10 unfairly forgotten film masterpieces of great directors

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Many famous films of great directors are watched by viewers many times in a row, knowing by heart the plot and even the words spoken by the heroes of the picture. However, in the work of every filmmaker who devoted his life to filming, there are little-known, but no less significant tapes. It is in them that many great directors open up from an unusual perspective.

"Infinity", 1991, USSR, director Marlen Khutsiev

Many viewers do not even know about this parable, shot by Marlen Khutsiev in the early 1990s, although the director received the State Prize of Russia in 1993 for his film and two silver lions at the Berlin Film Festival in 1992. The creator of the picture admitted that she is himself personal and most difficult work. The hero of the picture is trying to find his truth by sorting out the scraps of memories and fantasies. The director tried to accommodate an entire era in 200 minutes of screen time, show true values and make the viewer think about the meaning of life.

"Pilots", 1995, Germany, directed by Christian Petzold

It was this director who became one of those who started the concept of the "Berlin School", and "Pilots" became his diploma work at the Academy of Film and Television. The film tells the story of two female salespeople of a cosmetics company, who are forced to travel around the Ruhr area. It seems that friendship between two rivals, shared not only by age, but also by their attitude to life, is simply impossible, there is more that the younger is aiming at the place of the older one and has preferences from the authorities due to long-standing personal relationships. But they will be able not only to make friends, but also to try to escape from the supervision of the leadership.

Macbeth, 1983, Hungary, director Bela Tarr

The first films of the Hungarian director were shot in the spirit of socialist realism, but later he became disillusioned with his own creations. At the crossroads of creativity, the picture "Macbeth" was shot - a well-known Shakespearean story, which he managed to shoot with just two frames. The film-play was staged in the labyrinths of the Buda Castle, which made it possible to fully use the magic of natural eclipses when creating a special atmosphere of the film-play.

Elvis, 1979, USA, directed by John Carpenter

The film about the rise of the star Elvis Presley looks at least unusual, because it was shot by a real master of horrors. And the director's hand is felt in almost every scene, whether young Elvis wanders into the grave of his brother, who was born without signs of life, or sits in a school class, where notorious hooligans constantly strive to ruin the future star's hairstyle, mercilessly wielding scissors. John Carpenter sees the legendary performer in a halo of mysticism, as if he flew from another planet or from somewhere from parallel worlds to blow up Puritan America.

"Communication", 1996, USA, directors Lana and Lilly Wachowski

The debut film of those authors who would later shake the world with their "Matrix", Lana and Lilly Wachowski themselves called a close thriller and tried to use it to displace gender stereotypes. In any case, the picture where one woman seduces another, and together they manage to steal a couple of million dollars from the mafia to start a new life, looks unusual and, undoubtedly, deserves the attention of the audience.

"A Simple Plan", 1998, UK, Germany, France, USA, Japan, directed by Sam Raimi

It's hard to imagine, but this film from the creator of Evil Dead was not at all successful at the time of its release. Surely, it took viewers and critics time to appreciate the creation of Sam Raimi. As a result, the thriller won two Oscars, including Best Supporting Actor. The winner of this award was Billy Bob Thornton, whose work in the film is called one of the best in his career.

Duel, 1972, USA, directed by Steven Spielberg

With this film, Steven Spielberg made his full film debut. At the same time, both the studio management and the young director's colleagues were impressed with the newcomer's ability to create a vivid spectacle literally out of nothing. "Duel" impresses, first of all, with the all-consuming atmosphere of the chase, saturated with the scent of fear and the suffocating horror of a hot road.

After Work, 1985, USA, directed by Martin Scorsese

The director managed to create an almost perfect picture in a genre called the "Yankee Nightmare Cycle". In Scorsese's film, all his signs are present: as a result of a casual acquaintance, a programmer suddenly finds himself in a completely new world for himself, where dangers lie in wait at every step, and it is completely incomprehensible whether the hero will be able to get out alive from the terrible quarter.

Music of the Heart, 1999, USA, directed by Wes Craven

Viewers and critics at one time left the film from the creator of "Scream" almost without attention. Meanwhile, the director generally agreed to stage the third part of "The Scream" only if he was given the opportunity to make a film about the violinist Robert Gaspari. But this coping story can be a real motivation for those who have to confront the circumstances.

American Graffiti, 1973, USA, George Lucas

This film became an autobiographical film for the creator of Star Wars. George Lucas did not shoot a film about the growing up of youth in order to read sermons. He told his own story of growing up, and therefore too well understood the actions and aspirations of his heroes. Just one night with the roar of rock and roll And then - the final credits, which will tell about which of the characters was destined to die in Vietnam, and who was able to escape from the war. Among the survivors was the director himself.

Hundreds of love films are released annually, but not all of them are able to win the hearts of viewers. But there are pictures of feelings that can be revisited countless times, rediscovering the details, capturing the shades of intonation and wondering how accurately the actors managed to convey the emotional excitement of their characters.