Best Directorial Debuts

[childeroland]

A list of some of cinema's best directorial debuts, IMHO. Please add your own suggestions. ;)

[kristie911]

I had to go with American History X...the rest are excellent but that's my favorite movie. Edward Norton was brillant. Who cares about the directing? :D

[kuwisdelu]

I had to go with American History X...the rest are excellent but that's my favorite movie. Edward Norton was brillant. Who cares about the directing? :D

I'd have to agree with this. Edward Norton is brilliant. I don't know how the directing would have been without him, but the movie sure ended up being good.

[Celia Cyanide]

According to Tony Kaye, Edward Norton recut American History X without the director's permission, and Tony Kaye wanted his name removed from the film. If he removed his name, the Director's Guild would not allow him to talk about why he removed it. I've seen the director's cut, and I thought it made a lot more sense. The relationship between him and the guy he worked with in prison was developed more.

[robeiae]

Other: Ridley Scott's The Duelists.

[nevada]

You will scoff but Ben Afleck, Gone Baby Gone. Probably not the best first-time movie but one of the much better ones. He definitely should concentrate on directing. Although I like him as an actor, he picks not good movies to act in. Except for Hollywood Land.

American Beauty is right near the top. I detest Tarantino so don't even mention him. lol

[orderandlaw]

Other:

Sidney Lumet - Twelve Angry Men
Fernando Meirelles - City Of God
Spike Jonze - Being John Malkovich
Kevin Smith - Clerks (perhaps less for direction and more about the mix of writing/directing)
Robert Rodriguez - El Mariachi
M. Night Shyamalan - The Sixth Sense
Mel Brooks - The Producers (again possibly the writing/directing combined)

And since I saw it yesterday and was quite impressed, honorable mention for Ben Affleck and Gone Baby Gone.

[ASRafferty]

Mike Nichols... debut was "Virginia Woolf," followed the next year by "The Graduate."

Apparently he got the hang of it right off. :)

[Celia Cyanide]

Other:
Fernando Meirelles - City Of God
M. Night Shyamalan - The Sixth Sense

That was M. Night's third film. And I think the director of City Of God had done a few, too, but I don't know what they are.

[Bmwhtly]

From that list, I'd vote either Sam Raimi or Sam Mendes.

But Neil Marshall also deserves mention.

[Shadow_Ferret]

I'd go with either John Huston or Orson Welles. Welles because Citizen Cain is simply considered a cinematic classic (even though it seems rather dated today). John Huston because I just love the Maltese Falcon. Everything else on that list I can live without.

[ChunkyC]

I picked Welles' Citizen Kane, but Huston's Maltese Falcon was a close second. Both are brilliant films.

And I'm not really a Tarantino fan either.

[nevada]

How could i forget? It's only my most favourite movie of all time. Stephen Frears for My Beautiful Laundrette.