10 Directors Who Didn't Understand Their Own Movies

6. Tony Kaye - American History X

American History X is one of the most memorable films of the late-1990s, a devastating drama following a former neo-Nazi, Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton), as he tries to prevent his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong) from being swallowed up by the same hatred that sent him to prison.

Norton was nominated for an Oscar for his performance, and on the face of it the film is beautifully directed by Tony Kaye, yet the end product is the result of an intensely acrimonious post-production period involving Kaye, Norton and New Line Cinema.

Kaye's original vision for the film was a much more cynical examination of Derek's rehabilitation, ending with Derek returning to his racist ways after Danny is killed in the film's climax.

But New Line objected to Kaye's early cuts of the film, and ultimately allowed Norton to create his own cut which was far more enthusiastically received.

Norton's version, which ends with Danny's death and doesn't have Derek return to his former life, was fiercely protested by Kaye, who attempted to have his name removed from the credits and replaced with "Humpty Dumpty." Furthermore, he openly trashed the film in interviews and even took out an ad decrying the final cut.

But this remains a rare example of studio intervention actually benefiting a movie, and Kaye's obstinate commitment to his more nihilistic, hopeless ending shows just how little he really understood Derek's arc throughout the film.

Given the critical and awards success of American History X, not to mention its cult fandom over 20 years later, it's obvious that Kaye was wrong about his own protagonist.