Written by: Hampton Fancher and David Webb Peoples (screenplay), Philip K. Dick (novel)
Directed by: Susan Lacy
Starring: Stephen Spielberg, J.J. Abrams, Christian Bale, Tom Hanks, Richard Dreyfuss, Leonardo DiCaprio
Rating:TV-MA
Plot
From Jaws to Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg is one of the greatest directors in the film business. In this exclusive HBO documentary, Spielberg steps away from the camera to talk about his directorial influences and motivations, while sharing stories behind some of his most iconic films.
Verdict
This contains a wealth of film education. It takes the best of what is basically DVD commentary and combines it with slick production. This contains interviews with a surprising number of stars and directors. It tracks Spielberg's origins and vision, while highlighting many of his movies. Spielberg is surprisingly candid about his success and failure. This is great insight into the man, the art of directing, and the results of determination.
Watch it.
Review
Spielberg is a legend. His career has been huge and I often overlook him when ranking directors. He's don't many absolutely iconic landmark films. He has a passion and talent for the art of film.
This goes into his history and his favorite movie, Lawrence of Arabia. That movie almost caused him to give up on his dream because it set the bar too high. One interviewee posits Spielberg stole an office and put his name on the door at Universal while another interviewee dismisses the suggestion. Spielberg doesn't comment, but he does state that he would sneak onto the studio lot and just watch.
He lived film making as a child and that passion is why he's still making film. When you're driven and passionate you will succeed, no matter what you're chasing. Spielberg didn't even get into film school.
It's difficult to pinpoint his success, but it mainly comes down to telling stories people want to hear and making them relatable. He's a phenomenal story teller. He came up with a group of friends that were passionate for their art and at making each other better, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, and Brian De Palma. The group derided Lucas's idea for Star Wars, but Spielberg told Lucas that the idea was great and needed to be made.
This is also surprisingly intimate. Spielberg discusses his parents divorce and how his feelings about his father drove his movies. Spielberg ended up becoming his father, always working.
Spielberg discusses the success of Jaws and the failure of 1941. He thought he was invulnerable and that he could make anything, even a comedy. He couldn't, relying on explosions rather than humor. It took his friend George Lucas's project of Indiana Jones to get him out of that hole.
Multiple actors comment on how he directed them down to minutiae for certain scenes. You wonder is that unique? It can't be common. Plenty of actors don't like that. Liam Neeson was taken aback during Schindler's List by that style, but the results side with Spielberg. He makes his actors better. Schindler's List was intensely personal for Spielberg. In the same year he pushed the boundary of CGI with Jurassic Park.
Tom Hanks has nothing but praise for the director. This manufactures DVD style commentary from Spielberg and his actors and uses it to develop a well produced documentary. This is great insight into Spielberg, film making, and passion.
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