The issue of authorship in movies has, for a long time, been one of the main points of contention in film scholarship. Many cinephiles would argue that the art form’s true auteurs are the ones who write the movies they direct. However, not only are writer-directors pretty rare, but also some of the greatest filmmakers in history are ones who rarely, if ever, penned the screenplays for their movies.
From long-studied masters of Hollywood’s Golden Age, such asHoward Hawks, to legendary directors who are still active today, likeSteven Spielberg, plenty ofacclaimed directors usually (or even always) leave the task of screenwriting to other people. These directors prove that a truly great filmmaker can make their voice unmistakable even if the story they’re telling wasn’t conceived by them. No one questions their abilities because they have proven themselves time and again.
10Ridley Scott
Standout Movie: ‘Blade Runner’ (1982)
British directorRidley Scottgot his start back in 1977 withThe Duellists, one ofthe most interesting directing debutsof that time. From there, he started leaving his indelible mark on all sorts of genres, from sci-fi to historical epics, cementing himself as one of the strongest filmmakers in Hollywood.
Scott has never written a feature screenplay in his whole career. Each of his movies, from the deeply philosophical sci-fi neo-noirBlade Runner(written byHampton FancherandDavid Peoples) to the sword & sandal spectacleGladiator(written byDavid Franzoni,John Logan, andWilliam Nicholson), has been penned by someone else. In spite of that,Scott has become known for his dynamic visual compositionsand unique capacity to tell riveting slow-burners. His filmography isn’t without a fair share of duds, but it’s undeniable that Scott has also made some of the most iconic movies of all time.
Blade Runner
9David Fincher
Standout Movie: ‘Se7en’ (1995)
Known by many as the modern master of the thriller,David Fincherhas directed some ofthe best-ever films in the genre, from the terrifyingSe7ento the mysteriousZodiac. That’s without mentioning his work in other genres, which is every bit as outstanding, filled with biographical gems likeThe Social Networkand romantic epics likeThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Perhaps it’s got something to do with the fact that he always directs other people’s screenplays, or perhaps the two things are totally unrelated. Perhaps his lack of involvement in the screenplays allows him to fully immerse himself in the frame. The fact thatFincher is a directorial chameleon. Incredibly versatile and detail-oriented to a fault, he’s able to make any story in any genre feel full of life, suspense, and character-driven drama.
8Howard Hawks
Standout Movie: ‘Rio Bravo’ (1959)
Howard Hawkswas one of Classical Hollywood’s most important and influential directors, known for his work onendlessly rewatchable WesternslikeRio Bravo, screwball comedies likeHis Girl Friday, and noir films likeThe Big Sleep. He did some uncredited work on the screenplays of some of his films (as many directors of the era often did), such asScarface, but the vast majority of his movies were written by other people.
The topic of Hawks, his style, and his body of work was (and still is) of great fascination for critics and auteur theorists throughout history. Hawks' artistic prowess and the consistent form-content relationship throughout his filmography are proof that no matter what screenplay they’re working with,directors ultimately define how an audience will interpret the narrative.
7F.W. Murnau
Standout Movie: ‘Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans’ (1927)
The legendaryFriedrich Wilhelm Murnauwas a legendary German filmmaker who worked in his home country during the time of German Expressionism, one ofthe most important film movements in history. In 1927, he moved to Hollywood. That same year, he released what most would consider his magnum opus: the deeply moving romance dramaSunrise: A Song of Two Humans.
“To revolutionize the medium like Murnau did without writing a script was something else altogether.”
F.W. Murnau was revolutionary with his camerawork, unique in his approach to tone and theme, and an overall master of the craft of silent cinema. It might then come as a surprise that he didn’t write any of his movies, which also include masterworks like 1926’sFaustand 1922’sNosferatu. It wasn’t uncommon back in the era of silent movies for directors to rely on external screenwriters, but to revolutionize the medium like Murnau did without writing a script was something else altogether.
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6Steven Spielberg
Standout Movie: ‘Schindler’s List’ (1993)
Though his work, particularly in the 21st century, has earned him some detractors, it’s still impossible to deny thatSteven Spielbergis one of the most important filmmakers in contemporary Hollywood. After all, being the only director who has received an Oscar nomination in six different decades is no small feat. Spielberg has earned that honor with some of the most groundbreaking movies the American film industry has produced.
From awards-worthy war dramas likeSchindler’s Listto iconic blockbusters likeJawsand theIndiana Jonesmovies (the first three, at least), Spielberg is one of the few current directors who are best at mixing artistic prowess with pure entertainment value. Visually vibrant, technologically intrepid, and dealing with fascinating overarching themes,Spielberg’s body of work is beyond commendable, despite the fact that he’s only written a handful of his movies, none of which rank among his all-time best.
Schindler’s List (1995)
5William Wyler
Standout Movie: ‘Ben-Hur’ (1959)
Throughout the ’50s and ’60s, Hollywood movie studios were going all out, making some of the grandest, most admirable epics the medium had seen before or has seen since. There were plenty of directors who defined this period of big-budget epics, andWilliam Wylerwas one of the main ones. The man behind movies as incredible asBen-HurandThe Big Countryleft a mark on the industry that can still be seen today.
Many of Wyler’s films from before this epic period are just as worthy of praise, such asThe Best Years of Our Lives(a nearly 3-hour-long anti-war masterpiece) andRoman Holiday(one ofthe best rom-coms ever made).Wyler’s films have a level of technical elegance not often seen in movies of the era, and his ability to keep a scale huge while constantly narrowing in on characters and character dynamics remains admirable decades later.
4John Ford
Standout Movie: ‘The Searchers’ (1956)
He dabbled in all sorts of genres and tones, butJohn Fordis best known as the man who defined and constantly re-defined the Western during Hollywood’s Golden Age. He did so through masterworks of the caliber ofThe SearchersandStagecoach; through it all, Ford built an instantly recognizable style characterized by deliberate pacing, character-driven stories, and simple yet gorgeous visual compositions.
Often collaborating with the same team, including actors as stellar asJohn WayneandMaureen O’Hara,Ford is the very definition of an auteur, despite the fact that he only ever contributed to the screenplay of some of his films. Today, the Western is studied as a genre about isolation, masculinity, human nature, and the frontier myth. That study wouldn’t be even half as rich as it is without Ford’s generational-defining work, whichinfluenced countless future artists, from Spielberg toGeorge Lucas.
The Searchers
3Sidney Lumet
Standout Movie: ‘12 Angry Men’ (1957)
One of the poster boys of the New Hollywood film movement,Sidney Lumetwas one of the greatest treasuresto have ever graced American cinema. Subtle, flexible, and absolutely unforgettable, his style provided audiences around the world with some of the greatest films of all time, from the theatrical drama12 Angry Mento the dark dramedyNetwork.
Whether Lumet could be labeled as an auteur is up for debate, but it’s also beside the point. Though he only ever penned four of the movies he directed,Lumet was an intrepid and innovative filmmakerwith a remarkable ability to find the core of any screenplay, turning words into a hard-hitting, unforgettable story. His work with actors likeHenry FondaandAl Pacinois the stuff of legends, and his legacy is so great that it’s hard to put it into words.
12 Angry Men
2Martin Scorsese
Standout Movie: ‘Taxi Driver’ (1976)
Many would refer toMartin Scorsese as the single greatest filmmaker still working today. Frankly, it would be hard to disagree with them. Scorsese is the mind behind some of the best movies of the past six decades, and although he has written or co-written a few of his best works (likeGoodfellasand, most recently,Killers of the Flower Moon), most of his masterpieces were written by others.
Plenty ofthe best characters from Scorsese’s filmscome from other people’s minds, including Travis Bickle fromTaxi Driver(written byPaul Schrader) and Rupert Pupkin fromThe King of Comedy(written byPaul D. Zimmerman). Even then, these films are distinctly and unmistakably Scorsese pictures. No one would reasonably argue that anyonebutScorsese is the chief author of these masterpieces, that his brilliant eye and style are the main driving forces behind how their narratives are conveyed.
Taxi Driver
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1Alfred Hitchcock
Standout Movie: ‘Psycho’ (1960)
The master of suspense and one of British and American cinemas' most important and prolific directors,Alfred Hitchcockis as much of an icon and a legend as filmmakers can possibly become. After all, he’s the man behind seminal works in the genre ranging fromPsychotoVertigo.Hitchcock loved working with the same teamthroughout most of his films, and that included a trusted team of screenwriters.
Like most of his contemporaries, Hitchcock did lots of uncredited work on his movies' scripts, but directing was always his sole focus. It was surely for the best because his concise,tension-filled directing style is one of the most influential and instantly recognizableof any filmmaker who has ever lived. If anything, it proves that there is no hierarchy where writer-directors sit at the top. All typesof filmmakers — those who write their films and those who don’t — have something of exceptional value to offer to the industry, as proved by the likes of Alfred Hitchcock.
