There are a few, but I have to look for them to be able to link them ... 

Luis Bunuel -- There was a special done that also included a close friend of his who was a Dominican Friar ... and he said that he felt that Luis was never being mean about your faith ... he merely questioned your dedication to that faith, which of course in his movies ... is always backwards! A fantastic thing, and a lot of really good comments on many of his films.

Werner Herzog -- There are a couple, although the better known bits are the special that was done about Klaus Kinski and Werner Herzog. 

Francois Truffaut -- I've seen a couple of them, but one was in Film Class in Santa Barbara 40 years ago, and I do not know which one it is. He talks about Hitchcock and a lot of American films that inspired him.

Jean-Luc Godard -- I think there are a couple and at least one that should be called Godard on Godard, which I would think is an extension of his book, and his comments on various things he did on many films ... he is difficult to understand, because one can never put together how he can put music in the wrong place all the time on purpose, and then use the camera to go see something else when the action ... wait a minute ... it was right here in front of us ... why is the camera going somewhere else? I always thought that he was showing us how mechanically we "accept" too much in film that supposedly makes sense (kisses are a major topic with shot/cross-shot), when it reality it is totally off key and stupid!

Federico Fellini -- There is a film special on him, that even has Donald Sutherland stating that Fellini is almost impossible to work with ... and I think that he was expecting a script (Casanova I think it was) that was more linear and instead the whole thing appeared to him as a mess, and he had a hard time finding the proper feelings for many of the scenes. I don't think DS realized how much FF could film "live" as an improvised moment ... 

Akira Kurosawa -- I have to find a listing, but there should be a lot of them.

Alfred Hitchcock -- Probably has more books and specials about him than anyone else.

Sam Peckinpah -- I believe I have seen one of these, but it maybe some of the same stuff that was written about him and some of the films.

Alejandro Jodorowsky -- There is a very nice one on either Hulu or Amazon Prime that is spectacular and explains a lot of his work. However, towards the end it goes completely away from film and his art into his psychic workshops ... which I don't mind, but may negate the stuff he did on film, which was a MASSIVE extension of his improvisational start in theater, which was excellent, and even got a group of his closed down in Mexico, probably because it may have had some nudity and involved ... you know ... a bit more than might have been acceptable for a "show".

A couple of suggestions ... if you don't mind ... 

See the film VISIONS OF LIGHT because it is about cinematographers, but in the end, it is also about directorial choices ... amazing way to look at a lot of directors to realize what made them famous. Ex: Storaro saying that Bertolucci wanted it all in blue in this film, and the next film in pink, and the next film ... another color, and you have never seen, or noticed the difference in any of the films!

Finally, one of the best and most improvisation of folks ... a MUST SEE FILM ... if information and how many of these directors work, you need to catch THE TIGHTROPE, which is just a rehearsal with Peter Brook, one of the best and most incredible directors that more than defined "improvisation" in theater and then even brought it to film. And make sure you stick around to the end, so you can hear the actors/actresses comments on his directing and explanations of the exercise! 

PS: Some I would like to see, but have not checked ... Zhang Yimou, by himself re-started the Chinese Film Industry, and one of his best friends was cinematographer Christopher Doyle, who went on to become really big and famous for his hand held camera work in Wong Kar Wai films and then by himself and a couple more with Zhang ... check out the filming in THE HERO ... and it kinda goes back all the way to one of Zhang's first films (The Red Lantern one), and then now (so to speak ... ) still beautiful design and work and the camera is just magic ... pure magic!

I like some of his movies, but he's one of the most interesting directors ever...

It's not on YouTube anymore, but they had the full 11-hour interviews. It's great - I saw it all in two days.

Yes, it's great, and of course my favorite. I think he summarizes Sam very well. Accurate, no filler.

I'd HIGHLY recommend getting the Sam Peckinpah "Interviews" Book.

Hi,

I thought of him and Vittorio de Sica ... and then one of the most polarizing of directors, Pier Paolo Pasolini, for where there are, also, a couple of specials around. I think that too many "critics' turned his films into invisible politics ... I find his experiments with non-actors really great, and in my case, when directing, I've done far better with newer actors, than experienced actors/actresses.

I was thinking that Jean Renoir, and Louis Malle should also have some specials made ... there was a film somewhere about Jean Renoir's father, and how the younger Jean did not care for his paintings and all that ... for which he was kinda cast out and not taken seriously ... and then he becomes a major film maker! Probably better known than his father painter!

Here's a good on Pasolini.. Besides his first two movies, I also recommend the documentary "Meetings" (similar to Louis Malle's "Place de la Republique" - going around asking provocative questions)'

I'll post the link down for you and anyone else interesting... Maybe someday someone will make a documentary on De Sica.. He was an acting star, and THEN became a director.

Hi,

Quite a nice show and really well thought out and given the proper appreciation that it deserved. One other person that also deserves this is probably Lawrence Olivier, although as a director, it was more on the stage for his own presentations, and there probably is NOT a single person on the planet that has more credits on stage than he did, and then film. Together, it's like this guy never took a day off, and was studying lines 24/7 for the next role! Or prepare for his next Shakespeare, which always had the critics and intellects all shook up!

Also saw the special on David Lean, a bit long, but there are some really good "directing" lessons about film and theater, that most folks will never realize or understanding, and even musicians could learn from ... his description of the visuals he wrote down are amazing ... and he got the shots done right, for the most part! His ability for this, was partly realized because he had been an editor of film, and learned how to cut and paste film until such a time, when he began writing scripts that he knew what he wanted and how to get it done with the cuts ... most people, almost no one, will EVER film with cuts in mind ... they just cut left and right afterwards. And, likely, it makes a huge difference.

However, this cutting left and right would be a serious issue and problem when it comes to a director like Terry Gilliam ... very difficult, since you do not know if he wrote "all of it", or a large amount of it just happened in front of the camera and he kept it ... these bits of improvisation is, very often the best definition of any actor on film ... they can continue on a dime! And the best directors will NEVER miss those moments, because they are precious!

Thx for posting the Pasolini link ... I'll catch that one again ... I barely remember it.

Some interesting comments about the Italian History in Pasolini's special ... like he says that Italy is a result of the conflicting natures and if you look at their film history, it makes sense and then some ... and then the Church in Rome trying hard to condemn many films and ensure that many were censored, I think eventually hurt them a lot more than it helped ... the respect for the ideology was false in the first place, and it was all more about preventing "free will" than it was anything else ... it was a group of folks trying hard to control everyone and get all kinds of money for the buildings they made as a symbol to what could be considered an invisible, and false power.

Strange stuff, and it would be easy to get words confused and turned around, but in general, I don't study "politics" so seeing some films that supposedly support this and that ... is a bit scary ... since that would be like a propaganda machine telling the public what is right and wrong. And all it is doing is getting us all more confused, I imagine.

Interesting you say that. Fellini said that the minute the church condemned a movie, it was sure to make a ton of money.. Curiosity.

Hi,

And worse, or better, depending on how you look at it ... it jump started the porno business with the selling of tape ... so I guess the church is good for something ... telling us that some porn is still badly done, and sells ... !!!! Like the church wish it did!

The other comment is about the Antonioni film, which shows how sensitive he was about the political nature of the time ... Vittorio de Sica would know about that for sure ... 

Do people in Italy know about him? If you were to ask the average Italian who their favorite director is, what are some names they would select?

S is for Stanley Kubrick

British documentary on Robert Altman