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“An Awfully Big Adventure”

Joseph McBride

in Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition

This chapter details Spielberg’s sideline as producer of other directors’ movies; the impact of his production duties on the quality of his own films; his involvement in the TV series Amazing Stories ... More

This chapter details Spielberg’s sideline as producer of other directors’ movies; the impact of his production duties on the quality of his own films; his involvement in the TV series Amazing Stories and films Empire of the Sun, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Always, and Hook; and his divorce from Amy Irving.Less

“A Hell of a Big Break”

Joseph McBride

in Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition

This chapter traces Spielberg’s unconventional path to becoming a professional filmmaker. Spielberg never attended film school. Universal Studios served as his training ground, which gave him an ... More

This chapter traces Spielberg’s unconventional path to becoming a professional filmmaker. Spielberg never attended film school. Universal Studios served as his training ground, which gave him an education that, paradoxically, was both more personal and more conventional than he would have received in an academic environment. Spielberg’s early years at Universal helped shape his distinctive personality as a filmmaker, not only by honing his organizational skills and technical expertise, but also by strengthening his instinctive affinity for popular filmmaking.Less

“Ecstasy and Grief”

Joseph McBride

in Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition

This chapter details Spielberg’s involvement in the films E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Poltergeist, Gremlins, Twilight Zone—The Movie, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

“This Tremendous Meatgrinder”

Joseph McBride

in Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition

This chapter focuses on Spielberg’s early career as a director. The discussions include Spielberg’s seven-year directing contract at Universal; his jobs directing Joan Crawford in the TV movie Night ... More

This chapter focuses on Spielberg’s early career as a director. The discussions include Spielberg’s seven-year directing contract at Universal; his jobs directing Joan Crawford in the TV movie Night Gallery and an episode of Columbo; his five-year exclusive contract with Universal as a producer; and his six-year nonexclusive contract as a director for feature films, vidpix, and (episodic) TV.Less

“A Primal Scream Movie”

Joseph McBride

in Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition

This chapter describes the making of Jaws. While Spielberg was not the first choice as director, he was eventually chosen for the project and his signing was announced on June 21, 1973. Jaws would ... More

This chapter describes the making of Jaws. While Spielberg was not the first choice as director, he was eventually chosen for the project and his signing was announced on June 21, 1973. Jaws would later become the biggest moneymaker in motion picture history.Less

Watch the Skies

Joseph McBride

in Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition

This chapter describes the origins and the making of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The film combines purely fictional storytelling elements with the extensive post-World War II reports and ... More

This chapter describes the origins and the making of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The film combines purely fictional storytelling elements with the extensive post-World War II reports and folklore about UFO sightings. With it Spielberg pulled off the remarkable feat of making a deeply personal film on a grand scale within the Hollywood studio system. The box-office success of Close Encounters also proved that Jaws was no fluke, sealing Spielberg’s reputation as a filmmaker with a seemingly magical box-office touch.Less

“Rehab”

Joseph McBride

in Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition

This chapter details Spielberg’s relationship with actress Amy Irving; the making of the film 1941; and his collaboration with George Lucas in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Working as a hired hand for ... More

This chapter details Spielberg’s relationship with actress Amy Irving; the making of the film 1941; and his collaboration with George Lucas in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Working as a hired hand for Lucas, Spielberg used Raiders of the Lost Ark as a form of professional “rehab.” It enabled him to assuage Hollywood’s fears that Raiders would turn out to be another 1941. But the result of this “rehab” was a soulless and impersonal film.Less

Mensch

Joseph McBride

in Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition

This chapter focuses on the making of Schindler’s List, a three-hour, black-and-white film about the Holocaust that became the transforming experience of Spielberg’s lifetime. After more than a ... More

This chapter focuses on the making of Schindler’s List, a three-hour, black-and-white film about the Holocaust that became the transforming experience of Spielberg’s lifetime. After more than a decade of hesitation and avoidance, making the film was the catharsis that finally liberated Spielberg to be himself, both as a man and as an artist, fully integrating those two, sometimes distinct-seeming halves of his personality.Less

“A Wimp in a World of Jocks”

Joseph McBride

in Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition

This chapter describes the Spielberg family’s move to Arizona in 1957; the start of Spielberg’s interest in moviemaking; filmmaking as a natural outgrowth of his boyhood need for attention; his ... More

This chapter describes the Spielberg family’s move to Arizona in 1957; the start of Spielberg’s interest in moviemaking; filmmaking as a natural outgrowth of his boyhood need for attention; his becoming a Boy Scout; the little Western film he made in 1958; his screening of his own films; his fascination with collecting soundtracks; and his graduation from elementary school on May 26, 1961.Less

“The Steven Spielberg Business”

Joseph McBride

in Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition

This chapter describes the making of the TV movie Duel (1971), which catapulted twenty-four-year-old Spielberg into the leading ranks of Hollywood filmmakers, as well as the film The Sugarland ... More

This chapter describes the making of the TV movie Duel (1971), which catapulted twenty-four-year-old Spielberg into the leading ranks of Hollywood filmmakers, as well as the film The Sugarland Express (1974) starring Goldie Hawn, which was rejected by the public.Less

“400-Pound Gorilla”

Joseph McBride

in Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition

This chapter describes the controversy over the film Munich; attacks against Spielberg for his alleged deleterious cultural and economic influence on the world of filmmaking; the first academic ... More

This chapter describes the controversy over the film Munich; attacks against Spielberg for his alleged deleterious cultural and economic influence on the world of filmmaking; the first academic conference on his work held in November 2007 at the University of Lincoln in England; his working arrangement with Paramount; DreamWorks’ funding problems; and his venture into the brave new world of motion-capture 3-D by filming The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.Less

“Hell on Earth”

Joseph McBride

in Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition

This chapter describes Spielberg’s unofficial Hollywood apprenticeship at Universal in the summer of 1964; his encounters with anti-Semitism at Saratoga High School; his friendships with Don Schull ... More

This chapter describes Spielberg’s unofficial Hollywood apprenticeship at Universal in the summer of 1964; his encounters with anti-Semitism at Saratoga High School; his friendships with Don Schull and Gene Ward Smith; his extra-curricular activities; his efforts to avoid the draft; and his parents’ divorce.Less

“How wondrous are thy works”

Joseph McBride

in Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition

This chapter describes how Spielberg frequently mines his childhood for inspiration; how Schindler’s List silenced his critics; his early rejection of his Jewish roots and his gradual return to them; ... More

This chapter describes how Spielberg frequently mines his childhood for inspiration; how Schindler’s List silenced his critics; his early rejection of his Jewish roots and his gradual return to them; the Spielberg family history; and his childhood.Less

“Adult Truths”

Joseph McBride

in Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition

This chapter details Spielberg’s first meeting with actress Kate Capshaw; his founding of Amblin Entertainment with Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy in 1984; and the making of The Color Purple.

Mogul and Director

Joseph McBride

in Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition

This chapter focuses on the challenges of establishing DreamWorks SKG. Spielberg took a three-year hiatus from directing to build up DreamWorks, which proved to be one of the busiest periods of his ... More

This chapter focuses on the challenges of establishing DreamWorks SKG. Spielberg took a three-year hiatus from directing to build up DreamWorks, which proved to be one of the busiest periods of his life, but one that made him anxious over his new responsibilities and the resulting distraction from his major focus as a filmmaker. The chapter asks: How did Spielberg manage to do all his ambitious work as a director while being involved with hundreds of other films and television programs in various production or executive capacities between 1997 and 2010, and while helping steer DreamWorks through some calamitous financial waters?Less

Close Encounters: Analysis

Jon Towlson

in Close Encounters of the Third Kind

This chapter presents a detailed analysis of Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). The long take is a Spielberg staple: examples exist in each of his films, but it is an ... More

This chapter presents a detailed analysis of Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). The long take is a Spielberg staple: examples exist in each of his films, but it is an aspect of his work rarely commented upon, possibly because his plan séquences are characterised by their very invisibility. The effect of the long take on the viewer is to draw them into the scene, increasing emotional involvement; and this reflects Spielberg's essentially intuitive approach to filmmaking. Arguably, the plan séquence shots in Close Encounters are some of the most effective of Spielberg's career for this reason. The chapter then looks at Spielberg's collaboration with Hungarian-born cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond on Close Encounters, which links Spielberg interestingly to the New Hollywood of the 1970s. It also explores the characters and themes of the film, as well as John Williams' contribution to Close Encounters.Less

“Mazik”

Joseph McBride

in Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition

This chapter considers the controversy over Spielberg’s true age. Spielberg’s birth certificate shows that he was born at Cincinnati’s Jewish Hospital on December 18, 1946—not December 18, 1947 as ... More

This chapter considers the controversy over Spielberg’s true age. Spielberg’s birth certificate shows that he was born at Cincinnati’s Jewish Hospital on December 18, 1946—not December 18, 1947 as has often been reported. On October 26, 1995, in response to questions prompted by the lawsuit of his former producer Denis C. Hoffman, Spielberg’s attorney Marshall Grossman and his spokesman, Marvin Levy, acknowledged to the Los Angeles Times that “the director was born in 1946, and that any references to 1947 are incorrect.” But they both refused to explain why Steven never corrected it, or why he lists it incorrectly in documents such as his driver’s license.Less

Mainstream Independent

Joseph McBride

in Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition

This chapter describes Spielberg’s support for Democratic candidates, especially Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama; his family life; the movies made by DreamWorks; his friendship with Stanley ... More

This chapter describes Spielberg’s support for Democratic candidates, especially Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama; his family life; the movies made by DreamWorks; his friendship with Stanley Kubrick; and his work on A.I..Less

“Big Spiel”

Joseph McBride

in Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition

This chapter focuses on Spielberg’s high school years. Spielberg’s accounts of his high school years have tended to conflate some of his experiences at Arcadia High School in Phoenix with experiences ... More

This chapter focuses on Spielberg’s high school years. Spielberg’s accounts of his high school years have tended to conflate some of his experiences at Arcadia High School in Phoenix with experiences during his senior year at Saratoga High School in California. Some anti-Semitic incidents that actually happened to Spielberg in Saratoga have been incorrectly described by him as having happened in Phoenix. This may be a result of Spielberg’s tendency to confuse the locales and dates of events that happened in one of the five cities where he lived when he was growing up.Less

Close Encounters: Influences and Production Background

Jon Towlson

in Close Encounters of the Third Kind

This chapter examines a number of filmic influences on Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), which give it an element of intertextuality. Rather than lending Close Encounters ... More

This chapter examines a number of filmic influences on Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), which give it an element of intertextuality. Rather than lending Close Encounters an air of postmodern pastiche, the intertextuality of the film helps to shape its inner meaning and philosophy. The chapter highlights how Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is a major influence on Spielberg's film in a number of ways. Other influences on Close Encounters include Disney films; other great American filmmakers; Alfred Hitchcock and Frank Capra; and astrophysicist J. Allen Hynek's book The UFO Experience: A Scientific Report (1972), which rekindled Spielberg's long-term personal interest in the UFO phenomenon that had begun as a teenager growing up in Arizona, and which had already resulted in his feature-length amateur film, Firelight, made in 1964 when he was sixteen. The chapter then details the production background of Close Encounters, including its script development and filming process.Less