I grew up with Spielberg. Amblin Entertainment was a literal household name. But I didn't grow up like so many others on Raiders of the Lost Ark or E.T. No no. I grew up on Jurassic Park. I grew up on Saving Private Ryan. I grew up on Jaws. I grew up on the adult side of Spielberg.
Not that any of Spielberg's work is definitely for adults or children. If anything, he's one of the most all ages film makers to ever get behind a camera. Spielberg is fun and quickly glancing at most of his films, he's safe. Spielberg is the director that every American knows about. He doesn't necessarily make "films". He makes movies. He makes entertainment. There's a reason the word is in his production company's name. Movies like Jurassic Park and Saving Private Ryan have worked their way into basically every single American moviegoer's hall of fame. Saving Private Ryan blew people away with it's gritty realism and changed the way war films are made (despite the fact that at it's heart it's a western) and Jurassic Park is still the most quotable and recognizable monster movie of the last few decades. And the theme of Jaws is emulated by children so much so that it begs the question: do they even know what its from? But where in the world did this dude come from? The man has made some of the biggest films in history. His career spans four decades and because of that fact he's got an enormous filmography and quite a list of films to tackle if you really want to get in his head.
But you've gotta start somewhere.
So that's what this little project is all about.
My plan is to work my way through Spielberg's works. I want to go chronologically but as I write this I think I'm going to add a sub plan to this. I'll be tackling Spielberg's popular work first. Jaws, Indy, Private Ryan. Then I'll double back and look at the Spielberg no one knows. Films like The Sugarland Express, Amblin', and 1941.
As an addendum to all of this, Emily D will be joining me on this great crusade so you'll be getting two opinions for the price of one. Can't. Go. Wrong.
Wish us luck-
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