Oscar Directing Nominees Help Us Trace Their DNA – Variety

Directors influence each other with their work. Sometimes that influence is overt La La Land clearly evokes Singin in the Rain and Umbrellas of Cherbourg but other times it is more unexpected, hinging on storytelling choices or structure.

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Variety asked this years directing nominees to help us trace the DNA of their movies, and all were happy to oblige.

Arrival Paramount In Villeneuves alien-invasion tale, humans eventually discover that the aliens want to help you help us.

Villeneuves choices: 2001: A Space Odyssey 1968: Definitely 2001, Villeneuve says, of Stanley Kubricks sci-fi classic in which Earthlings, searching for signs of intelligent life, are nearly outwitted by artificial intelligence. Jaws 1975: It was Spielbergs idea that you unveil slowly the entity, to create suspense, Villeneuve says. That very slow striptease is something I stole from Jaws.

Our choices: The Day the Earth Stood Still 1951: Aliens caution Earthlings not to destroy themselves with nuclear weapons in Robert Wises sci-fi classic. Starman 1984: A friendly interplanetary visitor gets a hostile reception from fearful humans in John Carpenters movie. The Miracle Worker 1962: Language is the bridge between two seemingly separate worlds in Arthur Penns Helen Keller biopic.

Hacksaw Ridge Lionsgate A deeply religious medic who refuses to carry a gun becomes an unlikely hero in Mel Gibsons brutal World War II saga.

Gibsons choices: Saving Private Ryan 1998: Its part of a great tradition of war films, Gibson says of Spielbergs D-Day drama, which raised the bar on graphic war carnage. Sergeant York 1941: That was kind of an inspiration, Gibson says of Howard Hawks movie, although that one is about a conscientious objector who actually picked up a gun and started shooting.

Our choices: The Longest Day 1962: A massive battle against impossible odds is fought with a giant all-star cast in Ken Annakins tale. From Here to Eternity 1953: A soldier receives unfair harsh treatment from officers in the run-up to Pearl Harbor in Fred Zinnemanns movie. Platoon 1986: Willem Dafoe suffers a Christ-like death, after being betrayed by a Judas among his own men in Oliver Stones Vietnam War movie.

La La Land Lionsgate Damien Chazelle traces his L.A. musicals lineage back to the silent era.

Chazelles choices: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg 1964: This film definitely, Chazelle says, citing Jacques Demys musical as an influence, and Lola, an earlier Demy film, also was very influential. Singin in the Rain 1952: Chazelle cites any of those great Gene Kelly musicals like Singin in the Rain or American in Paris, the former directed by Stanley Donen and the latter by Vincente Minnelli in 1951. Boogie Nights 1997, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson: I was influenced by some of those great L.A. movies, Chazelle says. I love Boogie Nights, Short Cuts, and a couple of others. 7th Heaven 1927: Chazelle cited Frank Borzages silent weepie in which a woman whose lover has died in WWI briefly imagines their entire life together, had he returned as the inspiration for his ending when accepting an award from the New York Film Critics Circle.

Our choice: A Star Is Born 1954: George Cukors film features the original show-business-tale trope: An established star discovers a rising talent, then suffers a decline.

Manchester by the Sea Amazon Studios Kenneth Lonergans wrenching drama revolves around the aftereffects of unspeakable tragedy.

Lonergans choices: Five Easy Pieces 1970: Lonergan cites Bob Rafelsons haunting tale of an estranged family dealing with its ghost as an influence. Coal Miners Daughter 1980: Its such a human story, Lonergan says of Michael Apteds bio of Loretta Lynn starring Sissy Spacek. Its got a personal scale and a universal scale. Its a very emotional story with a lot of love and a lot of loss. Bang the Drum Slowly 1973: Lonergan also took inspiration from John Hancocks tale of a dying baseball players final season.

Our choices: Ordinary People 1980: A suburban family begins to splinter after the eldest sons accidental death in Robert Redfords movie. Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf 1966: Edward Albees play, adapted by Mike Nichols, focuses on a married couple whose great tragedy is either their dead son or their dead dream of having a child.

Moonlight A24 Barry Jenkins directed this coming-of-age tale about being young, black, poor, and gay in 80s Miami.

Jenkins choices: Happy Together 1997: This is one of three films I usually cite, Jenkins says of director Wong Kar-wais movie. It was the first film I saw that dealt with a relationship between two men. Beau Travail 1999: I love the way she deals with masculinity in a corrupt system, Jenkins says while saluting Claire Denis movie as an influence. Three Times 2005: Jenkins also mentioned Hou Hsiao-Hsiens film set in three separate time periods, with the same actors playing different characters who encounter each other in each section of the film.

Our choices: Boys Dont Cry 1999: A young transgender man runs afoul of small-town intolerance in Kimberly Peirces indie landmark. Boyhood 2014: A boys youth is thrown off-kilter by his moms personal drama in Richard Linklaters film.

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Oscar Directing Nominees Help Us Trace Their DNA - Variety