Directorial Debuts

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I was recently watching Blood Simple and was amazed at how good it was for a first film. So what do you think are the best and worst directorial debuts?



In Soviet America, you sue MPAA!
Alot of people hated it immensly, but I think a fantastic directorial debut of a director people will remember in twenty years is Eli Roth with Cabin Fever. Love or hate the movie, Eli Roth worked horror to the bone throughout it.
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I have yet to see Cabin Fever. I remember when it came out I hoped it would do well because it had one of the kids from Boy Meets World, who I thought was a pretty talented kid...I DIDN'T WATCH IT JUST IN THE HOPES THAT TOPENGA WOULD WEAR A BIKINI....SO QUIT IMPLYING IT!!!
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All good people are asleep and dreaming.
Best: Charles Laughton for The Night of the Hunter .

Worst: Anyone who got there start with Roger Corman.



Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Mike Nichols)
Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino)
Citizen Kane (Orson Welles)
Blood Simple (Coen Brothers)
À bout de souffle (Jean-Luc Godard)
This Is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner)

Will add more as I think of them.



The People's Republic of Clogher
Best -

Clint - Play Misty For Me (1971)

John Dahl - Kill Me Again (1989)

Takeshi Kitano - Violent Cop (1989)

Danny Boyle - Shallow Grave (1994)

Andrew Dominik - Chopper (2000)

David Mamet - House of Games (1987)

Costner - Dances With Wolves (1990)

Nicholas Hytner - The Madness of King George (1994)

Worst -

How long have you got?
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I'm amazed not one of you has mentioned Mel Brooks for The Producers, easily one of the funniest films ever made. And I also want to add Warren Beatty for Reds, but I think he did something before that.



this definitly isnt the best but i think
Zach Synder did a good job on dawn of the dead (2004) for a first time director
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Some that may have not been mentioned...

Zach Braff - Garden State
Sam Mendes - American Beauty
Frank Darabont - Shawshank Redemption
Wes Anderson - Bottle Rocket
Kevin Smith - Clerks
Harold Ramis - Caddyshack
Bill Paxton - Frailty
M. Night Shyamalan - The Sixth Sense
Richard Kelly - Donnie Darko


I'm not 100% that all of these were directorial debuts, but am reasonably confident in saying they were the first mass release/success for each director. If I'm wrong I'm sure someone will be kind enough to correct me.
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"I can't help it..."
Originally Posted by Mose

M. Night Shyamalan - The Sixth Sense
Shyamalan made his directorial debut back in 1992 with the film Praying With Anger - seven years before The Sixth Sense. He also made Wide Awake in 1998.
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Another one of my favorites is Marlon Brando's first and last film as a director,
One-Eyed Jacks (1961).



It's disappointing that he never directed another film, I'm sure he probably got the opportunity.



"I can't help it..."
I think that Ridley Scott made a very good "feature" debut with The Duelists.



I just rewatched Frailty for the first time in a few years and was once again surprised at just how good it was... Who in the world expected this from Bill Freaking Paxton of all people!?!?



Andrew Niccol - Gattaca
Kevin Conran - Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow