Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

20 directors who hate their own films, from David Lynch to David Fincher

Even some of the best filmmakers make mistakes

Jacob Stolworthy,Jack Shepherd
Sunday 22 August 2021 13:51 BST
Comments
Batman & Robin (1997) Official Trailer

There's no denying that making a film is difficult.

Not only does getting a story from script to screen cost millions (at least, those with well-known actors do), but it also requires both cast and crew to devote years to a singular project.

Despite filmmaking being a labour of love, there are still occasions when a director – the person who arguably spends the most amount of time working on a film – can dislike the final results.

The majority of cases stem from studio interference: when filmmakers have to make changes to their work due to creative differences with the financiers.

Other common causes for dissatisfaction are when directors are rushed into a project (mainly sequels), they regret an early artistic decision, or – as in Steven Soderbergh’s case – they knew 15 minutes in that there would be a problem but continued anyway.

Below are 20 directors who dislike their own films, including David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick and multiple Alan Smithee examples (where a director disowns their film and uses the pseudonym Alan Smithee).

Click through the gallery below to begin

Other galleries to scroll through:

37 best films twists of all time, explained

35 brilliant films that bombed at the box office

34 actors who regret big roles

45 films you never realised were banned

37 actors who almost died on set

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in