Jerzy Skolimowski won the Grand Prix at Cannes this weekend for his donkey tale “EO.” The Polish writer-director is 84. Many zeroed in on his age in their reviews, I don’t know how many times I had to read that “EO” felt like the work of a young filmmaker.
For a few years now, Quentin Tarantino has been insisting that he plans to quit making movies after his 10th feature. This whole notion of retiring after 10 movies comes from Tarantino’s theory that a director’s quality of work only gets worse as it goes along. Tarantino wants his filmography to be perfect or, as he puts it, “without a misfire.”
“I guess I do feel that directing is a young man’s game. I do feel that cinema is changing, and I’m a little bit part of the old guard.”
The problem is that it’s a flawed theory. Forget the fact that some filmmakers have released their best films in their 60s. Robert Altman directed “Gosford Park” at 76. Akira Kurosawa directed “Ran” at 75. Martin Scorsese gave us “The Irishman” at 77. Hitchcock released “Frenzy” at 74. Agnes Vardas was 79 when “Faces Places” premiered at Cannes. Luis Buñuel turned 77 when “The Obscure Object of Desire” shocked audiences.
Then there’s the great films released by directors who were over the age of 80.
May I direct Mr. Tarantino to my years old IndieWire writeup of the 12 Best Films By Directors Over 80. Some of the most legendary directors, during the twilight of their lives, released great films.
Case in point —
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (Sidney Lumet, 83)
The Mule (Clint Eastwood, 89)
L’Argent (Robert Bresson, 82)
An Officer and a Spy (Roman Polanski, 86)
I’m Going Home (Manoel de Oliviera, 104)
Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen, 80)
Saraband (Ingmar Bergman, 85)
Madadayo (Akira Kurosawa, 83)
The Dead (John Huston, 81)
Prairie Home Companion (Robert Altman, 81)
Wild Grass (Alain Resnais, 86)
Goodbye to Language (Jean-Luc Godard, 84)