Classic Road Movies Directors: 4 Filmmakers Who Stand Out

Road Movies are a distinct American style of movie that is often-overlooked. A number of directors of classic road movies stand out for their efforts in taking on the challenge of this difficult-to-film genre.

According to Filmsite, road films all have one aspect in common, “an episodic journey or quest on the open road (or undiscovered trail), to search for escape (for example, while on the lam during a crime spree) or to engage in a quest for some kind of goal — either a distinct destination, or the attainment of love, freedom, mobility, redemption, the finding or rediscovering of oneself, or coming-of-age (psychologically or spiritually).”

Here is a list of a few directors of classic road movies who paved the way for the genre, as noted by the Internet Movie Database.

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1. Dennis Hopper

Hopper is a road movie director best known for his classic film “Easy Rider” released in 1969 chronicling the journey of two bikers traveling from Los Angeles to New Orleans. The film “Easy Rider” was nominated for two Oscars in 1970.

2. George Miller

Miller directed two of the most quintessential road movies: “Mad Max” and “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior” released two years apart in 1979 and 1981 respectively. According to the International Movie Database, Miller was born on March 3, 1945, in Chinchilla, Queensland, Australia as George Miliotis.

3. Frank Capra

Capra is an iconic early 20th century American filmmaker known for movies such as “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946), “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939) and “It Happened One Night” (1934). “It Happened One Night” is Capra’s exemplary road movie, winning five Oscars in 1935.

4. John Hughes

According to IMDB, John Hughes was born on February 18, 1950, in Lansing, Mich., as John Wilden Hughes Jr. He is a writer and producer, known for “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” (1992), “Ferris Bueller's Day Off” (1986), and “The Breakfast Club” (1985).

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