This paper is a discussion of the works of five of the greatest directors in international cinema. D. W. Griffith, John Ford, Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, and Ingmar Bergman have each had enormous influence in their art because of their individual vision and striking approach to filmmaking. Their visual concerns have been dramatically different, but the commitment of each has led them to create powerful, effective films that continue to affect the work of filmmakers in every genre and every nation today. All five have made significant contributions toward turning filmmaking into an art, while developing different aspects of cinema and varying genres, and all five can be considered great artists.
David Wark Griffith was born in Kentucky on January 22, 1875. He began his career as an actor in small touring companies. He tried his hand at writing but had little success in the theater. Eventually, he became a writer at Biograph Studios, working in the new medium of motion pictures. Eventually, he was directing most of Biograph's films. In a little more than five years, he directed more than 450 films, many of them one-reelers.
The experience allowed him to experiment constantly, learning how to use film to tell stories. He became remarkably adept at the film aesthetic. Kevin Brownlow quotes Lloyd Morris' evaluation of Griffith's genius: "He had no respect for the medium in which he was working, but his temperament compelled him to treat it as if it were an art. The result was that he made it one" (24).
His years at Biograph began a long association with cameraman Billy Bitzer. Bitzer initially rejected Griffith's radical ideas of how to use the camera, but the partnership soon became a fruitful and creative one. Brownlow quotes Griffith's dismissal of skepticism: "Well, come on, let's do it anyway. I don't give a damn what anybody thinks about it" (25). He continued to have that attitude throughout his car...