Two Cinema Giants Name Same Film as Greatest Ever Made
When directors from opposite ends of the filmmaking spectrum agree on one movie's supremacy, it says something profound about cinematic excellence and universal storytelling power.
Taste in movies varies wildly. What thrills one viewer might bore another to tears. But when two completely different filmmaking legends point to the same picture as cinema's peak achievement, that agreement carries weight.
James Cameron and the Coen Brothers couldn't be more different as directors. Cameron builds massive spectacles that push technology forward. Think Avatar, a movie he pitched before the tech existed to make it. His films demand huge budgets and deliver serious drama without much room for laughs.
Opposite Styles, Same Choice
The Coens work differently. They craft dark comedies with twisted humor. Fargo became the blueprint for every sarcastic, off-kilter script that followed. Even their serious work like Inside Llewyn Davis keeps comedy threads running through it.
These wildly different artists both worship the same 1939 classic: The Wizard of Oz.
Cameron's Lifelong Connection
"My favourite film is The Wizard Of Oz," Cameron stated. "It's been with me my whole life, from first viewing on a black-and-white TV as a kid in the early '60s to my periodic family screenings of it to this day. It's still as magical now as it ever was."
The movie launched Judy Garland's career and revolutionized cinema with bold Technicolor. But its staying power goes beyond technical innovation.
The Coens' Ultimate Influence
Joel Coen admitted the film shapes everything they create. "All we've been doing for the last 25 years is remaking The Wizard of Oz," he said. "It's true. Sometimes consciously, and sometimes we don't realise until after we've made the movie."
They weren't subtle about it in O Brother, Where Art Thou? "Consciously in O Brother, Where Art Thou? Oz is the only film we just rip off left and right," Coen acknowledged.
When directors this different agree on greatness, subjectivity takes a back seat. The movie simply works across every possible taste and style. No film survives decades of scrutiny from cinema's best minds without earning that respect.