Incited by yet another viewing of
Shutter Island this weekend, I began to think about how
Leonardo DiCaprio has well and truly become director
Martin Scorseses current muse. Actor/director collaborations have been a constant feature in the film industry, right back to filmmakers such as
Howard Hawks and their relationships with stars like
Cary Grant in the 1930s/40s. The films produced by a director and their muse are credited to the strong creative bond between two talents and this generally transfers extremely effectively on to the screen, and the best of these partnerships are usually when a director finds an actor to play a heightened, 'film star' version of himself on screen, his vessel into portraying the character birthed in a director's mind and based somewhat on himself. Consider for example,
Christopher Nolan's use of Leonardo DiCaprio in
Inception. For audiences, the familiarity of a director/actor partnership can be as much of a call to cinema seats as the lure of another re-teaming of frequent co-stars or a sequel further exploiting the adventures of a favourite character. Below are the 10 greatest directors and muses, in my mind at least. Read on to discover them!
10. ALFRED HITCHCOCK & TIPPI HEDREN
Things changed for
Tippi Hedren a fashion model who had only been an uncredited extra when
Alfred Hitchcock spotted her on a television advertisement and decided he wanted to make her a star! Eagerly schmoozing the actress he placed her under a personal contract and cast her in his follow-up to Psycho,
The Birds (1963): another but far more commercial minded psychological horror/thriller. Soon finding herself under a gruelling schedule and suffering from what some may call a reign of terror from the obsessive director, Hedren found shooting The Birds a physical and emotional strain. It did, however, turn her into a star! Re-teaming with Hitchcock for
Marnie (1964) in an attempt to re-create the appealing on-screen image of an ice cold blonde thats really very vulnerable inside the actress had an even more challenging time with Hitch on set. Persistently having to reject unwanted advances from a possessive and amorous Hitchcock (although many biographers have insisted that the director would not have followed this through with sexual advances, or in fact would have been able to), the professional relationship was severed by the end of production.
Both were bitter by the end of Marnie: Hitchcock feeling Hedren was ungrateful for him propelling her to stardom and the actress exasperated by the directors domineering behaviour towards her. Despite the breakdown of their personal relationship, two exceptional films were created that really do demonstrate the close professional bond the two had. Of course, Hitchcock had a number of female muses, including
Grace Kelly (whom the director lost when she married Prince Rainier of Monaco and retired from the screen) and
Vera Miles (who fell pregnant in the late 50s and was absent from the screen for a while, much to the irritation of Hitch). However, Hedren is probably the actress that Hitchcock spent the most time nurturing and developing into a movie star.
09. WERNER HERZOG & KLAUS KINSKI
One of the most controversial love/hate relationships in the history of film,
Werner Herzog and
Klaus Kinski have made some delectable classics, but the journey of bringing these to the screen was often a rocky one. Working together on five feature films, Herzog channelled Kinskis real life unhinged personality into some truly terrifying and realistic performances of madness. The friendship forged between actor and director had its tender moments for both Herzog and Kinski, with a bond that brought them together to make films that had a real impact on audiences. Kinskis performance as
Fitzcarraldo in the eponymously titled 1982 film screams of a real obsessive insanity and this jars perfectly with Herzogs lyrical direction and cinematography of the South American rainforest. Whilst both brought the best out of each other, they also conjured up the worst. In fact, Kinski was so notoriously difficult to work with that Herzog plotted to kill him whilst shooting their first collaboration,
Aguirre, Wrath of God (1972) However, the actor is also noted to have been plotting the same fate for his director! The sheer lunacy of Herzog and Kinskis bizarre but brilliant relationship is chronicled in the formers
My Best Fiend (1999): an attempt by the director to make sense of what has to be one of the most infamously insane partnerships in cinema. Whilst the film can perhaps not be entirely trusted, it certainly sheds a new light on the creative bond that helped shape some of the most iconic German cinema of the 20th century.
08. RIDLEY SCOTT & RUSSELL CROWE
Russell Crowe became
Ridley Scotts go-to actor after the success they both received with their first collaboration,
Gladiator (2000) but their partnership wasn't cemented overnight. Scott made four full feature films in six whole years before he found a role for Crowe on the romantic drama
A Good Year (2006), which began a run of three further feature films where the duo would work back to back - from the excellent
American Gangster (2007) to the not so well received
Body of Lies (2008) and more recently in Gladiator redux,
Robin Hood (2010). The last four movies, despite their varying quality, shows the versatility of both men and there's rarely a picture now that Scott attaches himself to where he doesn't think of Crowe as his leading man. The relationship between the two has generally been rather turbulent, with Scott claiming that whilst they have had hurricanes on set previously, these days they have discovered the balance between actor and director. Crowe often complains about the script, but rarely about Scotts direction or technique and has said that he;
like being on Ridley's set because actors can perform and the focus is on the performers.
With Crowe nowhere near Scotts upcoming science fiction spectacular Prometheus, when it's finally released in 2012 it will be the first Scott movie in six years that hasn't featured his Australian muse. We very much doubt this is the beginning of the last six year gap they had away from each other after Gladiator and they will be collaborating together soon enough.
07. QUENTIN TARANTINO & UMA THURMAN
The only director on this list to have outwardly declared his star as his muse,
Quentin Tarantino and
Uma Thurman have collaborated on a number of projects both in front of and behind the camera. Starting way back in 1994 with
Pulp Fiction, the pair struck up a friendship that has endured since. Indeed, it was because of conversations that took place on the set of Pulp Fiction that the seeds of
Kill Bill (2003-2004) were cemented and they both worked on developing the narrative and Thurmans character of The Bride. Their relationship is deeper than those Tarantino has with other frequent collaborators, including Samuel L. Jackson, Harvey Keitel and Michael Madsen. With rumours of their relationship being more than platonic, whether or not there is any truth in this seems irrelevant as it is perfectly clear that there is a lot of respect between the two and a close personal bondI mean, the fact that Thurman let the director drink champagne from one of her shoes in order to satisfy his foot fetish suggests a strong relationship to me! But despite the rather eccentric tabloid tales, what is equally evident is the power of their professional relationship: creating remarkable pieces of cinema that people either love or hate, Thurmans greatest roles are undoubtedly in films helmed by Tarantino. Roll on
Kill Bill Vol. 3.
06. LEONARDO DICAPRIO & MARTIN SCORSESE
Just as the muse partnership between
Robert De Niro and
Martin Scorsese had seemingly run out of stories to tell with each other, up stepped the boy who was not yet a man,
Leonardo DiCaprio. After a suspicious start in Scorsese's years in the making epic
Gangs of New York (2002) where Leo looked terribly inept up against Daniel Day-Lewis (though who wouldn't be?), Scorsese quickly realised that there was more to this boyishly handsome hearthrob than the big blockbusters he has done previously with Romeo & Juliet, Titanic and The Three Musketeers. Beginning with his portrait of the many lives of Howard Hughes in
The Aviator (2004) which pushed DiCaprio emotionally further than any dramatic material he had done previously (though Spielberg's 2002 movie
Catch Me If You Can really started the trend of the 'adult' DiCaprio), the actor was up to the challenge and gave Scorsese a real leading man triumphant and a fascinating portrayal of an American icon. Scorsese knew he had found his De Niro for the next generation and he quickly made him the lead of his acting spectacular ensemble
The Departed (2006) and he gave him back a performance reminiscent of De Niro at this peak. The disturbing psychological thriller
Shutter Island (2010) would follow, further cementing a friendship and creative muse relationship that has helped DiCaprio become the most interesting leading man of his generation and has given Scorsese a second wind. Without DiCaprio, would his films over the past ten years be as interesting?
05. DAVID FINCHER & BRAD PITT
Brad Pitt and
David Fincher first met in 1993 and soon formed a close friendship that would have a deep effect on each others careers, beginning with
Se7en (1995), perhaps Pitt's first mature role and then the duos greatest collaboration
Fight Club (1999), which offers Pitt to audiences in a much more dramatic fashion than anything else he's made. Fincher's ability to direct the films that he wants to with unconventional or morose endings and all has certainly been spurred on by his friendship with one of the most popular actors of modern cinema, whose star power has allowed the director to get away with his commercial projects. The latest production that re-teamed the pair
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) found both men honoured with Oscar nominations and added a new dimension to the partnership... the ability to hit accord with the mainstream, which for Fincher would carry on with
The Social Network (2010). Strange for a director who has made such dark and troubling fare, Fincher is now consistently considered for blockbuster projects with remakes of
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo and the epic
Cleopatra lining up to be challenging as his next project post-
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The later would star Pitts real-life wife
Angelina Jolie in a grand spectacle and it will be interesting to see if the actor is chosen as Marc Anthony.
04. JOHN FORD & JOHN WAYNE
Working together on over twenty productions, including the classic westerns
Stagecoach (1939),
The Searchers (1956) and
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962),
John Wayne and
John Ford had a close professional and personal relationship that spanned 5 decades! In fact, Waynes first steps into acting can be attributed to Ford, who spotted a young and then named Marion Morrison working on the 20th Century Fox back lot and gave him a few walk on parts. Credited with landing Wayne his first starring role in
The Big Trail (1930) after recommending him to director Raoul Walsh, Ford didnt step in when the film flopped and Wayne was relegated to working in C-list, poverty row westerns. However, Wayne always knew that Ford was on the look out for the perfect script that would launch him back into stardom. This came in the form of Stagecoach (1939). Ford spent the entire shoot taunting and belittling Wayne, but out of this torment the persona of The Duke was born and the actor find overnight fame.
The relationship was strained when Ford signed up to fight in WWII and Wayne refused, forever insisting he would sign up after completing one more picture. Ford became increasingly disappointed with the actor and a deep-set guilt swept over Wayne. However, despite these different attitudes towards war, the two remained friends and continued to make 12 films together in the post war period. These films which included
They Were Expendable (1945),
Rio Grande (1950) and
The Alamo (1960) help shaping an image of America as a great nation and John Wayne as the ultimate image of a hero. Through Fords shaping of his onscreen persona Wayne became an icon of American cinema and this image helped Ford create films that imposed his views of the US on audiences. Their greatest work was undoubtedly created together
03. STEVEN SPIELBERG & TOM HANKS
Steven Spielberg and
Tom Hanks have only worked on three films together, but each of these productions has had some kind of impact on cinema, with
Saving Private Ryan (1998) having the most profound effect. Whilst
The Terminal (2004) is the least successful of the duos work, it still manages to highlight the strong relationship between the director and actor and
Catch Me If You Can (2002), their second venture, was again a triumph due to the success of the pairs working relationship. It's difficult to imagine any other actor pulling off both movies. The director and actor have such a solid bond that Spielberg regularly allows Hanks to have creative input in his characters development. One example is the scene in Ryan, where Hanks Captain Miller reveals what he does for a living at home. Spielberg envisioned the scene as a long, passionate monologue for Hanks, but the actor didnt feel his character would divulge this much information about himself, so the director agreed to shorten the dialogue. Over recent years, the pair have collaborated as producers on epic war set television productions overseeing both
Band of Brothers (2001) and the recent smash-hit
The Pacific (2010), producing some of the highest quality television miniseries to ever grace the small screen. Collaborating to work on stories based in a time period both are passionate about, this relationship arguably goes further than that of any other director and muse pairing on this list.
02. TIM BURTON & JOHNNY DEPP
Probably one of the most instantly recognisable director/muse relationships in contemporary cinema, a film directed by
Tim Burton is almost guaranteed to feature
Johnny Depp somewhere within the narrative. Whether or not he has a starring role, Depp is definitely Burtons go-to guy and has featured in no less than seven productions for the director. Depps eccentric, dark and brooding onscreen persona perfectly complements Burtons quirky and expressive direction and together the pair have created a unique brand of cinema that beautifully blends elements of fantasy, horror and melodrama with a sense of gothic black humour. Originally collaborating on
Edward Scissorhands (1990), the two have gone on to produce some of the most visually stunning films of the 20th and 21st centuries:
Sleepy Hollow (1999),
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) and
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) being some of the most notable. All were major hits.
The director/star relationship they have appears to be so in synch that together they make consistently entertaining (if not always exceptional) cinema. Burton has described their partnership as abstract, whilst Depp has simply called it special. But no matter how it is explained, what is evident is that it works. For both, some of their best and most iconic work has been produced through this extraordinary professional partnership. With the upcoming
Dark Shadows (2012) currently in pre-production, the next chapter of the Burton/Depp charm is set to hit screens and entice audiences yet again!
01. MARTIN SCORSESE & ROBERT DE NIRO
The most iconic director and muse relationship has to be
Martin Scorsese and
Robert De Niro. Working together on eight films since 1973, the relationship has blossomed over the years to the point where when one is mentioned the other will undoubtedly come into the conversation too: essentially, you cant discuss Scorsese without mentioning De Niro and vice versa! It was director Brian De Palma who introduced Scorsese to a young De Niro back in the late 60s and out of this meeting one of the most famous film partnerships was born. The course of their eight films generally found their basis in the crime genre which allowed De Niro to flex his Italian-American gangster chops beginning in
Mean Streets (1973) - and then the psychological crime thriller
Taxi Driver (1976) but the pair did venture into other territory at various points. Whilst the crime/gangster vehicles proved the most successful, Scorsese and De Niro also attempted the musical (
New York, New York a box office flop), the sports film (
Raging Bull a raging success) the dark comedy (
The King of Comedy an underrated gem) and the neo-noir
Cape Fear (1991). The most iconic collaboration will always be
Goodfellas (1990), which saw both an excellent performance by De Niro and brilliant direction from Scorsese, and is deservedly considered one of the greatest films of all time. The pair havent worked together since the spiritual Goodfellas sequel
Casino in 1995, but last year announced possible plans for a sequel to Taxi Driver (1976) at the Cannes Film Festival. It has been rumoured that they will re-team for a production entitled
The Irishman, which finds its basis in the novel I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt. Although DiCaprio seems to have scuppered De Niro as Scorseses muse, it appears that both maintain a friendship that may lead to future collaborations. With the news last week that De Niro is to star opposite 50 Cent in
Freelancers (due 2012), perhaps a hook up with Scorsese is exactly what the star needs? Agreedisagreehave your own favourites? Leave a comment below to let us know! You can find all my top tens...
HERE. Check back next Tuesday for the next entry.