Directorial debuts that were instant classics

When talking famous debuts, in many ways the conversation starts and ends with Orson Welles and “Citizen Kane.” Welles was still in his twenties and new to Hollywood. He immediately churned out a film that is still considered the best of all-time, even if it didn’t win Best Picture (Blame William Randolph Hearst?). Welles’ movie career wasn’t quite what was hoped or expected, but “Citizen Kane” remains a legendary work of art and an incredible debut.

What was it about 1941 and iconic filmmakers making debuts? Somehow, John Huston’s “The Maltese Falcon” ended up overshadowed by “Citizen Kane.” However, it’s also a classic. Many feel it is the best film noir ever made, and it helped make Humphrey Bogart a bigger star as well.

Quentin Tarantino has spawned many imitators, which is perhaps fitting given how much he is indebted to the filmmakers he grew up on. While “Pulp Fiction” is when Tarantino’s profile exploded, nobody overlooks “Reservoir Dogs.” It’s a smaller film, but it also changed the way we think of the song “Stuck in the Middle with You.”

If you want to talk young, promising filmmakers, John Singleton was right there with Welles. Thanks to “Boyz n the Hood,” Singleton earned a Best Director nomination from the Oscars at the age of 24. His career never quite lived up to that, but he continued to work until he, unfortunately, passed away in 2019 at the age of 51.

With basically no budget, George Romero changed pop culture. “Night of the Living Dead” effectively introduced the concept of the zombie into our world. Sure, in that film they don’t call them zombies, but in Romero’s sequels, they became the zombies that we know and love. The film holds up as a horror classic, though the fact it fell into public domain super early definitely helped on that front.

Spike Jonze made his proverbial bones in the world of skate videos and music videos. Did you dig the videos for “Buddy Holly” by Weezer and “Sabotage” by Beastie Boys? Thank Jonze for that. Also, thank Jonze (and Charlie Kaufman) for the mind-trip of “Being John Malkovich.”

Greta Gerwig started to make a splash in film by starring and co-writing movies like “Frances Ha” with Noah Baumbach. Then, she got behind the camera with “Lady Bird” and showed she too can direct. There is a degree of autobiography to “Lady Bird,” which is a coming-of-age story set in Sacramento, but it really wowed people and paved the way for greater success with “Little Women.”

Jordan Peele made his name with the sketch comedy show “Key & Peele.” To go from there to getting a Best Picture nomination for your first film? Not many Comedy Central alumni have done that. Peele set aside the comedy for horror and allegory, and it helped establish the former comedy star as a force in sociological horror.

The Coen Brothers have said they aren’t big fans of their first film “Blood Simple.” Hey, they’ve had plenty of success since then, including winning Best Picture with “No Country For Old Men.” Personally, we think “Blood Simple” is quite a good movie, especially for a debut. It’s a gripping noir with strong acting performances from M. Emmett Walsh and a young Frances McDormand.

Neill Blomkamp, a filmmaker from South Africa, seemed to come out of nowhere with his science fiction hit “District 9.” It was really an underdog story, as it starred no notable actors and made $210 million off a $30 million budget. It also earned four Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture. However, Blomkamp has kind of fallen by the wayside since “District 9.” After all, his last movie was “Chappie.”

Cameron Crowe had already had some success in showbiz, including writing “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” Eventually, he got a chance to direct, and he really showed his stuff with “Say Anything…” If nothing else, he gave us the indelible image of John Cusack standing with a boom box over his head. The movie is much more than just one scene, though.

Mike Nichols was a very successful director (and also performer alongside Elaine May), but he really came out of the gate with two top-notch films. For his second movie, “The Graduate,” he won Best Director. Even before that, though, he got a nomination for “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.” He was only in his thirties at the time, making his handling of that material even more impressive.

The whole idea of the mockumentary is tied to Christopher Guest, who is one of the stars of “This Is Spinal Tap.” However, while Guest would go on to direct several successful films, he did not direct this one. Instead, this beloved comedy staple was directed by Rob Reiner. He didn’t do mockumentary again, but he did a good job with it here.

Barry Levinson had been a screenwriter for years before he finally got a chance to direct. His writing skills were very much still on display in “Diner.” The movie is all about dialogue and conversation. So much of it is just a bunch of guys hanging out and discussing their lives. Unsurprisingly, the screenwriter-turned-director got a Best Original Screenplay nomination for “Diner.” He would eventually win a Best Director Oscar for “Rain Man.”

Jean-Luc Godard is one of France’s seminal directors, and he was at the forefront of the French New Wave. In fact, his debut film, “Breathless,” is still considered a staple of that movement. In fact, many consider it the best French film ever, and it heavily influenced American films of the ‘60s like “Bonnie and Clyde.”

OK, so “Duel” began life as a TV movie, but it was re-cut and turned into a feature film. That is enough to get it on this list. Ah, but who is it on the list for? Why none other than Steven Spielberg. He manages to take a scant budget and churn out an effective, exciting thriller. No wonder he made lemonade out of lemons while shooting “Jaws.”

“Bottle Rocket” was originally a short film shot by Wes Anderson, but he was able to use that to get together the cash to make it a full-length film. James Caan was a fan of the short, which helped get “Bottle Rocket” made (he has a role in the movie as well). Anderson worked with his college buddies Luke and Owen Wilson, and they turned out a really fun and fresh crime caper that showed where Anderson’s career was going to go.

Let’s not forget about comedy! “Anchorman” is one of the classic comedies of the 2000s, even if Adam McKay has since moved on to more serious fare like “The Big Short” and “Vice.” We’ll always have the loose, laugh-a-second fun of “Anchorman.” Will Ferrell and McKay were tied together at the time, and the two worked together fantastically. The same goes for McKay and Steve Carell, who has come along with the director for his Oscar-nominated movies.

Rian Johnson scored a rare original hit of recent vintage with “Knives Out,” a fantastic crime mystery. Well, he also started his directing career with a clever twist on a crime story. “Brick” is a neo-noir, but the take on it is that it takes place in a high school. It’s a genuinely excellent film, anchored by an early lead role for Joseph Gordon-Levitt. If you liked “Knives Out,” definitely check out “Brick.”

James L. Brooks wasn’t exactly an unknown name when he made his feature directing debut. The man had already created “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” after all. Oh, also he wrote two episodes of “My Mother the Car.” Still, if we are talking classic film debuts, we have to include Brooks. His first movie, “Terms of Endearment,” won Brooks Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. Not too shabby.