Inspirations as a writer director: visual style--George Stevens, Steven
Spielberg, David Lean, Ridley Scott, Jan Troell, Kubrick, Bergman,
Hitchcock; story--Billy Wilder, Michael Wilson, Vilhelm Moberg, Charlie
Chaplin, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, William Wyler (among others).
I believe that the main story of a film is not the most important thing. I've seen films that revolved around the something as silly as the adventures of a an old shoe that was wonderful and said a lot about human nature.