First Films Directing 1.0

Everyone has to start somewhere. For some film directors, their first works were nothing short of extraordinary - whether it was due to the content they were exploring, or the circumstances in which their films came about.

Anne Bancroft (who starred in The Graduate 1967) and Richard Benjamin (Goodbye Columbus 1969) were actors-turned-directors. Dennis Hopper (Easy Rider 1969), also an actor, was stoned, drunk and out of control - but also one of the first successful independent directors.

David Cronenberg (The Fly 1986 & A History of Violence 2005), a Canadian misfit, turned crazy behaviour into a genre. Amy Heckerling's (Clueless 1995) first creation was a "boys" movie about kids in high school. Bob Clark (Porky's 1981 & A Christmas Story 1983) made a film about a "he-playing-a-she" years before Dustin Hoffman was Tootsie (1982) and Robin Williams was Mrs Doubtfire (1993).

And Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 1982) turned "what-ifs" into engaging movies, beginning with the hypothesis - what if Sigmund Freud assisted Sherlock Holmes on one of his cases? Or H.G. Wells met Jack the Ripper and a time-travel drama ensued?

This book explores the context and critical opinions surrounding the first films of seven directors, who had their initial opportunity to call the shots between the late 1960s and early 1980s. Time After Time. Fatso. My Favorite Year. Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Shivers. She-Man. Easy Rider. All are unusual directorial debuts.

For some, this was the start of their feature film careers. For others, like Anne Bancroft, it was their only time in the director's chair. For anyone fortunate enough to transition into directing - beware! One day your first film may turn up on Blu-Ray or as a television re-run, even if you wish the world never knew you made it.