Directors who peaked early in their careers

[The Burgomaster]

The thread about Texas Chainsaw Massacre got me thinking about directors who peaked early in their careers, and then went on to have bad (or at least inconsistent) careers. For instance, Tobe Hooper did a great job with TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, but he has had an up and down career since then, with good movies like SALEM'S LOT and crap like THE FUNHOUSE and INVADERS FROM MARS. But TCM was by FAR his best movie.

Others who come to mind are:

* Wes Craven (LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and HILLS HAVE EYES were his masterpieces)

* John Carpenter

* Michael Cimino

Who are some other?

[freelancePatsy]

Wes Craven...has the man done anything decent since Nightmare on Elm Street?

[B-grade]

I might agree with Wes Craven but I disagree with Carpenter and Tobe Hoober.

Other than Escape form L.A. Each of Carpenters movies are fun, enjoyable, distinctive, and well crafted. Yes even Ghost of Mars.  Carpent films always have taste to them and are unduely panned.

As for Tobe Hooper I think Funhouse is also under appreciated and that TCM is over rated. (not bad but over rated)

[jmc]

This isn't a popular opinion, but I'll say George Romero.

[Dunners]

George hasn't been given the chances he deserves.

[andy80]

Steven Spieldberg

Compare Jaws to Jurassic Park(or worse, Jurassic Park 2)

[George]

For God's sake people.....we haven't even mentioned the most obvious one......................Orson Welles.   Anytime you go from Citizen Kane to wine commercials, you know the s**t has hit the fan.  The only other one that comes to mind for me might be Francis Ford Coppola.  The Godfather was pretty early in his career and then.......Wind..yikes.

[The Burgomaster]

jmc:

I agree about Romero. His best films were NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, DAWN OF THE DEAD, and MARTIN. I also like THE CRAZIES and DAY OF THE DEAD, but not as much as the first 3 movies I mentioned.

Other than that, Romero's movies have been pretty disappointing. SEASON OF THE WITCH (an early effort), THE DARK HALF, MONKEY SHINES, even parts of CREEPSHOW, are not nearly as good as NOTLD and the others listed above.

[raj]

I don't think Woody Allen has done anything good in a while.  His best (IMO)  were Sleeper and Love & Death.

[Jim H]

Albert Pyun.  His firts two movies are great.  He's had a couple other decent ones (Nemesis, Mean Guns) but a whole lot of crap.

[yaddo42]

The problem with Orson Welles was that he never got the control he needed for his films after the Welles/Herst fight over "Citizen Kane". Look at what the studios did to films films like "The Magnificent Ambersons" and "Face Of Evil". But he was always trying to round up more money to make his own films. That's why he made so many s**tty movies and commericals as an actor. He was trying to get funding to complete things like his version of "Don Quixote.

I'd suggestion actor Charles Laughton who made the classic "Night Of The Hunter". It was his only film because after the commercial failure and the bad reviews of the film when it was first released, he never made another. The appreciation of the movie as the great film that it is didn't occur until after his death. What a shame, I'd like to see what else he had in him.