By While it is easy to pinpoint when an actor or actress gives a wonderful performance, a composer arranges an exquisite score or an editor cuts together a series of shots in just the right way to bring out a scene’s power, it is more difficult to define exactly what to look for from a great director. Much of what we see on-screen is the result of other people’s work: how do we judge when to say “This is a brilliantly directed film?”
Alfred Hitchcock said “in the fiction film the director is the god; he must create life.” I think this thought neatly sums up what makes a great director. it is not so much the mastery of a single distinct discipline as the unification of many, weaving together the threads into a rich cinematic tapestry. The director creates worlds from words and find lives between the lines. Each of the seven directors nominated by the Flixist staff did precisely that, bringing the worlds of their films to life in ways both unique and unforgettable.
Follow the jump to discover who Flixist’s Best Director of 2010 is.
From sixteen votes cast resulting in a pool of eight nominees, David Fincher managed to secure no fewer than seven for himself. To put that in further context, his closest competition came from Darren Aronofsky’s tour-de-force in Black Swan and Danny Boyle’s intense work for 127 Hours, both securing a relatively meagre two votes.
Fincher’s success came from toning down the bombastic style that served him so well for the likes of Fight Club, Se7en and Zodiac. Much of his best work in Social Network was in coaxing fully-rounded performances from his actors (even Justin Timberlake) and giving them the space to make the most of Aaron Sorkin’s script. For what could easily have turned into a trudging biopic, Fincher keeps the pace up and the tone buzzing with the electricity of unrestrained youthful ambition, characteristic of his auteur’s fascination with breaking down the mechanics and follies of modern society.
VOTING BREAKDOWN
- David Fincher (The Social Network) – 7
- Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) – 2
- Danny Boyle (127 Hours) – 2
- Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island) – 1
- Christopher Nolan (Inception) – 1
- Bong Joon-Ho (Mother) – 1
- Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone) – 1
- Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) – 1