There is nothing quite as sad as a brilliant director who runs his course. Legendary figures such as Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Welles produced their least memorable works in their final years, proving that even the greatest of talents can fade away with a whimper. Though the current Hollywood scene has numerous directors who have either maintained or improved their talents with age (Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood), it is also full of legendary directors who are in dire need of a redeeming project to remind the world what they're capable of.
Francis Ford Coppola
There is no greater example of a fall from grace than that of Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola dominated the 1970s, literally redefining what film was capable of with the first two \Godfathers,"" ""The Conversation"" and ""Apocalypse Now."" There are numerous horror stories about the troubles that plagued the production of ""Apocalypse Now,"" and perhaps that's what broke him. Ever since then it's been a parade of mediocrity including ""Jack,"" ""The Outsiders"" and ""The Godfather: Part III."" At this point Coppola's only credibility is through his daughter, but at least he can take some pride for producing her films. Then again, he also produced ""Jeepers Creepers.""
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is one of the greatest American directors, and at this point he has achieved the status of an icon. His films from the 1970s are almost unanimously heralded as his greatest works, but he still produced quality or even genius level work in the 1980s and 1990s. But if Allen's works in the 21st century are any indicator, it may be time for Woody to hang it up. Smartly, Allen has realized he's too old to be playing romantic leads and has begun acting in smaller supporting roles (""Anything Else"") or not appearing at all (""Melinda and Melinda""). But his writing style is still tailor-made for himself, and it seems at times he's just directing actors with the instruction ""Act like I would.""
There is hope, however, as his next film, ""Match Point,"" will be more dramatic and take place entirely within England, deviating from the usual New York City locale. Perhaps a new location will be a nice change of pace and revitalize New York's most famous neurotic.
Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone is a man who often comes under fire for his political views and the controversial material in his films, be it violence or conspiracy theories. But what Stone does is turn his views, right or wrong, into some of the most captivating and technically gifted material on film. Even if Stone's opinions and conclusions should be taken with a grain of salt, there is no denying the power of works such as ""Platoon,"" ""Born on the 4th of July"" or ""JFK.""
The last 10 years, however, have been less illustrious for Stone, as ""Nixon"" and ""Any Given Sunday"" did not reach the same critical or commercial success as previous works. Last year's ""Alexander"" was a disaster on all accounts, and Stone has reportedly retreated to France to lick his wounds. Stone has been criticized because he seems preoccupied with 1960s and '70s America. Perhaps he should return to that time frame for material.
If Stone can make another film as good as ""JFK,"" then he should stick to that era. Few are better at capturing that tumultuous time on celluloid.
Dan Marfield is a senior majoring in communication arts and history. He can be reached at ddmarfield@wisc.edu.
