The movie industry is susceptible to changes. The development in technologies increased the popularity of science fiction movies and the introduction of several new genres. Unlike other sectors, the mastermind behind movies does not change very often. Some directors have kept their consistency for more than three decades, yet they are not void of amazing videos that continue to earn recognition.
The new figures who have joined the movie industry have also had amazing impacts within a short space of time. A sizable number of them have been involved in some form of movie writing or worked as assistant directors. The 1990s marked a decade of real significance and elaborate entertainment.
Presenting the top ten most influential directors in the 1990s.
10. Chris Columbus
Chris started directing in the mid-eighties. He directed teen comedies despite a challenging start in the mid-eighties. He finally found his feet.
One of the teen comedies of Chris gained the attention of Steven Spielberg. Steven’s name has become a household name in the movie industry at that time. Chris started working for Spielberg. But he soon decided to change location. This change meant that he had to continue his teen comedies.
A call from John Hughes, a fellow actor, was what gave Chris a platform to showcase his intelligence. John Hughes offered Chris the opportunity to direct the movie Home Alone, which John Hughes had already written. At the time, there were few as good as Columbus in directing teen comedies. He took his chance, and it turned out to be just the needed showcase for his intelligence to the world.
The two series of Home Alone, directed by Chris, launched him into the movie industry’s forefront. All over the world, Home Alone is one of the most-watched teen comedies. The movie recorded huge financial success and transformed the career of Chris Columbus.
9. Spike Lee
Lee was a different kind of director. He extensively used his movies to narrate the various levels of discrimination in society. His documentaries of characters like Malcom X (1992) and the Four Little Girls documentary, which he used to narrate the story of the Alabama Baptist church bombing in 1963 and the girls that fell victim, appealed to a large audience. Together with some other documentaries he directed, many described these two movies as culturally relevant by the national film registry. Spike Lee’s movies also recorded huge commercial success in the 1990s. His influence extended to the 21st century with more entertaining and educative movies. Lee was one of the most influential directors of the 1990s.
8. Frank Darabont
Frank made his career debut with Dream Warriors (1987), The Blub (1988), and The Fly (1989). All his three movies were horror movies with little commercial success. Frank’s friendship with Stephen King had a profound impact on his career. The first King’s novel, directed by Frank, did not meet his expectations, but Frank persisted.
In 1994, Frank wrote and directed another of King’s novels, which became a tremendous success. Many regards The Shawshank Redemption (1994) as the greatest movie ever made. With a combination of his earlier experience and King’s masterpiece, The Shawshank Redemption was an enormous success. It became the most rented movie in 1995. Despite its fame, the movie did not produce the financial success that Frank would have expected. However, the movie made Frank Darabont a familiar name in the movie industry in the 1990s.
7. George Lucas
The 1990s was George Lucas’ third decade in the movie industry. Alongside other experienced directors, Lucas was part of the founding members of the new era of Hollywood. Despite only directing a few movies in the 90s, he made this list for his impact during that decade.
Star Wars are still the most famous work of George Lucas. The impact of the director was gravelly undercut by its little financial success. George Lucas was well over half a million dollars as of 1983. However, Lucas experienced a massive financial decline in 1987 when his divorce was finalized. Despite his earlier promise not to reintroduce the Star Wars, Lucas finally reintroduced it in 1997. This time, it proved a massive financial success. The movie returned George Lucas to the forefront of the movie industry and restated his relevance to the industry.
6. James Cameron
James Cameron became a significant personality in the movie industry. With top-of-the-shelf movies like Terminator (1984) and Aliens (1986), he announced himself to the industry and the world. Both movies reached huge financial status. James Cameron extended his influence on the 1990s with some highly rated movies. Titanic, which Cameron directed in 1997, was one of the best movies ever made. The movie was also his highest-grossing movie at the time. It also earned him several recognitions such as best director, best film editing, and so on.
With two of the three highest-grossing movies of all time directed by James Cameron, it is not exaggerative to conclude that he is the director with the Midas touch. James Cameron is also the only director to have had two of the five films in history to gross over two billion dollars. One of those movies was titanic, which was the third highest-grossing movie ever. James Cameron also directed Terminator 2 (1991) and True Lies in 1994. All of Cameron’s movies experienced huge financial success.
5. Jim Sheridan
Jim was, for so many reasons, one of the best directors of the 1990s. With about Seven movies directed between 1989 and 1997, Jim was a familiar figure. His debut movie My Left Foot (1989) earned him a lot of accolades and recognitions. In the Name of the Father (1993), he directed another movie, which provided the extra bit of quality to cement his place as one of the greatest names in the movie industry in the 1990s.
4. David Fincher
David Fincher began directing with music. After a huge disappointment, he would often consider resigning. Then he moved on by directing the video for Madonna’s Express Yourself (1989) and Vogue (1990). The two music videos won the MTV award for the best music video. David launched his debut with the third part of Alien, but it was a huge disappointment. He returned to directing a music video for Rolling stones’ Love is Strong. The video bagged a Grammy award for best direction. Fincher later directed The Game in 1995 and the immensely popular Fight Club in 1999. The Fight Club was a high financial success, and audiences still regard it as a cult classic that gained a lot of prominences. This gem cemented Fincher’s place as one of the best directors in the 1990s.
3. Steven Spielberg
Spielberg was one of the founding fathers of the new Hollywood era that started in the 1970s. Beyond being a founding father, Spielberg kept his relevance for more than four decades. Between 1984 and 1990, Spielberg either produced or directed nineteen feature films. In 1993, Spielberg directed Jurassic Park, a movie that quickly became the highest-grossing movie at the time. Spielberg also received three academy awards. The same year, Spielberg directed Schindler’s List, a highly rated movie by fans and the America Film Institute.
Spielberg won his second academy award for directing after he released the 1998 movie Saving Private Ryan. The film narrated the events of the war and earned him an award from the secretary of defense.
2. Martin Scorsese
Scorsese had a terrific movie for every decade. That was how he became the most nominated living director for Oscar’s award. The way he directed movies of different genres helped sustained his relevance all through the 20th century. In the 1990s, Scorsese reminded the movie industry of his quality by directing Goodfellas in 1990. Scorsese went on to produce other movies such as Casino (1995), Age of Innocence (1993), and Bringing out the Dead (1999).
Martin Scorsese’s flexibility to move with time and the latest innovations attributed to his incredible career.
1. Quentin Tarantino
There were no dull moments with Quentin Tarantino. Unlike the other guys who have mastered the industry, Tarantino entered the movie industry with his debut Reservoir Dogs in 1992. He followed it up with one of the greatest movies ever, Pulp Fiction, in 1994. The Pulp fiction announced Tarantino with several recognitions, including a nomination for best director. He was known for his violent action movie genre, for which he mostly directed his movie. Tarantino has won two Directors Guild of America Awards, sixteen Saturn awards, Academy awards for best screenplay for Pulp Fiction, and other recognitions. Tarantino has evolved to become the household name of the 1990s in the movie industry despite his recent introduction. Of all the directors on the list, Tarantino was the most influential director of the 1990s.
Conclusion
The 1900s was a unique decade for the movie industry. Unlike the previous years, the 1900s experienced fierce competition between the old guys and the debutants who are either just making waves or finding their feet.
However, the classy combination of the two sets of directors made the decade a fun-filled one for movie fans and lovers.
About the author
Author: Chris Ingledue
Contact: email
Bio: I am the founder and owner of Wheeljack’s Lab pop Culture and Toy Shop. My vision has always been to reunite customers with their favorite childhood toys and pop culture, triggering fond memories, and reigniting their imaginations. Every day, I work in the “lab” where it’s Christmas 365 days a year. I scour the internet, like when we had the Sears Catalog of yesteryear, for the next great treasure. Then, I await the arrival of the postman as if he were Santa Claus himself and helping collectors worldwide with their own versions of Christmas. Every day as a vintage toy buyer is an absolute joy!