Spielberg v. George Lucas: Who's the Better Director (all works included)

Best Director: Spielberg vs. Lucas

  • Steven Spielberg

    Votes: 14 56.0%
  • George Lucas

    Votes: 3 12.0%
  • I plead the fifth!

    Votes: 8 32.0%

  • Total voters
    25
Spielberg has many notable works, inlcluding but not limited to: E.T., Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and War of the Worlds. The other director in our heavy weight championship bout, is George Lucas, the director of one of the best series of films ever produced by anyone, anywhere, past present or future. Although Lucas is great, he cannot compare to Spielberg's masterpieces!!!!!!!!!!

What do you all think(y)????????
 
Both Spielberg & Lucas have been involved with some projects that have become ingrained in our pop culture but when viewing all of their works as a whole then I have go give the vote to Spielberg.
 
I think I can see a slight lead for one of the protagonists in this survey !!!

Mind you - only 3 votes so far.... early days?
 
I think Spielberg is better because he has produce a lot of memorable films during his career. On the other hand, due to the fact that director George Lucas have give as one of the greatest film franchises of all time ( Star Wars) he was not able to produce other films because he refused to become a member of the America's Association of Directors. He is only limited to directing films that he produced.
 
Speilberg has directed a lot more films than Lucas, both good and bad. Through making so many more films actually understands film language and how to balances visuals with performance.

Lucas' strengths are those of a ex producer and the original ideas man. His skills as a director and as a writer are practically zero.

His best films as director or producer (the first two Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Arc and THX) were all forged through great production problems and close calibration with very talented people, Walther Murch, Laurance Kasdan, Speilberg...

The Star Wars prequels high-light once and for all, his handling of actors performances and use of camera is very limited and at its worse amateurish.

This is maybe why he asked British Playwrite David Hare to write and director the prequels.
 
Well they both have been involved and shapped many films through the decade. But if we are judging just by directing Spielberg has a lot more picture's under his notch than George. So it's kinda unbalanced and a little offputting to judge.


Both are good friends , great artists and master-filmakers.




THE END



 
Lucas best film I terms of "direction" is THX- his most sophisticated and adult approach to film making. But that like Star Wars seems to be a blip in his career.

Lucas does and never has known when his work is any good. 90% of the things we like as fans of his films he hates. The difference is the things we like about Speilberg's films he has designed us to like!!!!

Lucas is the man who believes Empire is the worst Star Wars Film and that the Prequels deal with complex interpersonal drama. His film making took a nose dive in quality after Empire and during Temple of Doom as his wife was leaving him. She'd been a vast creative force in his life... Return of the Jedi was last film they did together and the strain shows. Since then his work as a director and producer as steadily gone down hill.

The argument that Lucas has directed less films doesn't stand up since he has controlled a lot of the films he "produced".

Bottom line- Speilberg success are down to considered skill- Lucas' are more accidental. The saddest thing as a director he seems to regress with ever film he does, rather than hone and craft his art.
 
I wanted to say both Spielberg and Lucas......but since picking both wasn't an option, I went with answer three....I plead the fifth. :eek::eek:
 
Well, after the new Indiana Jones, I can say they can both go to hell...

I love them, dont get me wrong, but whatever happened to good 'ol planning the script, hard work, and actually making sense? The 70's and 80's seemed to know their ****, compared to this CGI felgercarb.
 
Well, after the new Indiana Jones, I can say they can both go to hell...

I love them, dont get me wrong, but whatever happened to good 'ol planning the script, hard work, and actually making sense? The 70's and 80's seemed to know their ****, compared to this CGI felgercarb.

Thing is the films Lucas is making now- which lets be honest are felgercarb, are exactly how he' always wanted to make films. Attack of the Clones with all the felgercarb CGI, bad editing, felgercarb performances is how he always saw Star Wars. The Star Wars we know and love was good because of the limitations he had at the time. Given free reign and unlimited effects Lucas has shown exactly the kind of director he really is- a bad one.

Look at THX probably his most intelligent movie in terms of directing actors and the camera... he releases a special edition filled with horrible CGI that doesn't fit the style of film making in any way shape or form. The man has a blind spot to his own lack of talent. And this isn't fun to say as Raiders of the Lost Ark and Empire are two of my favourite films of all time.

The new Indy film just showed what a hack he has become and the making of material shows he had to drag Speilberg kicking and screaming into making the film- which ended up as a badly scripted, logic free CGI felgercarb-fest, which SS obviously really didn't want to be making.

Film industry has a lot to thank Lucas for, but he really should have retired after ROTJ- that way his legacy would have been a good one- mainly as a producer granted.
 
Film industry has a lot to thank Lucas for, but he really should have retired after ROTJ- that way his legacy would have been a good one- mainly as a producer granted.

So true. I like to call that the "Kurt Cobain" theory (as in, if he would've lived, he could have ruined himself).

A thought just popped in my head and made me depressed to realize that Jim Hansen was basically God in ANH, ESB, and ROTJ and he's gone :(
 
So true. I like to call that the "Kurt Cobain" theory (as in, if he would've lived, he could have ruined himself).(

The Lucas films that work; Star Wars, Empire, Jedi, Raiders Crusade, bits of Doom are some of my favourite films- so its no fun coming to the conclusion he's a bad producer/director but one that has to be faced.

The films that don't- ones he actually directed- are some of the worst and most over blown film this side of the felgercarb that is Die Another Day...

Blank mindless fan worship based on past greatness- devalues those wonderful previous films! We liked Star Wars, Indy because they were kick *** films- not because George Lucas or Spielberg made them.

I'd got to see another Spielberg film- because he directed it- it would take a lot for me to go to another Lucas film...
 
The Lucas films that work; Star Wars, Empire, Jedi, Raiders Crusade, bits of Doom are some of my favourite films- so its no fun coming to the conclusion he's a bad producer/director but one that has to be faced.

The films that don't- ones he actually directed- are some of the worst and most over blown film this side of the felgercarb that is Die Another Day...

Blank mindless fan worship based on past greatness- devalues those wonderful previous films! We liked Star Wars, Indy because they were kick *** films- not because George Lucas or Spielberg made them.

I'd got to see another Spielberg film- because he directed it- it would take a lot for me to go to another Lucas film...


Yes, I do agree that Star Wars and Indy were and are possibly the best films ever made. I also think that the characters and what he had to work with also helped make it an excellent trilogy (both SW and Indy).

And yes, there are fanatics out there (I am one of them) that think that whatever Lucas touches is a Midas touch (I am not one of those). Like, for example, the animation Clone Wars-----terrible movie, IMO.

I would have to see another Spielberg film (because titles like Catch Me if You Can, Jaws, E.T., The Color Purple, Hook, Jurassic Park, etc...) and not to mention the ones he produced (An American Tail, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Gremlins, Arachnopobia, etc...). His resume is probably the greatest in all time. Lucas, on the other hand, has 3 movies that has saved his *** over and over, not to mention the "team-up" with Spielberg.

But I still wish things were done as patiently and thoroughly like in the 70's and 80's (haha, I wasnt even really around much for the 80's). I feel that with hard work, patience, and correct thinking, CGI could be a wonderful and HUGE asset.
 
Adding fuel to the fire...

If you watch the 'extra's on the Indy IV DVD, it is revealed that it is Lucas who insisted upon the whole aliens theme. It sounded like Spielberg eventually just gave in after initially saying that he did not want to do yet another aliens movie.

I still want to know which one of them decided that the first scene with Mutt should have him doing a pretty laughable impersonation of Brando (with the motorcycle outfit cap).
 
lmao. That whole movie was a joke. My only question is this: How could the producers and editors view this whole movie before the launch and then not do anything about it?

Nazi Germany.
 
lmao. That whole movie was a joke. My only question is this: How could the producers and editors view this whole movie before the launch and then not do anything about it?
Simple... nobody would openly tell Lucas or Spielberg that the movie sucked. It'd be like correcting your boss in front of the company... sure, you could do it, but don't expect to be working there much longer afterwards. And, based upon the company, you may end up not even working in the industry again.
 
lmao. That whole movie was a joke. My only question is this: How could the producers and editors view this whole movie before the launch and then not do anything about it?

Nazi Germany.

Because the producers and editors and friends and long terms slaves of both... but I agree how could anyone put it next to Raiders and think it even belonged to the same series!
 
Back
Top