Yes, agreed — Francis Coppola delivered the greatest one-two-three with The Godfather (3.24.72), The Conversation (4.7.74) and The Godfather Part II (12.20.74). But directly behind is Roman Polanski‘s grand trio of Rosemary’s Baby (6.12.68), Macbeth (12.20.71) and Chinatown (6.20.74). (I’m ignoring What?, which no one ever mentions in any context.)

I agree with Mark Caro that Alfred Hitchcock‘s greatest trifecta was Vertigo (5.9.58), North by Northwest (7.28.59) and Psycho (9.8.60), but directly behind is Hitch’s WWII cavalcade of Saboteur (2.22.42), Shadow of a Doubt (1.12.43) and Lifeboat (1.11.44).

What about fivers? No one has ever come close to John Frankenheimer‘s ’62 to ’66 run — Birdman of Alcatraz (7.3.62), The Manchurian Candidate (10.24.62), Seven Days in May (2.12.64), The Train (3.7.65) and Seconds (10.5.66)

And what about producing auteurs? Over the last 25 years no producer has topped Jerry Bruckheimer‘s guy-movie run from ’95 to ’98 — Bad Boys (4.7.95), Crimson Tide (5.12.95), The Rock (6.7.96), Con Air (6.6.97) and Enemy of the State (11.20.98).