Spielberg rated best director of all time

A poll of 10,000 readers of Empire magazine has revealed the top 40 film directors of all time.

Steven Spielberg came out on top, beating Alfred Hitchcock into second place, with Martin Scorsese finishing third.

Spielberg has shown remarkable diversity in his directing, ranging from Jaws to E.T, Indiana Jones to Schindler's List, Jurassic Park to Saving Private Ryan.

British director Hitchcock, the master of suspense, boasts Rear Window, Vertigo, North By Northwest, Pyscho and The Birds amongst his collection of top films.

Meanwhile, third-placed Scorcese directed classics such as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs Of New York and The Aviator, yet somehow failed to ever receive an Oscar for his work.

Others who featured in the top ten were Stanley Kubrick, famous for The Shining and Full Metal Jacket, Alien and Gladiator director Ridley Scott, the man behind Lord Of The Rings trilogy Peter Jackson, and Quentin Tarantino of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction fame.

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