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Auteur of the Week: Steven Spielberg (4 of 4)
My four-week look at the complete directorial filmography of New Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg is finally coming to a close. You can look at part one here, part two here and part three here. While the last decade may not be my favorite decade of Spielberg’s work, at least three of his films from the 2000s are among my favorite of his films, as well as of all-time.
Auteur of the Week: Steven Spielberg (3 of 4)
Before my computer died last week, I was set to start on week three of my four-part Auteur of the Week series on Steven Spielberg. Luckily, this week I am able to use a shared computer (my new one should be here in the next few days!) and finally bring you part three! If you haven’t had a chance yet, you can read part one here and part two here.
Auteur of the Week: Steven Spielberg (2 of 4)
Continuing my four-part Auteur of the Week series on Steven Spielberg (you can see the first part here) I’m now going to be talking about the rest of Spielberg’s work in the 1980s. Throughout the 80s Spielberg produced hit after hit after hit, establishing himself even more as one of the greatest directors working in the business. There’s only one film in this era of his filmmaking that I don’t like, and it has nothing to do with the quality of the film. I’ll explain later. I’ve also included a film wherein he only directed a segment – the ill-advised Twilight Zone: The Movie.
Auteur of the Week: Steven Spielberg (1 of 4)
First off may I say that I love Steven Spielberg and I can only think of one of his films that I absolutely did not like, the rest I love to pieces. Second, I’m going to be spending the next four weeks worth of Auteur of the Week discussing Spielberg’s filmography. Thirdly, I’ve seen all but one of his films – A.I.: Artificial Intelligence – but I will get it watched before I get to that part of his filmography, I swear. I know some people who do not like Spielberg at all or who like certain films of his and not others. I think that’s a good thing, to be universally liked would be boring. Part of what I love so much about Spielberg is the diversity of his filmography – you’ll find everything from literary adaptations to dramas to action to sci-fi to biopic and back again. I’m only going to talk about the films he has directed, not the films he’s produced. It would take far more than four weeks if we included Spielberg the producer in the mix. I hope you enjoy this trip through his filmography.
Oscar Vault Monday – Jaws, 1975 (dir. Steven Spielberg)
I don’t have a memory of the first time I saw this film; I think that’s because I was very little when I first saw it and I don’t remember a world wherein Jaws didn’t exist. I thought it would be fitting to write about this film as summer ends since it was the first summer blockbuster and to this day one of the most critically acclaimed. I love this film. I have seen it so many times now, including at least once in theaters, that I practically have it memorized. It’s only rated PG, but somehow it is insanely terrifying – even upon repeat viewings. I think Spielberg managed to create a film that is the perfect combination of chilling, exiting, heartfelt and innovative. What also makes this film work so well is the great performances from everyone in the cast. It’s almost as if they made a B movie at an A-list calibre (much like Hitchcock’s Psycho). It was nominated for four Academy Awards and won three – Best Film Editing (won), Best Score – John Williams (won), Best Sound (won) and Best Picture. It was up against Barry Lyndon, Dog Day Afternoon, Nashville and winner One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.
Oscar Vault Monday – Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981 (dir. Steven Spielberg)
I love Raiders of the Lost Ark so much. It’s been a part of my life as long as I can remember. I can’t think of a better adventure story and I do believe Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas and Philip Kaufman created something close to perfect with the character of Indiana Jones. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Score John Williams and won four – Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing and Best Sound. It also received a Special Achievement Award for Sound Effects Editing. It was up against Atlantic City, On Golden Pond, Reds and winner Chariots of Fire. Of those, I’ve only seen Chariots of Fire and I must say it is one of the most boring movies I’ve ever seen. It really disappointed me. This was another one of those years were the “art” movie won over the popular movie. The thing is, half the time that happens I agree withe the Academy’s decision and half the time I disagree wholeheartedly. This is one of those times where I disagree.
Oscar Vault Monday – The Color Purple, 1985 (dir. Steven Spielberg)
This movie is absolutely fantastic. I’ve seen it numerous times and I am moved by it every time. It’s full of wonderful performances and delivers a powerful message. It was nominated for a whopping 11 Oscars and went home completely empty handed, losing Best Picture to Sydney Pollack’s Out of Africa.
Let’s Not Forget About Lee Daniels
With all this talk about Kathryn Bigelow being only the 4th woman to be nominated for Best Director and the first woman to win at the DGA, I think we’ve forgotten that Lee Daniels has been making history, too. I watched an interview with him today on KTLA, wherein he said he sobbed when he heard he was nominated for the DGA. Apparently, he is the first black man to be up for the honor. He’s also only the second black man to be nominated for Best Director (John Singleton was up for the honor for 1991’s Boyz n the Hood). He is also only the third black producer up for the Best Picture award (this year, there are two black nominees, the only previous nominee was Quincy Jones for The Color Purple in 1985) Also, this is the first time a film directed by a black man has been nominated for Best Picture.
the diary of a film history fanatic 