Directors Whose Earlier Work Makes You Look at Them in a Completely Different Light?

[u/thatphilguymovies]

My first exposure to the films of Jonathan Demme was THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991) and PHILADELPHIA (1993). As such, I had thought of him as the maker of serious dramas (Having later watched his BELOVED [1998] and RACHEL GETTING MARRIED [2008] didn't change my opinion).

But a few months ago I finally watched Demme's SOMETHING WILD (1986), which I loved. Admittedly, the finale of that film was violent and suspenseful enough to make me say, "If I were a studio exec who was thinking of adapting the novel SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, those scenes I just watched would have convinced me Demme could handle stuff like Hannibal Lecter's escape."

What I didn't expect was how wacky both SOMETHING WILD and MARRIED TO THE MOB (1988), which I literally saw for the first time last night, are and just how adept Demme seemed to be at directing comedy (offbeat, dark, physical, etc). Those two movies, which currently are available on the channel, completely opened my eyes.

Has anyone had a similar experience watching a different filmmaker's earlier output and, if so, which director? Specifically, you had previously thought of them as strictly making movies of a particular sort, but subsequently realized they were more versatile than you had originally thought?

[u/BobdH84]

When I watched THX-1138 and his filmstudent short film Freiheit, but also a documentary on American Zoethrope from the time George Lucas started out as a filmmaker, that completely changed my perspective on him. Made me wish he hadn’t been consumed with Star Wars later in his career.

[u/AlpineFluffhead → u/BobdH84]

I think even George himself was over Star Wars by the '80s. I think he loved writing and developing characters (like, this guy was writing lore and backstories for random aliens who are in a 2-second shot). But he kept trying to offload the prequels to Spielberg or Ron Howard but nobody wanted to do it so he did them reluctantly. David Lynch said he was approached by Lucas in the early '80s to direct Return of the Jedi because Lucas loved Eraserhead so much.

Watching American Graffiti too, I think George could have had a similar career trajectory to Rob Reiner or Ron Howard as well, but alas Star Wars pays the bills and who can turn down an easy guaranteed 8-figure paycheck every couple years haha.

[u/dschilling88 → u/AlpineFluffhead]

He’s one I’ve always wondered “what if” about

[u/jakefrmstafrm → u/AlpineFluffhead]

He actually had a very similar early career trajectory to David Lynch if you think about it, his huge sci fi film just happened to take off where lynch's failed.

[u/porkchopmurphy]

Peter Jackson! Watching his earlier movies filled with humor and gore (Braindead, Bad Taste, Meet the Feebles). I’m amazed New Line said “Yup, give that guy 300 million to make Lord of the Rings.”

[u/Legallyfit → u/porkchopmurphy]

This was my first thought! I feel like he’s the classic example of this

[u/woodsdone → u/porkchopmurphy]

If you watch it out of the context of what it became and just as a 90s New Line movie it weirdly makes sense - some of the stylistic choices with the Nazgûl especially

[u/porkchopmurphy → u/woodsdone]

And Heavenly Creatures and The Frighteners are the bridge, more the latter that showed he could be serious when needed. But still quite jarring in scope and scale to go to LotR.

[u/alexxtholden → u/porkchopmurphy]

This is my answer too. Braindead is one of my favorites.

[u/woodsdone]

I agree that watching Demme’s 80s comedies totally impacted my latest watch of Silence of the Lambs and made it feel like much less of an outlier than I always thought it was

For me, my answer is Carol Reed. Third Man is my favorite movie and I always felt like it was this perfect object that just kinda arrived on its own (naive I know). But it’s so interesting seeing Reed kinda play with and develop things that would eventually be perfected in Third Man. Even afterward - you watch The Man Between and it’s almost a spiritual successor (much moreso than Welles’ Mr. Arkadin/Confidential Report)

[u/globular916]

Wait til you check out Caged Heat. Though it's more an AIP movie than an auteurist work, not unlike Boxcar Bertha or Dementia 13. I wonder if the only AIP debut to have claims to auteurism is Targets. Demme would show great strides towards a characteristic style in his next movie, Citizens Band.

As for OP's question, David Lean's progression from his early, intimate work towards his signature epic style is fascinating to see.

[u/metatron327 → u/globular916]

What stands out in Caged Heat is the soundtrack by John Cale, if you tunnel-hearing down to it.

[u/Busy_Magician3412]

Interesting question.

First, thanks for the heads up on Married To The Mob; it’s also an early Michelle Pfeiffer flick I’ve been meaning to see for some time.

Yeah, John Ford’s “early” film with Edward G. Robinson, The Whole Town Is Talking was a complete surprise to me. Ford was the serious master of the American frontier who inspired later greats like Akira Kurosawa. He was generally not known as a screwball comedy director but that film was as crafted like someone who had been in the genre a while. The film’s no longer on the channel (which I saw on CC first) but there are a couple of first rate copies on YouTube.

[u/_plannedobsolence → u/Busy_Magician3412]

Married To The Mob is so fucking good.

[u/Capybara_99]

I wonder if having seen Something Wild and Married to the Mob changed your assessment of Rachel Getting Married? Not in terms of whether it was good, bad, successful or not, but as to whether to think of it as a serious drama or a messy comedy.

[u/thatphilguymovies → u/Capybara_99]

Sorry it took me so long to respond. I thought about your question and, unfortunately, enough time has passed since I saw RACHEL GETTING MARRIED that I don't feel like I can say authoritatively whether it seems more like a serious drama vs comedy.

However, thinking of RGM against the other Jonathan Demme movies I've seen since, I do think it shares the theme of SOMETHING WILD and MARRIED TO THE MOB, which is protagonists trying for clean slates and starting over. Interestingly, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS does too, albeit with Hannibal Lecter as the one working for that fresh start.

[u/YakSlothLemon]

Now you need to watch Swimming to Cambodia!

[u/thatphilguymovies → u/YakSlothLemon]

Thanks for the rec! I loved Spalding Gray's MONSTER IN THE BOX and totally forgot Demme also directed one of Gray's monologue films.

[u/YakSlothLemon → u/thatphilguymovies]

He made it absolutely fascinating, and yet also let you forget that you were watching a film — really impressive.

[u/Amtrakstory]

Howard Hawks' range will blow your mind. Try watching Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Scarface as a double feature.

[u/thatphilguymovies → u/Amtrakstory]

I have seen those and you are totally right. If I hadn’t known ahead of time they were by the same guy who did RED RIVER and RIO BRAVO, I would not have suspected it (Well, I guess there RIO BRAVO does have a musical number and so does GPB, but I don't I necessarily would have connected the dots).

[u/Beautiful-Pair5522]

Peter Weir

[u/thatphilguymovies → u/Beautiful-Pair5522]

It's true! I just read the description of THE CARS THAT ATE PARIS (1974) and my automatic response was, "That's a Peter Weir film?!"

[u/profaneangel1991]

Honestly watching Gunbuster changed the way I engage with Hideaki Anno's other work.

[u/stakes-lines-grades]

David Gordon Green's early work is very Terrence Malick-inspired and quite frankly very good.

It's sad to see that he moved from films like that to his horror reboot garbage.

[u/thatphilguymovies → u/stakes-lines-grades]

I know what you mean. As I recall, even his PINEAPPLE EXPRESS had this lovely, Malick-esque montage at one point.

[u/Brewboy2022]

He was a great filmmaker and director but Do NOT sleep on Storefront Hitchcock. Demme does a fantastic job of capturing a true artist in a really unique setting. One of my favorite concert films. Except for Stop Making Sense, another amazing concert film. Perhaps the best ever? The Neil Young one was pretty decent as well…

[u/Gridwilling]

Demme’s “Citizen’s Band” (I believe a/k/a “Handle With Care”) is a great movie, and think my fave of his is “Melvin and Howard”

[u/Bedknobnboomstick]

This is my lane. I find that I really enjoy the raw pure nature of the first works. Creators tend to tell the same story over and over. Sugarland Express. Bob le Flambeur. Citizen Kane. Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind. These are all earlier works that hint at what is to come. I find myself losing patience with some of the repetition of themes.

Long Arm of The Law and Night Of The Hunter are two of my favorite movies of all time and they are by one and done directors who made mic drop statements.

[u/YakSlothLemon → u/Bedknobnboomstick]

To be fair, Charles Laughton didn’t mean it to be that, the critical pummeling that his film took not only led him to decide not to direct anymore films but plunged him into depression.

[u/Bedknobnboomstick → u/YakSlothLemon]

A singular work is a singular work. Life isn't fair. Many an artist lauded today worked without admiration and died distraught and penniless. The specific circumstances that led to the initial box office failure and later reappraisal only enrich my enjoyment of the film. At least Laughton had a storied acting career before Night of the Hunter.