Spielberg: an incredible dreamer
...rs is said to be Spielberg's favorite project. He not only directed the film, but also wrote it, and helped with the special effects. This film gave us a whole new perspective of the universe, by portraying aliens as our friendly relatives from space instead of the blood thirsty savages determined to destroy the Earth. It made people think about their own stereotypes in their every day lives, and how they deal with the people around them. The special effects of this film were groundbreaking, to say the least. Spielberg received critical praise for this movie not only for its special effects of the universe, but also for the touching writing and camera shots that make you feel like reaching out and hugging an alien. The movie that set Steven on the path to becoming the mass-market film director that he is today was, oddly enough, an action film about a man eating shark on the rampage. Jaws grossed 400 million dollars in the box office, and when it was released in 1975, it was the highest grossing film of all time. Spielberg says of the film's success: "I don't think I'll ever top Jaws commercially, but I define my own peak. The minute Jaws became so successful, people kept saying, 'How can you top that?' But I don't run my career on what people think. The peak of my own career will come when I make the best film I ever make. I have the right to determine when I have peaked and when I've slid the other way." (Klemersurd, WWW). When this interview was given, Steven wasn't aware that he would top Jaws on at least two other occasions commercially, and numerous times critically. Jaws also gave rise to the summer blockbuster movie. Before, studios had usually released the cheaper exploitation films during summer, thinking that people would want to be outside. Within a few years, Jaws would inspire the film industry to set outrageous budgets, allow summer action movies to dominate the screen, and let the newest young directors dream of making the great American film. Spielberg's most commercially successful movie, which shattered the record set by Jaws, and brought everyone that saw it a little bit closer together was ET. "Two thumbs up, way up!" Says Roger Ebert, "ET is a reminder of what movies are for... some are to make us think, some to make us feel, some to take us away from our problems, some to help us examine them. What is enchanting about ET is that in some measure it does all of those things." (Sanello, 108). ET is the Spielberg movie that more people saw than any other. But what made this film so popular? What deeper need did it fill than simple entertainment? Why does a story of a young boy and a goofy looking extraterrestrial make people cry who never cry at movies? Easy -- it's a film about the one thing that everybody wants, but doesn't always have, making it an identifiable movie. It's a film about friendship, and the need to love and be loved. "ET is as close to an autobiographical movie as Spielberg has given us with the themes of loneliness, fear of separation and longing for friendship, they seem to come straight from Spielberg's own lonely, peripatetic childhood." (Sanello, 104). Steven's inspiration for this movie was the memories of his frequent moves as a young child. He would come into a new town, find a best friend, and finally get rid of the "new kid" status, and then be forced to move somewhere else. "There was always the good-bye scene. ET reflects a lot of that. When Elliot finds ET, he hangs onto him. He announces in no uncertain terms, 'I'm keeping him,' and he means it." (Sanello, 104). Spielberg po...