Arthur Penn. In all the flash obituaries I've read and listened to so far, his claim to fame is pegged to Bonnie and Clyde. There's no doubt in my mind that Bonnie and Clyde is a Very Important American film and I understand why. However, I want to make a case for a few of his other movies.
For example: The Miracle Worker. Penn was responsible for putting The Miracle Worker on television, Broadway and film. On Broadway and on film, he was smart enough to go with Anne Bancroft and Patti Duke and, from what we can see in the movie and read about the Broadway production, he made those two ladies work very hard. The New York Times described the Broadway production as a vicious fist fight between the two actresses.
For example: The Missouri Breaks. Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Randy Quaid, Harry Dean Stanton, Frederic Forrest, ... anyone smart enough to put those good people in a movie together deserves recognition, even if the movie is rather ... loose jointed. Furthermore, any movie with the line, "Honey, pull down Tristram Shandy for me," will forever live in my heart.
For example: Alice's Restaurant. Okay? 'nuff said about that one.
For example: Little Big Man. This one didn't do well in the box office, but goodness gracious, wasn't Dustin Hoffman brilliant? Wasn't Chief Dan George brilliant? Wasn't Faye Dunaway brilliant? Wasn't Richard Mulligan brilliant? What a great shaggy dog story.
it's clear to me that Arthur Penn had a very particular vision of what he wanted to accomplish and, I believe, he realized that vision. It's also clear to me he worked with a cadre of actors, was loyal to them and they returned that loyalty to him. Faye Dunaway, Warren Beatty, Anne Bancroft, ... these are important people and reinforce the fact Arthur Penn was one too.
