By skyforbes I was talking with some friends about movies that kill the careers of directors. I'd just finished listening to TCM's podcast series on the filming of Cleopatra (1963) and how the chaotic shoot pretty much ended Joe L. Mankiewicz's hot streak as a director. I realized that many directors out there hit a wall and never recover from it, but what about the directors that do? I tried to think of an example of a movie that pulled someone out of Bad Director Jail, but was coming up short. The closest I could think of was Steven Spielberg blanking with 1941 and then following that up with Indiana Jones.
And I don't mean a movie that was a flop in its day, but is now loved in hindsight. I mean, what is a movie that turned a director's fallen reputation around? What are some career-saving movies?