LEGENDARY
06 "We’re gonna need a bigger boat" Chief Brody realizes how bad the situation is in Jaws
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By Ian Taylor
n 1973, Steven Spielberg had a choice to make. He would either direct a movie about a bloody great shark, adapted from a Peter Benchley novel, or helm a biopic of the man who invented the toilet, called Flushed with Pride: The Story of Thomas Crapper (seriously). Like Scorsese, Coppola and the rest of the Movie Brats, Spielberg wanted to join the likes of John Ford and Howard Hawks in the ranks of the great directors. So he went with the shark thing. Jaws ate up box office records, called the world’s attention to Spielberg and set him on the road to being cinema’s most successful and popular director since Alfred Hitchcock. It remains one of his finest films. Spielberg’s roots lie in Middle America, where, as a geeky kid, he orchestrated elaborate home videos and shorts starring his classmates; early showcases for an imagination that would one day enchant audiences everywhere. A difficult relationship with his
father alongside his parents’ divorce would also inform Spielberg’s films. Detachment and fatherhood are explored recurrently: note Elliot’s absent father in E.T., Jamie’s separation from his parents in Empire of the Sun and the father-son banter in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. After Jaws, Spielberg’s ability to dazzle the audience developed with Close Encounters and E.T., through the Indiana Jones films, right up to Jurassic Park. Stunning effects and setpieces often threaten to dominate these films but are usually off-set by the subtle character touches and charm that he also deploys so well. However, the success of these features led critics to credit Spielberg with little more than showmanship; he was the director that wouldn’t grow up. But while full critical acclaim and Oscars eluded him, box office takings certainly did not. Spielberg’s films have taken a total of $6,552,900,000 to date.
Saving Private Ryan. Future Plans and Projects
But don’t let the money get in the way. Spielberg is responsible for not only some of the most imaginative films ever made, but also some of the most thought-provoking. Schindler’s List marks the director’s coming of age. A delicate, responsible, beautiful film, it tells the story of a Nazi who saved over a thousand Jewish workers by putting them to work in his factories. As a Jew himself, Spielberg waited ten years before deciding he was mature enough to tackle the Holocaust. He asked not to be paid for directing and claims it as his most rewarding film. It won him Best Director at the Oscars for the first time, an achievement he would realize again with
Six of the Best
Unparalleled financial success and co-ownership in his own studio, Dreamworks SKG, gives Spielberg the freedom to hand-pick his projects. Hints and rumours of what he’ll do next do the rounds frequently but the only certainty is that there will be a fourth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise, with both Harrison Ford and Sean Connery returning. The script is being written by Shawshank Redemption director Frank Darabont and production starts in 2004. Spielberg will only confirm that the story will deal with Indy getting older. He has also talked about reteaming with Tom Hanks for a biopic of Abraham Lincoln and a dream sci-fi project that may involve another collaboration with Tom Cruise. Rumours that he will return to the Thomas Crapper story remain unfounded.
Saving Private Ryan (1997) Further proof that Spielberg can do proper, grown-up films, this World War Two drama leaves you stunned and breathless. Veterans who watch it are known to break down in tears during the brutal viscera of the gut-wrenching opening sequence.
E.T. (1982)
Jaws (1973) Did it lead to Hollywood’s dreaded blockbuster mentality? Probably, but this is a bona fide classic: superb central characters, John Williams’ legendary score and taut, terrifying suspense, all overseen by Spielberg’s masterful hand.
Perhaps Spielberg’s most personal film, the story of a boy who befriends an alien is a masterstroke of filmmaking, reducing everyone watching to wide-eyed eight-year-olds. Few films harness the magic of cinema like this one. Let’s just pretend those B.T. ads never happened.
Schindler’s List (1993) This may very well be the best Spielberg has done. Incredibly, it was made in the same year as box office mammoth Jurassic Park, perfectly highlighting his capacity for both kinds of film.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) This is the quite brilliant result of Spielberg’s fascination with UFOs and aliens, which first started when he watched a meteor shower with his father. The shot of the mothership landing is breathtaking.
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT
DIRECTORS
Steven Spielberg
ilm directors page
GRiP
Frank Abagnale Jnr. runs away from his dysfunctional family and proceeds to screw Uncle Sam for millions of dollars. Carl Hanratty is the FBI agent determined to catch him.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN RELEASED: OUT NOW CAST Leonardo DiCaprio: Frank Abagnale Jnr. Tom Hanks: Carl Hanratty Dir.: Steven Spielberg
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pielberg’s latest is a light-hearted and enjoyable piece of eye candy, with all the touches of humour and warmth commonly associated with his work.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Probably the best of the Indiana Jones films, it sees the whipcracking archaeologist race Nazis in the hunt for the Ark of the Covenant. From the boulder-dash beginning, Spielberg takes the audience on a roller-coaster ride of pure escapism. After trying a little too hard to impress as a sixteen year old adolescent, DiCaprio smoothly settles into his role as the king of cool, supported by great performances from Tom Hanks and Christopher Walken. Spielberg’s direction captures all the flair and sheen of the period but an interesting family dilemma is under-addressed, the dialogue between the two protagonists is not as punchy as such a premise demands and the core relationship between the plucky DiCaprio and his
determined pursuer is similarly underplayed, even though the movie still feels about half an hour too long. That said, Catch Me If You Can is still a thoroughly enjoyable romp. ✩✩✩