Editing Howard Hawks (section)

== Influence and legacy ==
In the 1950s, Eugene Archer, a film fan, was planning on writing a book on important American film directors such as John Ford. However, after reading ''Cahiers du Cinéma'', Archer learned that the French film scene was more interested in Alfred Hitchcock and Howard Hawks. Books were not written on Hawks until the 1960s, and a full biography on Hawks wasn't published until 1997, twenty years after his death.{{sfn|Brookes|2016|p=2}} Film critic [[Andrew Sarris]] cited Howard Hawks as "the least known and least appreciated Hollywood director of any stature".{{sfn|Sarris|1968|p=53}} According to professor of film studies Ian Brookes, Hawks is not as well known as other directors, because of his lack of association with a particular genre such as Ford with Westerns and Hitchcock with thrillers. Hawks worked across many genres including gangster, film noir, musical comedy, romantic comedy, screwball comedy, Western, aviation, and combat. Moreover, Hawks preferred not to associate with major studios during his film production. He worked for all major studios at least once on short-term contract, but many of his films were produced under his own name.{{sfn|Brookes|2016|p=2}} The simplicity of his narratives and stories may also have contributed to his under-recognition.{{sfn|Brookes|2016|p=2}} Commercially, his films were successful, but he received little critical acclaim except for one Academy Award nomination for Best Director for ''Sergeant York'' (he lost to John Ford for ''[[How Green Was My Valley (film)|How Green Was My Valley]]'') and an Honorary Academy Award presented to him two years before his death.{{sfn|Brookes|2016|p=4}}

Some critics limit Hawks by his action films, describing Hawks as a director who produced films with a "masculine bias", however action scenes in Hawks's films were often left to second-unit directors, and Hawks actually preferred to work indoors.{{sfn|Brookes|2016|p=4}} Howard Hawks's style is difficult to interpret because there is no recognizable relationship between his visual and narrative style as in the films of his contemporary directors. Because his camera style was derived more from his working method rather than anecdotal or visual realization, his camera work is unobtrusive, making his films appear to have little to no cinematographic style.{{sfn|Brookes|2016|p=4}} Hawks's style can, rather, be characterized as improvisational and collaborative.{{sfn|Brookes|2016|p=5}} Hawks's directorial style and the use of natural, conversational dialogue in his films are cited as major influences on many noted filmmakers, including [[Robert Altman]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Howard Hawks|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001328/bio|website=IMDb|access-date=20 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128211106/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001328/bio|archive-date=28 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[John Carpenter]],<ref>{{cite web|title=John Carpenter: 10 modern films inspired by the genre master|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/john-carpenter-10-modern-films-inspired-genre-master|website=British Film Institute|date=October 26, 2016 |access-date=20 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310032632/http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/lists/john-carpenter-10-modern-films-inspired-genre-master|archive-date=10 March 2017|url-status=live|language=en}}</ref> and [[Quentin Tarantino]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Child|first1=Ben|title=Why Quentin Tarantino wants to be the next Howard Hawks|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/jan/12/quentin-tarantino-bafta|website=The Guardian|access-date=20 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170604022814/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/jan/12/quentin-tarantino-bafta|archive-date=4 June 2017|date=12 January 2010}}</ref> His work is also admired by [[Peter Bogdanovich]], [[Martin Scorsese]], [[Jean-Luc Godard]], [[Clint Eastwood]], [[Greta Gerwig]], [[François Truffaut]], [[Michael Mann (director)|Michael Mann]],<ref name="telegraph.co.uk">Horne, Philip. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/classic-movies/8229597/Howard-Hawks-The-king-of-American-cool.html "Howard Hawks: The king of American cool."] ''The Daily Telegraph'' (London), December 29, 2010. Retrieved: July 1, 2016.</ref> and [[Jacques Rivette]].<ref>Rivette, Jacques. [http://www.dvdbeaver.com/rivette/ok/hawks.html "The Genius of Howard Hawks."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827040433/http://www.dvdbeaver.com/rivette/ok/hawks.html |date=2012-08-27 }} ''dvdbeaver.com''. Retrieved: July 1, 2016.</ref> [[Andrew Sarris]] in his influential book of film criticism ''The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929–1968'' included Hawks in the "pantheon" of the 14 greatest film directors who had worked in the United States.{{sfn|Sarris|1968}} [[Brian De Palma]] dedicated his version of ''[[Scarface (1983 film)|Scarface]]'' to Hawks and [[Ben Hecht]].{{sfn|Martin|1985|p=xii}} Altman was influenced by the fast-paced dialogue of ''[[His Girl Friday]]'' in ''[[MASH (film)|M*A*S*H]]'' and subsequent productions.<ref>{{harvnb|Gregory|1973|p=46}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Farr |first1=John |title=Genius Uncovered: The Film Legacy of Howard Hawks |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-farr/genius-uncovered-the-time_b_1533671.html |access-date=October 17, 2018 |work=The Huffington Post |publisher=Oath |date=May 21, 2012}}</ref> Hawks was nicknamed "The Gray Fox" by members of the Hollywood community, thanks to his prematurely gray hair.<ref>{{harvnb|McCarthy|1997}}; {{harvnb|Fuller|2002|p=101}}</ref>

Hawks has been considered by some film critics to be an [[auteur]] both because of his recognizable style and frequent use of specific thematic elements, and because of his attention to all aspects of his films, not merely directing.{{sfn|Mast|1982|pp=27-35}} Hawks was venerated by French critics associated with ''[[Cahiers du cinéma]]'', who intellectualized his work in a way that Hawks himself found moderately amusing (his work was promoted in France by [[The Studio des Ursulines]] cinema). Although he was not at first taken seriously by British critics of the ''[[Sight & Sound]]'' circle, other independent British writers, such as [[Robin Wood (critic)|Robin Wood]], admired his films. Wood named Hawks's ''[[Rio Bravo (film)|Rio Bravo]]'' as his top film of all time.<ref>Howell, Peter. [https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/article/747883--rio-bravo-tops-late-critic-robin-wood-s-top-10-list "Rio Bravo tops late critic Robin Wood's Top 10 list."] ''Toronto Star'', January 8, 2010. Retrieved: July 1, 2016.</ref>  [[David Thomson (film critic)|David Thomson]] writes that "There was an absurdist in Hawks, and a [[Nabokovian]] delight in the game for its own sake. Thus, in a very important way, this seeming American may have been against the grain of his time and place. That may help explain why the films grow in wonder."<ref name=:"Thomson"/>