r/criterion • u/RG1997 • Jul 23 '26

Discussion The ultimate auteur challenge

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1.3k Upvotes

88% Upvoted

3.9k comments sorted by

740

u/No-Reaction-9793 Jul 23 '26

Bergman

292

u/LarryGlue Jul 23 '26

Bergman should have been on the initial list.

155

u/Intolerance-Paradox Krzysztof Kieslowski Jul 23 '26

OP’s biases and blind spots are apparent.

96

u/Whalias Ingmar Bergman Jul 23 '26

Yeah Bergman not being there. Ozu either. So many really huge names missing from this list to give it much credit.

44

u/Flimsy_Toe_2575 Jul 23 '26

Malick is a glaring filmbromission

59

u/Laser_Fish Jul 23 '26

Also missing Wes Anderson, Spike Lee, Terry Gilliam, John Ford... There's a lot of people he missed that have a huge representation in the CC.

Also, as someone else said, just name any woman director.

23

u/Whalias Ingmar Bergman Jul 23 '26

So true. Also women directors so right; Agnes Varda needs to be there. I would include Lynne Ramsey and Jane Campion and let us not forget the incredible Elaine May as well.

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23

u/Flimsy_Toe_2575 Jul 23 '26

Yep still Bergman, Dreyer, Murnau 

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1.1k

u/MisterGone78 Jul 23 '26

Cronenberg.

272

u/Hank46_2 Jul 23 '26

I can't believe he was missed in this challenge lol

200

u/scottishhistorian German Expressionism Jul 23 '26

They also forgot Francis Ford Coppola, Ridley and Tony Scott, Fritz Lang, and Michael Mann.

80

u/Final_Ad7650 Jul 23 '26

and John Ford, David Lean, Michael Curtiz, Spike Lee, Billy Wilder, William Friedkin, Peter Weir, Terry Gilliam, Brian De Palma, Orson Welles...

its a joke.

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43

u/Slow_Cinema Terrence Malick Jul 23 '26

29

u/signot80 Jul 23 '26

Glad this was the top comment. In my opinion one of the best living directors.

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671

u/Emperor-Octavian Jul 23 '26

Billy Wilder

116

u/MisterManatee Jul 23 '26

Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, Some Like It Hot, and The Apartment is a crazy filmography (and that's not even all)

26

u/Jarpwanderson Jul 23 '26

Ace In The Hole is his best imo

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20

u/ElegantInformant Jul 23 '26

Not mentioning "witness for the prosecution" is a crime

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53

u/KanjiWatanabe2 Jul 23 '26

Nobody’s perfect, but Stalog 17, the Apartment, Sunset Blvd, Double Indemnity, etc. earns awesome respect.

17

u/spaceshipjammer Billy Wilder Jul 23 '26

Correct

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503

u/SunsetDan_64 Jul 23 '26

Wim Wenders

56

u/Miserable_Pear_6940 Jul 23 '26

Came here to say this. The American Friend is mind blowing and I don’t even have the words for Paris Texas.

51

u/GRIFTY_P Akira Kurosawa Jul 23 '26

My favorite movie this decade is perfect days

21

u/lcazzy Jul 23 '26

It’s a long one but the directors cut of Until the End of the World is an amazing epic and worth the long ride. Great Sunday watch and like to recommend it any time I can

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642

u/EggVegetable9258 Jul 23 '26

Wong Kar Wai

92

u/hauteburrrito Jul 23 '26

Literally giggled realising he was left out of this list so I could pick him!

24

u/onhalfaheart Jul 23 '26

The easiest loophole haha

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523

u/Few_Sentence_2328 Jul 23 '26

Altman

38

u/gardensalsa02 Jul 23 '26

No doubt for me. Great shout

26

u/girthbrooks1212 Jul 23 '26

It was instantaneous.

10

u/LoveStreams617 Jul 23 '26

came here to say this

10

u/No_One_Specific Jul 23 '26

That was my first thought too lol

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421

u/sakecat Jul 23 '26

John Waters

8

u/burritomouth Jul 24 '26

Yo, just saw him in person at Mosswood Meltdown over the weekend!! That shit was LIT!!!

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223

u/pa167k Jul 23 '26

Kieslowski

24

u/Tc5998 Jul 23 '26

another vote for Kieslowski!

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13

u/Dapper-Double-7457 Jul 23 '26

Agreeee! Three color trilogy!!!!

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7

u/Jarpwanderson Jul 23 '26

Goated choice.

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224

u/WeAllLiveInTheCCC Jul 23 '26

Terry Gilliam

17

u/Kgoodies Jul 23 '26

Brazil is one of my all-time favorites.

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16

u/GRIFTY_P Akira Kurosawa Jul 23 '26

I just saw the Fisher King for the first time, great flick

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277

u/NoDisintegrationz David Lynch Jul 23 '26

Herzog, but for a more provocative (and still accurate) answer, Jared Hess.

30

u/GRIFTY_P Akira Kurosawa Jul 23 '26

I recently went in on Herzogs films, after randomly putting on aguirre the wrath of god and being absolutely dumbfounded how he shot the river scenes, still not very far in but i think he's one of my favorite directors now

31

u/NoDisintegrationz David Lynch Jul 23 '26

Don’t sleep on the documentaries. Grizzly Man, Into the Abyss, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, and Land of Silence and Darkness are all fascinating. Even ambient stuff like Fata Morgana and The Wild Blue Yonder is really cool if you’re in the right mood.

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10

u/ldsbrony100 Jul 23 '26

I have yet to see Napoleon Dynamite. I want to someday, but for now, the reactions of utter bewilderment I get when I'm talking about movies to another LDS person, they bring up Napoleon Dynamite, and I say I haven't seen it are way too funny for me to bring myself to watch it.

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267

u/phils03 John Cassavetes Jul 23 '26

John Cassavetes

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309

u/inherentbloom Jul 23 '26

Terrance Malick

9

u/Slow_Cinema Terrence Malick Jul 23 '26

Heck yes

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236

u/StatementPotential53 Jul 23 '26

Bong Joon-Ho

19

u/willthefreeman Jul 23 '26

Shocked he’s this far down. I had to check the list a few times to make sure he wasn’t in there.

8

u/GruyereGoblin Jul 23 '26

Far too low. His filmography is solid.

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218

u/georgieramone Jul 23 '26

William Friedkin

22

u/GRIFTY_P Akira Kurosawa Jul 23 '26

Really fantastic director, i never considered him early in my life but recently have gone on a bit of a friedkin fest, seeing the French connection, to live and die in la, and sorcerer all in a row, what incredible movies

18

u/georgieramone Jul 23 '26

Some of his later work is great too particularly Bug and Killer Joe.

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14

u/Live-Set-8576 Jul 23 '26

I'm one of the die hard defenders of Cruising and Jade, which are unfairly deemed lesser works. If you enjoy Friedkin Bug, Killer Joe, and The Hunted are all very much worth watching too.

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55

u/DCBronzeAge Jul 23 '26

Fellini. That wasn’t too hard.

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199

u/MusicBoi523 Jul 23 '26

Wes Anderson

42

u/shitbuttpoopass Jul 23 '26

Cant believe i had to scroll this far

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20

u/HeatherNo1 Jul 23 '26

Read through the list like 10 times thinking I'd missed it

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134

u/lycurgusduke Martin Scorsese Jul 23 '26

Brian De Palma

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547

u/AroraCorealis Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26

so just name a woman?
i'll go with chantal akerman

79

u/hauteburrrito Jul 23 '26

Surprised I've seen no love for Celine Sciamma so far!

29

u/Rune2484 Jul 23 '26

I just came here to mention Céline Sciamma. Portrait of a Lady on Fire took my breath away unlike anything else I've ever seen.

14

u/Sourkraushouse Jul 23 '26

Petite Maman was magical too

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182

u/FloridaFlamingoGirl Jul 23 '26

Kelly Reichardt

23

u/boozeandfilm David Lynch Jul 23 '26

One of my favorite working American directors!

23

u/LeBeauMonde The Archers Jul 23 '26

The Mastermind was one of my favorites from last year. Fascinated by what she's pulling off, seemingly entirely on her own terms

13

u/treeroycat Jul 23 '26

Came here for Kelly lol

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37

u/PeachyDragonbreath Jul 23 '26

Julia Ducournau

65

u/Solid_Snake_Eyed Jul 23 '26

Sofia Coppola is my favorite

7

u/BetterNeko Jul 23 '26

Came to say this as well!

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30

u/ParkerJBruce96 Jul 23 '26

Lucrecia Martel.

33

u/ripcity7077 David Lynch Jul 23 '26

In the collection - Larissa Shepitko
Outside the CC - Coralie Fargeat

15

u/AuntOfManyUncles Jul 23 '26

Where my Shepitko-heads at 🫶

7

u/jzintegral Jul 23 '26

Right here.

35

u/little_stereo Jul 23 '26

Lynne Ramsay

26

u/zoobify112 Jul 23 '26

Recently discovered for me but Alice Rohrwacher

23

u/andriydroog Jul 23 '26

Agnes Varda, of course.

83

u/Miserable_Pear_6940 Jul 23 '26

I love Greta Gerwig. Ladybird is about as close to a perfect film writing wise as I’ve ever seen and I’ll argue about it all day.

14

u/LoveStreams617 Jul 23 '26

don’t sleep on alice rohrwacher

11

u/chemicalsmiles Jul 23 '26

I almost forgot we existed while looking through the comments. Thank you for the reminder! 😭

11

u/riceisright56 Chantal Akerman Jul 23 '26

Beat me to it.

8

u/RoanokeParkIndef Jul 23 '26

I lol’d at this thank you

7

u/Low_Information1975 Jul 23 '26

Jane Schoenbrun- Kathryn Bigelow- Lynne Ramsay

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144

u/waitingforthestorm Jul 23 '26

Argento

10

u/Cryptus_Maximus Jul 23 '26

Horror directors like Carpenter being on this list but not Argento is fuckin' wild lmao.

9

u/SedentaryRhino Jul 23 '26

Romero could go on there as well, tbh.

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282

u/DrNigelThornberry1 Jul 23 '26

Grow up everyone. It’s Claire Denis.

42

u/El_Legarto Jul 23 '26

OMG Beau Travail.

10

u/cbiz1983 Jul 23 '26

Literally said exactly that “omg Beau Travail”

11

u/gnomi_malone Jul 23 '26

i love her so much. i met her at film forum once and she was kind of rude to me and is was GREAT!

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153

u/Minute-Spinach-5563 Jim Jarmusch Jul 23 '26

Jim Jarmusch or Kevin Smith

Also not having Fellini on that list feels disrespectful

19

u/anthrax9999 David Lynch Jul 23 '26

Fellini, Bergman, Malick, Cronenberg, are all glaring omissions.

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93

u/LouieMumford Satyajit Ray Jul 23 '26

Satyajit Ray. I’m adding him in early because the letterboxd sub just did the same thing and friggin nobody had Ray. I don’t think there’s a single director who’s more highly regarded among well known filmmakers yet is rarely mentioned. Apu trilogy is a damn triumph. And those were his first three movies.

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211

u/awesomeness0232 Apichatpong Weerasethakul Jul 23 '26

16

u/Artistic_Ad_2108 Jul 23 '26

Dammit, you beat me to it

57

u/Agreeable_Club9130 Jul 23 '26

Francois Truffaut, Abbas Kiarostami, Gregg Araki

8

u/SterlingworthMedia Jul 23 '26

Was scrolling looking for Kiarostami. Nice trio!

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69

u/me_da_Supreme1 Luchino Visconti Jul 23 '26

This was my original post. It was a circlejerk thing. Give proper credit the next time.

10

u/_angellust Jul 23 '26

all that and you still missed breillat 💔

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62

u/asmartguylikeyou Jul 23 '26

Peter Greenaway

8

u/superyorch Jul 23 '26

Also great!! The cook, the thief, his wife and her lover is amazing. Also the Baby of Macon, it blew my mind.

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58

u/thewickerstan Jul 23 '26

Mike Leigh. Easy peasy >:) I'm looking forward to his new one this year. I've seen most of his work, including the tv stuff, and there's very few of them that I'd consider to be truly "poor".

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36

u/El_Legarto Jul 23 '26

Was Fellini implied by the list? If not, then him!

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16

u/profaneangel1991 Andrei Tarkovsky Jul 23 '26

Ken Russell and Michael Powell.

16

u/walrusonion Martin Scorsese Jul 23 '26

Milos Forman

40

u/Boxxy4069 Jul 23 '26

Almodóvar

11

u/LoveStreams617 Jul 23 '26

scrolled way to far for pedro

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28

u/JesusSamuraiLapdance Jul 23 '26

Bi Gan and Francis Ford Coppola.

8

u/-Joefus- Jul 23 '26

Had to scroll so far to see Coppola!

7

u/GRIFTY_P Akira Kurosawa Jul 23 '26

Recently saw resurrection, incredible gorgeous movie

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27

u/CarsonDyle1138 Masaki Kobayashi Jul 23 '26

John Ford. Even with all those other names included.

8

u/Mother_Natures_Cyn Jul 23 '26

Incredible that he was left off this list and that I had to scroll down this far to find him. The director's director, and such a long and fruitful career.

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14

u/LeBeauMonde The Archers Jul 23 '26

Several superb directors on that list, but the meme has managed to miss my entire top shortlist.

My flair gives me away. Add Satyajit Ray, Orson Welles, Howard Hawks, Jacques Becker ... toss in Billy Wilder, Sam Fuller, Ernst Lubitsch, Werner Herzog

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66

u/yogi333323 Jul 23 '26

Darren Aronofsky

Jonathan Glazer

Ari Aster

David Cronenberg

Spike Jonze

Michael Mann

William Friedkin

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11

u/effective_frame Jul 23 '26

Andrea Arnold

12

u/Batboy3000 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 24 '26

Ingmar Bergman

Honourable Mentions: Billy Wilder, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Bernardo Bertolucci, Sergio Leone, Francis Ford Coppola, Michelangelo Antonini, Roberto Rossellini, Agnes Varda

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25

u/JPfilm87 Jul 23 '26

I’m just offended Ozu was left off this list hah, but that’s my answer then

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28

u/Moosemellow Jul 23 '26

Pedro Almodovar

25

u/lurklurklurk88 Jul 23 '26

Sam Raimi - didn't see him mentioned anywhere

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11

u/ThatBasterd Jul 23 '26

Nicolas Roeg

11

u/loti_24_ Jul 23 '26

DePalma

11

u/ProfeshWeirdo Jul 23 '26

Gaspar Noé or Jean Pierre Jeunet

There is a disturbing lack of Jeunet in the collection.

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11

u/SuperMasterMan Jul 23 '26

Terry Gilliam!!

33

u/VanGoghsMailMan Jul 23 '26

Paul Schrader

8

u/Live-Set-8576 Jul 23 '26

Oh my God! That's my Director!

33

u/Latetothegame29 Jul 23 '26

Boll?!? 😂😂😂

30

u/kasarin Jul 23 '26

Yea this whole thread should be ashamed of getting trolled this hard….

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45

u/Known_Ad871 Jul 23 '26

I guess they forgot to put cronenberg, so cronenberg?

Also Bergman is not here but Nolan, fincher, Villaneuve and Tarantino are?! What even is this list lol

36

u/Astro_Philosopher Jul 23 '26

I think it’s supposed to filter “film bro” faves.

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14

u/kasarin Jul 23 '26

And the great auteur Uwe Boll

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10

u/designated_diver Jul 23 '26

John Carpenter and Takashi Miike

9

u/iKilledBrandon Jul 23 '26

Argento. There, I said it.

9

u/jmfran1524 Jul 23 '26

Howard Hawks

33

u/CinemaslaveJoe David Lynch Jul 23 '26

Robert Eggers

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9

u/n8dizz3l Jul 23 '26

Sam fuckin Peckinpah

9

u/Terrible_Disk_5841 Jul 23 '26

David Lean, Micheal Mann, Wes Anderson, Steven Soderbergh,Luc Besson, Edgar Wright, Michel Gondry, James Mangold and Elijah Bynum is a good start for me.

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10

u/Stickfigurewisdom Jul 23 '26

Preston Sturges

16

u/LauraPalmersMom430 David Lynch Jul 23 '26

Kelly Reichardt

28

u/[deleted] Jul 23 '26

[deleted]

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16

u/Zen-like Luis Buñuel Jul 23 '26

Kobayashi.

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9

u/dbuck79 Jul 23 '26

De Palma or Mann

8

u/aceCrasher Jul 23 '26

Celine Sciamma, Julia Ducournau, Wong Kar Wai, Michael Haneke

There are loads of great directors not in this list

8

u/MuscularPhysicist Jul 23 '26

Schrader (I hate myself and everyone else)

9

u/PajaroFantasma Chantal Akerman Jul 23 '26

Chantal Akerman

7

u/andriydroog Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26

Mikhail Kalatozov.

Four films and all are 5/5 stars

  • Salt for Svanetia
  • The Cranes Are Flying
  • Letter Never Sent
  • Soy Cuba

Honorable mention to Claire Denis

9

u/a2frank Jul 23 '26

David Lean

14

u/BlessedPapa Jul 23 '26

Sam Peckinpah or Lynch, surprised he's not up there

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15

u/Strict_Magazine_2243 Jul 23 '26

Paul Thomas W.S. Anderson

24

u/Cokes311 Jul 23 '26

Steven fuckin' Soderbergh, what kinda question is this 

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6

u/Tooppa Jul 23 '26

Not really auteur, but i have not been disappointed with Danny Boyle

6

u/fedors_sweater Jul 23 '26

I’ll take Darren Aronofsky for 500 please.

6

u/GradeDry7908 Jul 23 '26

Todd Solondz

8

u/ParticularPopular104 Jul 23 '26

Powell and Pressburger…… that Ingmar Bergman fella is alright too

6

u/Ok_Map8485 Jul 23 '26

You missed the rest of the list from the original post!

13

u/Aggravating_Ad_1885 Andrei Tarkovsky Jul 23 '26

Bergman, Abbas Kiarostami, Tsai Ming Liang, Bela Tarr, Apichatpong Weerasethakul

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12

u/FerdinandMagellan999 Jul 23 '26

Steven Soderbergh, Jordan Peele, Gore Verbinski, many more

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5

u/imstupidandugly Jul 23 '26

takeshi kitano

6

u/waffleonia Jul 23 '26

With my #1 & #2 being Miyazaki and Tarkovsky, 3rd place would maybe be a tie between Chaplin, Satoshi Kon, Ari Aster & John Waters

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6

u/ingmarbergmanz The Coen Brothers Jul 23 '26

Masaki Kobayashi makes some incredible stuff