Roll the credits: the final films of great directors -

The career of a movie director is often—and sometimes unfairly—defined by their last picture. On the one hand, there are filmmakers whose final screen statements rank among the best of their entire output. On the other hand, there are those who take to the director's chair long after having run out of creative steam despite enjoying a long and otherwise successful turn behind the camera. So what are the final films, for better or worse, made by legendary film directors? 

Click through this gallery and find out what they left us. 

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'Imitation of Life' (1959) - Douglas Sirk -

German émigré Douglas Sirk declared 'Imitation of Life' his last Hollywood movie before leaving Tinseltown for good. But he departed on a high. The movie, starring Lana Turner and John Gavin, was a huge success but wasn't enough to lure Sirk back to America. He died 28 years later, on January 14, 1987, having never made another picture.  

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'Pocketful of Miracles' (1961) - Frank Capra -

The final project for Frank Capra was a 'Pocketful of Miracles' (1961), starring Glenn Ford and Bette Davis. Capra was the driving force behind some of the most successful movies of the 1930s and 1940s. He died on September 3, 1991. 

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'7 Women' (1966) - John Ford -

John Ford, renowned for his Westerns such as 'Stagecoach' (1939) and 'The Searchers' (1956), died on August 31, 1973. '7 Women,' his final film, is set in China in the 1930s. 

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'The Trouble with Angels' (1966) - Ida Lupino -

Ida Lupino is widely regarded as the most prominent female filmmaker working in the 1950s. She was also a successful actress. Her final theatrical feature was the comedy 'The Trouble with Angels.' Lupino died on August 3, 1995. 

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'The Liberation of L.B. Jones' (1970) - William Wyler -

William Wyler (not to be confused with Billy Wyler) directed 'The Liberation of L.B. Jones,' a neo-noir picture starring Roscoe Lee Browne, Lee J. Cobb, and Lola Falana. Wyler, who incidentally currently holds the record of twelve nominations for the Academy Award for Best Director, died on July 27, 1981. 

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'Family Plot' (1976) - Alfred Hitchcock  -

Alfred Hitchcock, known for decades as the "Master of Suspense," bowed out with 'Family Plot,' a relaxed and witty but nonetheless macabre black comedy starring Karen Black and Bruce Dern. The director passed away on April 29, 1980. 

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'A Matter of Time' (1976) - Vicente Minnelli -

Vincente Minnelli directed his daughter Liza and Ingrid Bergman in this fantasy drama, which also marked the first screen appearance of Isabella Rossellini. Vincente Minnelli passed away on July 25, 1986. 

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'That Obscure Object of Desire' (1977) - Luis Buñuel -

Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel's final directorial effort before his death on July 29, 1983, 'That Obscure Object of Desire' stars Fernando Rey, Carole Bouquet, and Ángela Molina.   

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'Filming Othello' (1978) - Orson Welles -

Orson Welles' final directorial effort released while he was alive was an obscure English-language West German documentary film called 'Filming Othello,' which chronicles his work behind the camera while making 'Othello' in 1951 (pictured). Welles died on October 10, 1985, leaving a project unfinished. In 2018, his film 'The Other Side of the Wind' was posthumously released after 48 years in development after having been touched up and completed by others,

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'The Human Factor' (1979) - Otto Preminger -

The final film directed by Otto Preminger was this neo-noir thriller starring Nicol Williamson and Richard Attenborough. Preminger died on April 23, 1986. 

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'Buddy Buddy' (1981) - Billy Wilder -

Billy Wilder, whose films include a string of notable comedies, went out in typical fashion by pairing Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in 'Buddy Buddy,' actors whom the director had first brought together in 1966's hilarious 'The Fortune Cookie.' Wilder passed away on March 27, 2002. 

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'Jinxed!' (1982) - Don Siegel -

'Jinxed!,' a comedy starring Bette Midler, proved to be Don Siegel's final film. The director, best known for his gritty action pictures, including 'Dirty Harry' (1971), died on April 20, 1991. 

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'Vivement dimanche!' (1983) - François Truffaut -

French filmmaker François Truffaut completed 'Vivement dimanche!' (released in English-speaking markets as 'Confidentially Yours') in 1983. It was the last film directed by Truffaut before his death in October of the following year.

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'The Osterman Weekend' (1983) - Sam Peckinpah -

Sam Peckinpah's final screen effort was this suspense thriller, based on the novel of the same name by Robert Ludlam of Jason Bourne fame. The movie, starring Rutger Hauer, John Hurt, and Burt Lancaster, was released in 1983, a year before Peckinpah's death on December 28, 1984.  

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'L'Argent' (1983) - Robert Bresson -

French film director Robert Bresson's last film before his death on December 18, 1999, 'L'Argent' (meaning "money") stars Christian Patey and Vincent Risterucci. 

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'A Passage to India' (1984) - David Lean -

The epic historical drama 'A Passage to India,' the first film directed by David Lean in 14 years since 'Ryan's Daughter' (1970), was also his last. Lean passed away on April 16, 1991. 

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'Once Upon a Time in America' (1984) - Sergio Leone -

Many film critics consider 'Once Upon a Time in America' Sergio Leone's greatest screen achievement. The Italian director, known as the pioneer of the spaghetti Western genre with films like 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly' (1966), died five years after its release, on April 30, 1989.   

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'The Dead' (1987) - John Huston -

'The Dead' is a true family affair, directed by John Huston, written by his son Tony Huston, and starring his daughter, Anjelica Huston. John Huston passed away on August 28, 1987, just a few months after the film's release. 

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'Madadayo' (1993) - Akira Kurosawa -

Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, especially known for 'Seven Samurai' (1954) and 'Yojimbo' (1961), died on September 6, 1998, five years after making 'Madadayo,' his final picture. Kurosawa is pictured on the set of 'Madadayo.' 

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'Eyes Wide Shut' (1999) - Stanley Kubrick -

Stanley Kubrick's final film was this psychological drama starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The director died on March 7, 1999, six days after showing the final cut of 'Eyes Wide Shut' to Warner Bros.

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'Saraband' (2003) - Ingmar Bergman -

Originally made for television but ultimately enjoying a longer theatrical cut outside of Sweden, 'Saraband,' starring Liv Ulmann, proved Ingmar Bergman's final cinema offering. He died on July 30, 2007.  

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'The Interpreter' (2005) - Sydney Pollack -

Sydney Pollack achieved fame as a director and as an actor. His final narrative work was 2005's political thriller 'The Interpreter.' The following year he directed the documentary film 'Sketches of Frank Gehry,' strictly speaking his last-ever screen project. Pollack died on May 26, 2008. 

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'Goya's Ghosts' (2006) - Miloš Forman -

Czech film director Miloš Forman decided 'Goya's Ghosts' would be his last turn behind the camera, preferring to write in his later years. He passed away on April 13, 2018. 

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'A Prairie Home Companion' (2006) - Robert Altman -

In his final film, director Robert Altman brought together an ensemble cast that included Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, Meryl Streep, and Lilly Tomlin for the musical comedy, 'A Prairie Home Companion.' Altman died on November 20 in the same year the picture was released. 

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'Charlie Wilson's War' (2007) - Mike Nichols -

Director Mike Nichols' final film was 'Charlie Wilson's War,' starring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Nichols, whose screen credits include 'The Graduate' (1967) and 'Catch-22' (1970), died on November 19, 2014. 

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'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead' (2007) - Sidney Lumet -

Sidney Lumet, known for films such as 'The Hill' (1965), 'Serpico' (1973), and 'The Verdict' (1982), completed 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead' in 2007. It was the last film he directed before his death on April 9, 2011.

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'Julie & Julia' (2009) - Nora Ephron -

Filmmaker Nora Ephron's biographical film 'Julie & Julia' stars Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. It was her last screen project before illness claimed her life on June 26, 2012. 

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'Unstoppable' (2010) - Tony Scott -

'Unstoppable,' the disaster action thriller starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine, was the last picture directed by Tony Scott, who died on August 19, 2012. Scott was the younger brother of film director Ridley Scott.

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'Ricki and the Flash' (2015) - Jonathan Demme -

'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991) and 'Philadelphia' (1993) are two of Jonathan Demme's finest pictures. The director's final narrative work was 'Ricki and the Flash,' starring a guitar-playing Meryl Streep. Demme wasn't quite done, though. He made the concert film 'Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids' in 2016, a year before his death on April 26, 2017. 

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'The Image Book' (2018) - Jean-Luc Godard -

Jean-Luc Godard rounded off his illustrious career with an avant-garde essay film called 'The Image Book.' Described as typically confounding—and ultimately rewarding—the movie secured Godard's legacy as one of the most influential French filmmakers of the post-war era. He died on September 13, 2022. 

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'The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial' (2023) - William Friedkin -

William Friedkin (pictured) died before his final film, 'The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,' was released. Friedkin, whose screen credits include 'The French Connection' (1971) and 'The Exorcist' (1973), waved goodbye on August 7, 2023. 

Sources: (IMDB) (World of Reel) (Indie Wire) 

See also: Vintage photographs of film directors on set. 

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