Gifts for dads are notoriously hard to buy and they generally get saturated with aftershave, electric razors and novelty USB gadgets. Although these have a place, there is another option which many overlook during their present buying. You cannot go wrong with dropping a classic DVD or DVD boxset into the present cache and this article offers the ultimate guide to buying DVD gifts for dads.



Many people misunderstand the filmic requirements of dads as blood, explosions and full frontal nudity are all good and well, however not just for their respective sakes. Films need to offer a bit more than that to really grasp our imagination and stop us from nodding off in front of a boxing day matinee. We will look at three directors who you can more or less guarantee will provide excellent gifts for Dads.

The first is any film by Martin Scorsese. Before Taxi Driver cemented the lifetime working relationship between himself and Robert De Niro, Scorsese had already done a number of films with Harvey Keitel. When De Niro was discovered during Mean Streets, a film that also starred Keitel, the gritty and dangerous style of Scorsese was epitomised by the unpredictably violent performance of the protean De Niro.

His better known later work such as Raging Bull, Goodfellas and Casino will probably be in many DVD collections already, however the chilling Cape Fear and witty King of Comedy are much less known and are great gifts for dads. More recently Gangs of New York and The Departed which might well have been seen but not owned could be good options, both cementing the Scorsese reputation as one of the top film makers working today.

The next recommendation by director would be the well known Francis Ford Coppola. His work really got hurled into the limelight when the studio gamble turned good, The Godfather. Previous to that he was a theatre director and had only done a couple of films making any credit, mainly The Rain People with James Caan, later to play Sonny in the first Godfather. After that the Godfather trilogy was produced and that has featured in many gifts for dads over the years.

Sandwiched between the second and third Godfather instalments was the Oscar winning Apocalypse Now, staring Martin Sheen and the legendary Marlon Brando. Those are his films of greatest merit as a director however he moved into a role of producing with credits such as Lost In Translation, The Good Shepherd which was the directorial debut of Robert De Niro and Youth Without Youth, featuring Brit actor Tim Roth. Any of these films would be great gifts for dads.

Stanley Kubrick is thought to be one of greatest directors of all time and he is best known for films that sparked massive controversies such as A Clockwork Orange and The Shining. His repertoire runs much deeper than mere controversy and his technical abilities as a cinematographer are unsurpassed by other directors. Films such as Fear and Desire, Paths of Glory and Lolita from his early career are some of the most visually beautiful films ever made with compelling thematic content and performances.

The better known films such as The Shinning and Full Metal Jacket are always great gifts for dads although many are popular and might be in an existing collection. If you choose a more obscure title such as Barry Lyndon, one of the greatest period films ever made then you can be sure it will not be in a collection and is a fantastic and original gift.