Excepting Spielberg, which director appreciates JW's talent the most?

[Josh500 1,615]

What do you think?

Even though it doesn't always appear so, I would say George Lucas. There's no doubt that he has a TREMENDOUS appreciation for JW's music: I'll tell you why: he brought back JW for all six Star Wars movies and all Indiana Jones movies (although that's more Spielberg's doing probably), he allowed the music DVD to be produced along with the ROTS OS, he always allowed music videos to be made for the concert pieces from the SW prequels, and there's always a feature on JW on the DVDs. I think he has so much respect for JW that sometimes he is afraid that his own effort might be a little undermined by the music . . .

The only downside, of course, is that he doesn't seem to know how to properly incoporate the music into his movies . . . but that aside, I think George Lucas appreciates JW's music the most.

Chris Columbus and Oliver Stone . . . well, they too appreciate JW's music tremendously, but not so much as GL, I think.

Note: Don't confuse the issue with, "Which director knows how to best incorporate JW's music into the movies?" I'm not asking that! If it were, I sure as hell wouldn't have voted for George Lucas!

:cool:

[Ollie 1,059]

Proabaly George Lucas.

With the exception of Lawrence Kasden(The Accidental Tourist), practically every director that he's worked with has had nothing but praise.

Kasden liked the music to The Accidental Tourist, but apparently not the working experience with Williams. He felt he had no input on the score.

[Marian Schedenig 8,175]

Likely someone who never even got the chance to work with him.

[Romão 2,274]

Even he butchers the scores, Lucas has great respect for Williams, so it seems.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

I'm sure Lucas appreciates Williams' talent, but he showed very little respect for it in the prequels. I'll go with Columbus.

[ChuckM 1]

Lucas by far. Stone and Columbus are probably pretty close, but maybe Stone a bit more.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Robert Altman

[MrScratch 294]

Columbus should worship the ground JW walks on, Williams is so far out his league.

[Henry B 50]

I'm sure Lucas appreciates Williams' talent, but he showed very little respect for it in the prequels. I'll go with Columbus.

[Red 75]

George Lucas, because he (despite his offenses) recognizes the film(s) wouldn't have worked without Williams' music.

[indy4 155]

George Lucas.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Chris Columbus.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Roland Emmerich.

[Josh500 1,615]

Columbus should worship the ground JW walks on, Williams is so far out his league.

Columbus is one of the most talented comedic directors ever. Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire would have been forgettable in lesser hands, and not the smash hits that they were.

[King Mark 3,626]

Lucas.

I don't think his hacking of the prequel scores is done by lack of respect,i think Lucas doesn't realise what he's doing.

[Josh500 1,615]

Lucas.

I don't think his hacking of the prequel scores is done by lack of respect,i think Lucas doesn't realise what he's doing.

I agree.

Just by the look on his face when he's sitting in the glass booth along with Shawn Murphy you can see that he admires John Williams . . . maybe as much as we do!

[MrScratch 294]

Columbus should worship the ground JW walks on, Williams is so far out his league.

Columbus is one of the most talented comedic directors ever. Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire would have been forgettable in lesser hands, and not the smash hits that they were.

You must not have seen the work of too many comedy directors. Neither of those are classics, just big hits in their day that haven't aged particularly well. By your reckoning Michael Bay is a great director. I'd hardly call pointing a camera at Robin Williams' antics in drag the work of a great director. When Robin isn't in drag, every other scene is overly sappy and sentimental. Same with Home Alone, it's all childish antics with sappy and over sentimental stuff in between.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

With all of that, I can't believe he wrote Gremlins.

[Josh500 1,615]

Columbus should worship the ground JW walks on, Williams is so far out his league.

Columbus is one of the most talented comedic directors ever. Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire would have been forgettable in lesser hands, and not the smash hits that they were.

You must not have seen the work of too many comedy directors. Neither of those are classics, just big hits in their day that haven't aged particularly well. By your reckoning Michael Bay is a great director. I'd hardly call pointing a camera at Robin Williams' antics in drag the work of a great director. When Robin isn't in drag, every other scene is overly sappy and sentimental. Same with Home Alone, it's all childish antics with sappy and over sentimental stuff in between.

No, Michael Bay is NOT a great director. Shame on you for saying such a thing, even in jest!

Chris Columbus is in a different league. He's one of the most commercially successful directors of all time, and that's not a coincidence; he was involved with Gremlins, Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Harry Potter. And don't you know that in order to make a successful comedy it takes MUCH more than pointing a camera at Robin Williams or Macaulay Culkin and letting them loose? Do you have any idea how much crap there's being produced every year by lesser talented directors? In order to succeed the director has to have a clear vision and an incredible amount of talent, a sense of timing and a gut level feeling of what's funny and what the audience will respond to. Chris Columbus has all of that, and to spare. He makes these movies appear very simple and easy (and yes, sappy, too), so maybe that's why it's hard to see, but there's an incredible amount of work and thought put into those movies. If you don't believe me, rent the Mrs. Doubtfire DVD and listen to his audio commentary. CC makes such precise, intelligent, and meaningful comments (George Lucas can learn from him, in fact), you'd be bowled over.

What he does NOT produce--and I give you that--is meaningful and profound work that will make you think deeply. But then, neither is he aiming for that. If you don't like Home Alone or Mrs. Doubtfire, fine, just don't say Chris Columbus isn't talented.

And oh yeah, in order to qualify as a great director, you don't have to constantly produce "classics"!

[MrScratch 294]

Chris Columbus is in a different league. He's one of the most commercially successful directors of all time

Says who? Not when adjusted for inflation. And lets not pretend that Columbus had anything to do with the success of Harry Potter, all it required was an adequate director which he is and nothing more. He's also pretty good at directing kids, I'll give him that too.

And don't you know that in order to make a successful comedy it takes MUCH more than pointing a camera at Robin Williams or Macaulay Culkin and letting them loose?

I think anyone could have directed Mrs. Doubtfire and it still would have been a hit, its just a matter of keeping up with Robin. Do you remember when this came out? I do, and all the hype was around Robins makeup and performance and him "playing a woman". Again, all it required was an adequate director to put it all on film.

Do you have any idea how much crap there's being produced every year by lesser talented directors? In order to succeed the director has to have a clear vision and an incredible amount of talent, a sense of timing and a gut level feeling of what's funny and what the audience will respond to. Chris Columbus has all of that, and to spare. He makes these movies appear very simple and easy (and yes, sappy, too), so maybe that's why it's hard to see, but there's an incredible amount of work and thought put into those movies.

Yes, thanks for the reminder.

I have respect for filmmakers, I know a lot of blood sweat and tears are poured into movies by the creative forces behind them, even bombs. Even still, marginal talent and lots of hard work don't equate to being of the best directors out there, as you called him.

If you don't believe me, rent the Mrs. Doubtfire DVD and listen to his audio commentary. CC makes such precise, intelligent, and meaningful comments (George Lucas can learn from him, in fact), you'd be bowled over.

I don't think he's a bad director, I never said that. I don't doubt that he's a smart man, especially since he retains a relationship with JW. He is quite technically proficient and can direct a decent movie. I just think your original comment that he is one of the best ever is a gross overstatement. Speaking of JW though, had Home Alone flopped, I don't know if JW would have kept working with him.

If you don't like Home Alone or Mrs. Doubtfire, fine, just don't say Chris Columbus isn't talented.

Did I ever say he had no talent? But those movies were hits partly because of their subject matter. A kid home alone for the holidays foils would-be robbers, and it came out at Christmas time before there was a holiday blockbuster season like there is now. Robin Williams masquerades as an old British babysitter. Columbus brought everything together, yes, and they were big hits, yes. But lets face it, the success of that fell on Robins performance and the makeup. Sorry, but neither one is a classic and I don't see a Columbus touch to any of these films.

And oh yeah, in order to qualify as a great director, you don't have to constantly produce "classics"!

At least one classic would help. I don't consider any of his movies classics, sorry. Harry Potter is probably the closest, but again that's because it was an adequate adaptation of a blockbuster book that was a virtual lock to become a megahit anyway.

[Richard Penna 3,673]

I think Columbus is a good director when it comes to comedies, but I stand by my belief that he was not the correct choice for the Potter movies - he seemed to be hired just on the fact that he's great with directing kids. Almost nothing in either of the first two movies showed me that he really has much imagination, visually, or in being adventurous with the storyline. He did an adequate job IMO, but not what the books really deserved.

Lucas probably appreciates JW the most. Sure, he maims his music beyond dental recognition but he keeps saying how much the score contributes to SW, like his references to them being silent films.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

Anyone who thinks Chris Columbus is a great director should just watch Rent.

[Josh500 1,615]

Chris Columbus is in a different league. He's one of the most commercially successful directors of all time

Says who? Not when adjusted for inflation. And lets not pretend that Columbus had anything to do with the success of Harry Potter, all it required was an adequate director which he is and nothing more. He's also pretty good at directing kids, I'll give him that too.

And don't you know that in order to make a successful comedy it takes MUCH more than pointing a camera at Robin Williams or Macaulay Culkin and letting them loose?

I think anyone could have directed Mrs. Doubtfire and it still would have been a hit, its just a matter of keeping up with Robin. Do you remember when this came out? I do, and all the hype was around Robins makeup and performance and him "playing a woman". Again, all it required was an adequate director to put it all on film.

Do you have any idea how much crap there's being produced every year by lesser talented directors? In order to succeed the director has to have a clear vision and an incredible amount of talent, a sense of timing and a gut level feeling of what's funny and what the audience will respond to. Chris Columbus has all of that, and to spare. He makes these movies appear very simple and easy (and yes, sappy, too), so maybe that's why it's hard to see, but there's an incredible amount of work and thought put into those movies.

Yes, thanks for the reminder.

I have respect for filmmakers, I know a lot of blood sweat and tears are poured into movies by the creative forces behind them, even bombs. Even still, marginal talent and lots of hard work don't equate to being of the best directors out there, as you called him.

If you don't believe me, rent the Mrs. Doubtfire DVD and listen to his audio commentary. CC makes such precise, intelligent, and meaningful comments (George Lucas can learn from him, in fact), you'd be bowled over.

I don't think he's a bad director, I never said that. I don't doubt that he's a smart man, especially since he retains a relationship with JW. He is quite technically proficient and can direct a decent movie. I just think your original comment that he is one of the best ever is a gross overstatement. Speaking of JW though, had Home Alone flopped, I don't know if JW would have kept working with him.

If you don't like Home Alone or Mrs. Doubtfire, fine, just don't say Chris Columbus isn't talented.

Did I ever say he had no talent? But those movies were hits partly because of their subject matter. A kid home alone for the holidays foils would-be robbers, and it came out at Christmas time before there was a holiday blockbuster season like there is now. Robin Williams masquerades as an old British babysitter. Columbus brought everything together, yes, and they were big hits, yes. But lets face it, the success of that fell on Robins performance and the makeup. Sorry, but neither one is a classic and I don't see a Columbus touch to any of these films.

And oh yeah, in order to qualify as a great director, you don't have to constantly produce "classics"!

At least one classic would help. I don't consider any of his movies classics, sorry. Harry Potter is probably the closest, but again that's because it was an adequate adaptation of a blockbuster book that was a virtual lock to become a megahit anyway.

I see that we won't see eye to eye on this, so let's agree to disagree.

But let me just say this (again): it's no coincidence that Chris Columbus directed all these hits. He's immensely talented as a director, but most people don't see it because his strength is to make everything look so easy. Take Home Alone, for example. The first two are just plain fun (in a childish sort of way), and they were enormous hits. But who remembers parts 3 and 4? Ignorant people will say that 3 and 4 were unsuccessful because of the absence of the main actor . . . but come on! What does Macaulay Culkin do what other child actors can't do? It's the flawless directing that made the first two movies so much fun (and yes, JW's involvement helped tremendously, too).

If you think Mrs. Doubtfire became a hit just because they decided to stick Robin Williams into a woman's costume, you're grossly mistaken. Again, I will say that it takes MUCH MUCH more than that to create a hit movie. And Mrs. Doubtfire was the No. 1 or 2 movie back 1994, and also the most successful movie Robin Williams ever starred in. Do you think the movie would have been a hit if it hadn't been made under the helm of Chris Columbus, who is a comedic genius? When you watch that movie, you actually laugh out loud, it's so funny (at least I did when I saw it in the theaters). It seems to me that you're looking for all sorts of arguments why HIS talent couldn't be the reason why those movies became hits. And no, not EVERYBODY could have directed it the way it was . . . if so, we would have No. 1 smash comedy hits in the vein of Home Alone or Mrs. Doubtfire every year.

If I said he's one of the greatest directors EVER, okay--that might be a little going overboard. But there's no denying that he's one of the most talented (comedic) directors ever.

[Henry B 50]

When you watch that movie, you actually laugh out loud, it's so funny (at least I did when I saw it in the theaters).

Yes, because of Robin Williams and the script! Actually, I recall not being very impressed by the film, but it's been years.

Ignorant people will say that 3 and 4 were unsuccessful because of the absence of the main actor . . . but come on! What does Macaulay Culkin do what other child actors can't do? It's the flawless directing that made the first two movies so much fun (and yes, JW's involvement helped tremendously, too).

How about the scripts, actors, production crew, budget, etc.?

Of course, to me, Home Alone is just a relatively well-made kids' film with a few "haha" moments (and Home Alone 2 is the exact same thing). If you think it's comedic gold, that's fine. I just wonder how much comedy you've been exposed to.

[MrScratch 294]

The first two are just plain fun (in a childish sort of way), and they were enormous hits. But who remembers parts 3 and 4? Ignorant people will say that 3 and 4 were unsuccessful because of the absence of the main actor . . . but come on! What does Macaulay Culkin do what other child actors can't do? It's the flawless directing that made the first two movies so much fun (and yes, JW's involvement helped tremendously, too).

So because Home Alone 3 wasn't successful, that makes Columbus a great director. Are you serious? Am I dreaming this? What does that say about the directors of the first Police Academy and Beethoven movies? By your reckoning, they are masters of comedy!

Chris Columbus, who is a comedic genius? When you watch that movie, you actually laugh out loud, it's so funny (at least I did when I saw it in the theaters).

Columbus a "comedic genius"? Yeah, we just won't see eye to eye on this one...

[Red 75]

Was it just me, or did Home Alone seem more John Hughs than Chris Columbus? The good parts anyway.

[Henry B 50]

Of course.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Has it been forgotten that CC is the writer of Gremlins?

[Marian Schedenig 8,175]

Not by Drax.

[Ollie 1,059]

HA3 & 4 sucked and tanked because the idea was stupid and tired.

[indy4 155]

Columbus should worship the ground JW walks on, Williams is so far out his league.

Columbus is one of the most talented comedic directors ever. Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire would have been forgettable in lesser hands, and not the smash hits that they were.

You must not have seen the work of too many comedy directors. Neither of those are classics, just big hits in their day that haven't aged particularly well. By your reckoning Michael Bay is a great director. I'd hardly call pointing a camera at Robin Williams' antics in drag the work of a great director. When Robin isn't in drag, every other scene is overly sappy and sentimental. Same with Home Alone, it's all childish antics with sappy and over sentimental stuff in between.

They're all incredibly entertaining films, nonetheless. I disagree with the statement that CC is one of the best comedic directors of all time, but he has made some great films.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

Was it just me, or did Home Alone seem more John Hughs than Chris Columbus? The good parts anyway.

Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking. Columbus is fine overall, but I agree with what people have said about other factors playing more of a role in the success of some of his films (Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire, John Hughes/John Williams/the cast in Home Alone, etc.)

[Maglorfin 196]

Even though it doesn't always appear so, I would say George Lucas. There's no doubt that he has a TREMENDOUS appreciation for JW's music: I'll tell you why: he brought back JW for all six Star Wars movies and all Indiana Jones movies (although that's more Spielberg's doing probably), he allowed the music DVD to be produced along with the ROTS OS, he always allowed music videos to be made for the concert pieces from the SW prequels, and there's always a feature on JW on the DVDs. I think he has so much respect for JW that sometimes he is afraid that his own effort might be a little undermined by the music . . .

The only downside, of course, is that he doesn't seem to know how to properly incoporate the music into his movies . . . but that aside, I think George Lucas appreciates JW's music the most.

Exactly.

[Giftheck 916]

Lucas.

I don't think his hacking of the prequel scores is done by lack of respect,i think Lucas doesn't realise what he's doing.

Exactly.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Just blind ignorance.

[Josh500 1,615]

Just blind ignorance.

Well, I think George Lucas isn't just as musical (has a deeper understanding of how music works) like some other directors, most notably Spielberg.

But he certainly understands that JW has the power to uplift his movies to unimaginable heights.

[Jeshopk 8]

Lucas. If he could put his money where his mouth is and really treat the music as important as he says it is in his films, his films would benefit a great deal. But I agree, he is just sloppy and mainly blame Ben Burtt.