Spielberg (2017)

A documentary on the life and career of one of the most influential film directors of all time, Steven Spielberg.

Director:

Susan Lacy

Stars:

Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Richard Dreyfuss

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steven Spielberg	...	Himself
Martin Scorsese	...	Himself - Director
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Himself - Actor
Bill Butler	...	Himself - Cinematographer, Jaws
John Williams	...	Himself - Composer
David Edelstein	...	Himself - Film Critic
Michael Phillips	...	Himself - Producer
Nancy Spielberg	...	Herself - Sister
Anne Spielberg	...	Herself - Sister
Janet Maslin	...	Herself - Film Critic
Sue Spielberg	...	Herself - Sister
Leah Adler	...	Herself - Parent
Arnold Spielberg	...	Himself - Parent
J.J. Abrams	...	Himself - Director
Sid Sheinberg	...	Himself - Former President, MCA Inc. / Universal

Storyline

A documentary on the life and career of one of the most influential film directors of all time, Steven Spielberg.

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Taglines:

Just when you thought you knew everything about the man and his movies.

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Spielberg

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Documentary Films, Pentimento Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

147 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

There is no reference to Spielberg's movie "Always" , except brief appearance of Holly Hunter.

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Goofs

A clip of "Wayne's World 2" (1993) that parodies "Jurassic Park" is incorrectly labeled as "Wayne's World" (1992). The first "Wayne's World" film could not have included a parody of "Jurassic Park," since "Jurassic Park" had not yet been filmed when "Wayne's World" was released in 1992.

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Quotes

Herself - Film Critic: He speaks cinema as if it's his native language.

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Connections

References Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

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Soundtracks

Original Score Excerpts from the Motion Picture 'The Terminal'
Music Composed and Conducted by John Williams
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

User Reviews

What do YOU think of Spielberg?

While I understand why the filmmaker might feel the need to address criticism leveled at Spielberg and his work (too populist, overly sentimental, etc), she takes a far too direct approach by voicing through interviews precisely why the viewer should dismiss those and see Spielberg through the same lens she does. The recent documentary DePalma, made about one of Spielberg's fellow "movie brats," did a brilliant job of asking that filmmaker, Brian DePalma, to open up about the work, major themes and controversies, and left the viewer to draw conclusions for themselves. Watching this last night, I found myself wishing the documentary itself hadn't decided itself to become so sentimental, only explaining the merits of Spielberg's oeuvre.

Don't get me wrong, Spielberg certainly is one of the most (if not THE most) influential players in the film industry and the film does a great job of showing how he became so successful, but the most interesting segments involve discussion of the craft behind iconic films. For Jaws, the discussion of how a low budget helped to build suspense is as rewarding as the anecdotes about Spielberg's process with actors on the set of Schindler's List. With a running time of 2.5 hours, not every film gets equal treatment, but revealing details of his process abound for the cinema buff.

All in all, worth a look, but don't be afraid to make up your own mind.