The Early Years of American Zoetrope

I first came across A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope (2004) as a Special Feature on the 2-Disc edition DVD for THX 1138.

The winner of numerous awards, this one-hour documentary focuses on the creation of Francis Ford Coppola’s landmark San Francisco film company, American Zoetrope. The story is set against the changing landscape of American cinema in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The documentary—which is narrated by Richard Dreyfuss and features interviews with Coppola, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and many others—is now part of the curriculum at several prominent film schools. Everyone interested in cinema should watch this documentary; it has particular lessons for the time in which we are living.

First posted: 12 October 2013

Techniques and Themes - Steven Spielberg

A short analysis of Steven Spielberg's films.

Steven Spielberg - advice

Here's an interesting talk by Steven Spielberg.

He tells his own story from age six, when he was living in New Jersey. It's about circuses and train wrecks and the limits of parental tolerance.

And how these things led to certain choices, and fed an appetite for collective feedback and affirmation.

First posted: 7 October 2012

The Evolution of Steven Spielberg

The Evolution of Steven Spielberg brings us a taste of his iconic movies spanning over fifty years of directing. 

We're gonna need a bigger boat.

Moments of Humanity

Andrew Saladino shares some insights into one of the story-telling techniques of Steven Spielberg.

Steven Spielberg // David Fincher

A short video essay on Spielberg's influence in David Fincher's visual language.

Steven Spielberg discusses his dyslexia

Steven Spielberg only learned in 2007 that he had been dyslexic all his life, and that discovery finally explained his personal, secret mystery. Fascinating story.

The guy asking the questions is Quinn Bradlee, son of the recently departed Ben Bradlee, who was portrayed in the movie, All the President's Men, by Jason Robards. Quinn has learning disabilities and velo-cardio-facial syndrome. He runs a website called Friends of Quinn, which offers "resources and support for young adults with learning differences."

The longest single shot in Raiders of the Lost Ark

Vashi Nedomansky is a film editor, born in Czechoslovakia, who defected with his parents at the age of four. He grew up in Toronto and Detroit before settling in Los Angeles. He is known as the editor of Sharknado 2: The Second One and An American Carol. Vashi was a professional hockey player for 10 years. He says,

This 101-second shot from Raiders of the Lost Ark is the single longest shot from the film. Using motivated camera movement, staging actors in different layers of depth and then altering the actor closest to camera... Steven Spielberg and DP Douglas Slocombe crafted an emotional scene with no cuts whatsoever.

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The Early Years of American Zoetrope

I first came across A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope (2004) as a Special Feature on the 2-Disc edition DVD for THX 1138.

The winner of numerous awards, this one-hour documentary focuses on the creation of Francis Ford Coppola’s landmark San Francisco film company, American Zoetrope. The story is set against the changing landscape of American cinema in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The documentary—which is narrated by Richard Dreyfuss and features interviews with Coppola, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and many others—is now part of the curriculum at several prominent film schools. Everyone interested in cinema should watch this documentary; it has particular lessons for the time in which we are living.

Citizen Steve (1987)

It finally leaked onto YouTube, the long-rumored documentary about Steven Spielberg: Citizen Steve.

It was made for the 40th birthday celebration of the prominent Hollywood director. (His middle name is Allan, but you probably knew that.)

Some people say it is a parody of Orson Welles' masterpiece, Citizen Kane. I think it's for real.

Starring:
    Dan Aykroyd
    John Candy
    Amy Irving
    Robin Williams
    Michael Jackson
    George Lucas
    Robert Zemeckis
    Drew Barrymore
    Dennis Weaver

Steven Spielberg - advice

Here's an interesting talk by Steven Spielberg. 

He tells his own story from age six, when he was living in New Jersey. It's about circuses and train wrecks and the limits of parental tolerance.

And how these things led to certain choices, and fed an appetite for collective feedback and affirmation.

Citizen Kane

At the start of August, The British Film Institute (BFI) released the results of its The Greatest Films of All Time 2012 survey in Sight & Sound magazine.

Once every ten years, the BFI asks film critics and filmmakers—taking into account artistic merit and historical influence—to submit their choices for the ten greatest movies of all time, with Sight & Sound publishing shortlists of both Critics and Directors opinions. The poll is considered one of the most influential and respected movie lists there is.

For my part, I don't believe there is any such thing as the "greatest" movie of all time. There are a number of excellent films which every film buff should see. Beyond that, you can argue over relative rankings all you want, but I think you're wasting your time. The value of the lists is that they help keep alive the memory of great films which have gone before.

The most common response to the 2012 poll results was shock that Citizen Kane had been toppled from the #1 perch for the first time since the list began in 1952. That brought to mind the many complaints I've heard over the years from younger people after seeing Citizen Kane for the first time: It's slow, It's dull, It's boring, What was great about that?

Rather than bore you with my opinions, here are a few short video clips which might give you a starting point for deciding the question for yourself.