Celebrating Steven Spielberg

May 9, 2022 | Film Analysis

  • Duel
  • Duel
  • Jaws
  • Jaws
  • Close Encounters of the Third Kind
  • Close Encounters
  • Minority Report
  • Minority Report
  • A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
  • A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
  • Bridge of Spies
  • Bridge of Spies
  • Steven Spielberg
  • (L to R) Steven Spielberg, John Milius and George Lucas.

Steven Spielberg

The most successful filmmaker of all time, Steven Spielberg has also enjoyed great critical acclaim. That’s not to say that he hasn’t made a poor film – don’t bother seeing “1941” for example – but just about everything he’s worked on as a writer, director, producer, etc. has been exceptional.

Before you begin watching any of his films, it'll help to know what to watch for. So, give this Google Slide deck a quick view with an overview of seven key techniques that Spielberg is known to employ:

from Biography.com

You’re gonna need a bigger boat.

~ Chief Brody in “Jaws”

ASSIGNMENT

For this class, we’ve decided to watch some of his earlier films, choosing from “Duel,” "Jaws" and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” – and then one of his more recent films – “A.I.: Artificial Intelligence,” “Minority Report” and/or "Bridge of Spies."
You need to do any one of the assignments for class found in Canvas.

Links

To help you, I have collected some links to several sites that have interesting reviews, criticisms and observations (see below). While I certainly don’t agree with nor endorse all of these points of view, it is the spirit of the free, open marketplace of ideas that I encourage you to check these out. If you know of other resources, please pass them along to me. Enjoy.

SPIELBERG

• Spielberg Biography A nice, brief overview of Spielberg and his work.

DUEL

• “Duel” on IMDB
• 10 Things to Know about “Duel” 
• Duel Script

JAWS

• “Jaws” in the mirror by Dan Rubey. An insightful look into the deeper sociological foundations of the film.
• "Jaws" and its impact on pop culture 40+ years later from Today.
• "Recalling the summer of 'Jaws'" from CNN
• The inspiration for "Jaws" and other cool background info
• Jaws Script

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND

• “Close Encounters” 30 years after A nice look at the impact of “CE3K.” 
• Close Encounters Script

MINORITY REPORT

• Ebert Review of “Minority Report.”
• Samantha Morton Interview who plays “Agatha” in “Minority Report.”
• Steven Spielberg Interview discusses “Minority Report.”
• Minority Report Script

A.I. - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• "A.I.” on IMDB
• Roger Ebert's review of "A.I."
• New York Times' review of "A.I."
• A.I. Script

BRIDGE OF SPIES

• "Bridge of Spies” on IMDB
• Brian Tallerico's review of "Bridge of Spies"
• Ian Nathan's review of "Bridge of Spies"
• Bridge of Spies Script