Following the generation that established the basic formula of cinema were a hard-to-organise group of 1880s directors who came from all walks of life and wanted to see all show of things. Some ended up battling the system, and some ended up as cogs within it.

This generation would come to define much of what we now call movies. Whether that’s Tod Browning’s horrors, Robert J. Flaherty’s documentaries or Charlie Chaplin’s comedies. Of course, there are a fair number whose name is now forgotten: Allan Dwan, Sam Wood, Henry King, John Cromwell… But this was a transitory generation, one which came of age pre-cinema and so didn’t grow up with it. These 1880s directors thrived in the pre-code era and the boundless artistic pursuit of the interwar period.

In Hollywood, the likes of Erich von Stroheim battled the studio systems, while F.W. Murnau shocked the world with his German Expressionism. Some, like Cecil B. DeMille, thrived in specific genres, while others, like Michael Curtiz, found themselves to be reliable hands in just about every situation handed to them.

These directors often tackled profound and complex subjects. For instance, Abel Gance’s “Napoleon” is an epic portrayal of the French leader, while Carl Theodor Dreyer’s “The Passion of Joan of Arc” is a deeply emotional and spiritual film.

Click on the directors’ pictures to look at their profiles.