle
Director | Au revoir les enfants
Louis Malle, the descendant of a French nobleman who made a fortune in beet sugar during the Napoleonic Wars, created films that explored life and its meaning. Malle's family discouraged his early interest in film but, in 1950, allowed him to enter the Institute of Advanced Cinematographic Studies ...
Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987) [Values]
18. Pier Paolo Pasolini
Writer | Il Decameron
Pier Paolo Pasolini achieved fame and notoriety long before he entered the film industry. A published poet at 19, he had already written numerous novels and essays before his first screenplay in 1954. His first film Accattone (1961) was based on his own novel and its violent depiction of the life ...
The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964) [Religion]
19. Andrei Tarkovsky
Writer | Offret
The most famous Soviet film-maker since Sergei Eisenstein, Andrei Tarkovsky (the son of noted poet Arseniy Tarkovsky) studied music and Arabic in Moscow before enrolling in the Soviet film school VGIK. He shot to international attention with his first feature, Ivan's Childhood (1962), which won the...
Andrei Rublev (1966) [Religion] Sacrifice (1986) [Religion]
20. George Cukor
Director | My Fair Lady
George Cukor was an American film director of Hungarian-Jewish descent, better known for directing comedies and literary adaptations. He once won the Academy Award for Best Director, and was nominated other four times for the same Award.
In 1899, George Dewey Cukor was born on the Lower East Side of...
Little Women (1933) [Art]
21. Gabriel Axel
Director | Babettes gæstebud
Gabriel Axel was born on April 18, 1918 in Århus, Denmark. He was a director and actor, known for Babette's Feast (1987), The Red Mantle (1967) and Christian (1989). He was married to Lucie Axel Moerch. He died on February 9, 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Babette's Feast (1987) [Religion]
22. Carl Theodor Dreyer
Writer | Gertrud
The illegitimate son of a Danish farmer and his Swedish housekeeper, Carl Theodor Dreyer was born in Copenhagen on the 3th of February, 1889. He spent his early years in various foster homes before being adopted by the Dreyers at the age of two. Contrary to popular belief (perhaps nourished by the ...
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) [Religion] Ordet (1955) [Religion]
23. Fred Zinnemann
Director | A Man for All Seasons
Initially grew up wanting to be a violinist, but while at the University of Vienna decided to study law. While doing so, he became increasingly interested in American film and decided that was what he wanted to do. He became involved in European filmaking for a short time before going to America to...
A Man for All Seasons (1966) [Religion]
24. F.W. Murnau
Director | Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
F.W. Murnau was a German film director. He was greatly influenced by Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Shakespeare and Ibsen plays he had seen at the age of 12, and became a friend of director Max Reinhardt. During World War I he served as a company commander at the eastern front and was in the German air ...
Nosferatu (1922) [Art]
25. James Algar
Director | The African Lion
James Algar studied at Stanford where he developed his skills as a cartoonist by drawing for the university's satirical magazine, The Chaparral. He joined the Disney Organisation in 1934, initially as animator. He directed the classic "Sorcerer's Apprentice" segment of Fantasia (1940), as well as ...
Fantasia (1940) [Art]
26. Samuel Armstrong
Director | Dumbo
Samuel Armstrong was born on February 5, 1893 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. He was a director and writer, known for Dumbo (1941), Bambi (1942) and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). He died on September 29, 1976 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Fantasia (1940) [Art]
27. Alain Cavalier
Director | Thérèse
Alain Cavalier was born on September 14, 1931 in Vendôme, Loir-et-Cher, France. He is a director and writer, known for Thérèse (1986), Un étrange voyage (1981) and Libera me (1993).
Thérèse (1986) [Religion]
28. Liliana Cavani
Director | L'ospite
Liliana Cavani was born on January 12, 1933 in Carpi, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. She is a director and writer, known for L'ospite (1971), Dove siete? Io sono qui (1993) and The Night Porter (1974).
Francesco (1989) [Religion]
29. Maurice Cloche
Director | L'invité de la onzième heure
Maurice Cloche was born on June 17, 1907 in Commercy, Meuse, France. He was a director and writer, known for L'invité de la onzième heure (1945), Monsieur Vincent (1947) and La cage aux filles (1949). He died on March 20, 1990 in Bordeaux, Gironde, France.
Monsieur Vincent (1947) [Religion]
30. Charles Crichton
Director | A Fish Called Wanda
Director Charles Crichton's film career began as an editor in 1935 with Alexander Korda's London Films, and in that capacity he worked on such productions as Sanders of the River (1935), Things to Come (1936) and Elephant Boy (1937) (which introduced Sabu to movie audiences). He soon left London ...
31. Norman Ferguson
Director | Dumbo
Norman Ferguson was born on September 2, 1902 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He was a director and production manager, known for Dumbo (1941), Pinocchio (1940) and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). He was married to Gladys F.. He died on November 4, 1957 in Los Angeles, ...
Fantasia (1940) [Art]
32. Victor Fleming
Director | Gone with the Wind
Victor Fleming entered the film business as a stuntman in 1910, mainly doing stunt driving - which came easy to him, as he had been a mechanic and professional race-car driver. He became interested in working on the other side of the camera, and eventually got a job as a cameraman on many of the ...
The Wizard of Oz (1939) [Art]
33. Abel Gance
Writer | La roue
Born an illegitimate son of a wealthy physician, Abel Flamant, and a working class mother, Francoise Perethon. He was raised by his mother and her boyfriend, who later became her husband, Adolphe Gance. Pressured by his parents, he began his working career as a lawyer's clerk in hopes of achieving ...
Napoleon (1927) [Art]
34. Jim Handley
Director | DTV: Rock, Rhythm & Blues
Jim Handley was born on May 16, 1914 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an assistant director and director, known for DTV: Rock, Rhythm & Blues (1984), The Reluctant Dragon (1941) and DTV Valentine (1986). He died on January 17, 2003 in Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
Fantasia (1940) [Art]
35. T. Hee
Director | Pinocchio
T. Hee was born on March 26, 1911 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. He was a writer, known for Pinocchio (1940), Variety Girl (1947) and The Parent Trap (1961). He was married to Patti Price. He died on October 30, 1988 in Carbon County, Montana, USA.
Fantasia (1940) [Art]
36. Hugh Hudson
Director | Chariots of Fire
The old Etonian, after National Service in the British Army, wanted to get into films but found the doors were closed to him, so he worked on commercials for about 20 years. David Putnam gave him a chance to direct Chariots of Fire which was a hit, and he never looked back.
He met his second wife, ...
Chariots of Fire (1981) [Values]
37. Kon Ichikawa
Director | Inugami-ke no ichizoku
Kon Ichikawa has been influenced by artists as diverse as Walt Disney and Jean Renoir, and his films cover a wide spectrum of moods, from the comic to the overwhelmingly ironic and even the perverse. Ichikawa began his career as a cartoonist, and this influence is apparent in his skillful use of ...
The Burmese Harp (1956) [Values]
38. Wilfred Jackson
Director | Cinderella
Wilfred Jackson was born on January 24, 1906 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a director, known for Cinderella (1950), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Alice in Wonderland (1951). He died on August 7, 1988 in Balboa Island, Newport Beach, California, USA.
Fantasia (1940) [Art]
39. Roland Joffé
Director | The Mission
Roland Joffé was born on November 17, 1945 in London, England, UK. He is a producer and director, known for The Mission (1986), The Killing Fields (1984) and The Great Hunger.
The Mission (1986) [Religion]
40. Hamilton Luske
Director | Cinderella
Hamilton Luske was an American animator and film director from Chicago, who spend most of his career at the Walt Disney Animation Studios. He served as the supervising director of several of Disney's films. He was also the supervising animator for the character of Snow White in the feature film "...
Fantasia (1940) [Art]
41. Lucien Nonguet
Director | La vie et la passion de Jésus Christ
Lucien Nonguet was born on May 10, 1869 in Poitiers, Vienne, France. He was a director and writer, known for The Life and Passion of Jesus Christ (1903), Freddy chef costumier (1919) and Les trois potards (1919). He died on June 22, 1955 in Fay-aux-Loges, Loiret, France.
The Passion Play (1903) [Religion]
42. Ermanno Olmi
Director | L'albero degli zoccoli
Ermanno Olmi was born on July 24, 1931 in Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy. He was a director and writer, known for The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978), The Legend of the Holy Drinker (1988) and Il posto (1961). He was married to Loredana Detto. He died on May 5, 2018 in Asiago, Veneto, Italy.
The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978) [Values]
43. Jean Renoir
Writer | La règle du jeu
Son of the famous Impressionist painter Pierre Auguste, he had a happy childhood. Pierre Renoir was his brother, and Claude Renoir was his nephew. After the end of World War I, where he won the Croix de Guerre, he moved from scriptwriting to filmmaking. He married Catherine Hessling, for whom he ...
44. Bill Roberts
Director | Dumbo
Bill Roberts was born on August 2, 1899 in Kentucky, USA. He was a director, known for Dumbo (1941), Bambi (1942) and Pinocchio (1940). He was married to Lillian Roberts. He died on March 18, 1974 in Tulare County, California, USA.
Fantasia (1940) [Art]
45. Roberto Rossellini
Writer | Roma città aperta
The master filmmaker Roberto Rossellini, as one of the creators of neo-realism, is one of the most influential directors of all time. His neo-realist films influenced France's nouvelle vague movement in the 1950s and '60s that changed the face of international cinema. He also influenced American ...
Rome, Open City (1945) [Values] The Flowers of St. Francis (1950) [Religion]
46. Paul Satterfield
Director | Bambi
Paul Satterfield was born on March 27, 1896 in Georgia, USA. He was a director, known for Bambi (1942). He died on August 14, 1981 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Fantasia (1940) [Art]
47. Ben Sharpsteen
Director | Dumbo
Ben Sharpsteen was born on November 4, 1895 in Tacoma, Washington, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Dumbo (1941), Pinocchio (1940) and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). He died on December 20, 1980 in Santa Rosa, California, USA.
Fantasia (1940) [Art]
48. Luchino Visconti
Writer | Il gattopardo
Born in his ancestral palazzo, situated in the same Milanese square as both the opera house La Scala and the Milan Cathedral, Luchino Visconti (1906 - 1976) was raised under the auspices of aristocratic privilege, theater and Catholicism. This triangulation of monuments would create an equally ...
The Leopard (1963) [Art]
49. William Wyler
Director | The Best Years of Our Lives
William Wyler was an American filmmaker who, at the time of his death in 1981, was considered by his peers as second only to John Ford as a master craftsman of cinema. The winner of three Best Director Academy Awards, second again only to Ford's four, Wyler's reputation has unfairly suffered as the...
Ben-Hur (1959) [Religion]
50. Ferdinand Zecca
Director | La lutte pour la vie
Was a cafe concert entertainer before Charles Pathe noticed him during the Universal Exhibition, where Zecca had been assigned to Pathe's stand. After a few daysPathe asked Zecca if he would like to work in cinematography. Zecca immediately accepted the offer and rapidly became Pathe's right hand ...
The Passion Play (1903) [Religion]
51. Ford Beebe Jr.
Director | Joniko and the Kush Ta Ka
Ford Beebe Jr. was born on August 20, 1913 in San Diego, California, USA. He was a director and assistant director, known for Wilderness Journey (1969), Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar (1967) and DTV: Rock, Rhythm & Blues (1984). He was married to Bessie Lee Yarnell. He died on February 22, 2006 ...
Fantasia (1940) [Art]
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