The Directors/Sky Arts

I was so pleased that a further series of The Directors was being run by SKY.

I happened to see listed under SKY Documentaries a documentary on Don Siegel, most famous for the Dirty Harry films with Clint Eastwood.

In pushing the “Record all” button I saw there were further programmes on John Sturges (The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape), Sidney Lumet (Twelve Angry Men), George Stevens, John Frankenheimer, Robert Wise and Stanley Donen.

Though none of these are household names, nor top tier directors, each made significant films.

It’s the usual cast of critics Neil Norman, Derek Malcolm, Ian Nathan, Stephen Armstrong and Dr Bonnie Greer. The last of these is the weakest link with an over-assertive manner.

There are also gaps in the appreciation. With John Sturges they omitted the brilliant scores of Elmer Bernstein in the two films I cited above.

Last Thursday the series returned to SKY ARTS with very much a heavyweight director in Francis Ford Coppola.

Think Coppola, think two of the greatest films ever made: The Godfather Parts One and Two.

I discovered that Robert Evans, king of Paramount visualised The Godfather Part One as a low budget pot boiler after acquiring the rights to Mario Puzo’s best seller and chose a young unknown director in Coppola.

It reflects Coppola’s strength of mind when he insisted and achieved a more costlier 80-day shoot on location with Marlon Brando.

Furthermore he would not comply with more of the same in The Godfather Part Two, delving into the past of Vito Corleone and the future when youngest son Michael takes over the family.

However, once again the memorable sound track was not mentioned.