JOHN FORD
John Ford (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973) was an Irish-American film director. He is renowned both for Westerns such as Stagecoach (1939), The Searchers (1956), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), as well as adaptations of classic 20th-century American novels such as the film The Grapes of Wrath (1940). His four Academy Awards for Best Director (in 1935, 1940, 1941, and 1952) remain a record. One of the films for which he won the award, How Green Was My Valley, also won Best Picture.
In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Ford directed more than 140 films (although most of his silent films are now lost) and he is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential film-makers of his generation. Ford's work was held in high regard by his colleagues among those who have named him one of the greatest directors of all time.
Ford made frequent use of location shooting and long shots, in which his characters were framed against a vast, harsh and rugged natural terrain.
Ford made frequent use of location shooting and long shots, in which his characters were framed against a vast, harsh and rugged natural terrain.
HOWARD HAWKS
Howard Hawks (May 30, 1896 – December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin
labeled Hawks "the greatest American director who is not a household
name," noting that, "while his work may not be as well known as Ford, Welles, or DeMille, he is no less a talented filmmaker". He has influenced some of the most popular and respected directors such as Martin Scorsese, Robert Altman, John Carpenter, and Quentin Tarantino. He is popular for his films from a wide range of genres such as Scarface (1932), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Only Angels Have Wings (1939), His Girl Friday (1940), Sergeant York (1941), To Have and Have Not (1944), The Big Sleep (1946), Red River (1948), The Thing from Another World (1951), Monkey Business (1952), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and Rio Bravo (1959).
In 1942, Hawks was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for Sergeant York, and in 1975 he was awarded an Honorary Academy Award as "a master American filmmaker whose creative efforts hold a distinguished place in world cinema."
STANLEY DONEN
Stanley Donen (born April 13, 1924) is an American film director and choreographer whose most celebrated works are Singin' in the Rain and On the Town, both of which he co-directed with actor and dancer Gene Kelly. His other noteworthy films include Royal Wedding, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Funny Face, Charade, and Two for the Road. He received an Honorary Academy Award in 1998 for his body of work and a Career Golden Lion from the Venice Film Festival in 2004. He was hailed by film critic David Quinlan as "the King of the Hollywood musicals".
Donen is credited with transitioning Hollywood musical films from realistic backstage drama
to a more integrated art form in which the songs were a natural
continuation of the story. Before Donen and Kelly made their films,
musicals were often set in a Broadway stage environment where the musical
numbers were part of a stage show. Donen and Kelly's films created a
more cinematic form and included dances that could only be achieved in
the film medium.