Email
Print
ShareThere are very few directors who can sell tickets with their name on it and Steven Spielberg undoubtedly would top the list. Talking about his film repertoire, a new bible can be written describing his genius.
The start of his brilliance was with Jaws. His second film was such a huge hit-- both critically and commercially --that it changed the way the industry thought. Using long shots numerous times and making the victims look isolated and the shark seem like the ultimate predator, a 'summer blockbuster' was the outcome. Baring Alfred Hitchcock's influential Psycho, Jaws remains one of the few movies where music played a crucial role in building up tension leading to an awe-inspiring climax.
The success continued with E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial which is a shining mix of technical wizardry with flawless storytelling. Yes, it had some uncanny similarity with Satyajit Ray's script. But, the greatness of the film lies in its universal appeal that transcends age and geographical barriers where imagination derives a new facet in a simple yet magical story of a little boy befriending an alien (a first-of-its-kind). By that time, he was praised for his natural flair for direction and technical genius, which basically acted as a double-edged sword and he craved for acceptance as a film-maker of depth and not just commercial mega-bucks. He adapted Alice Walker's controversial The Color Purple with enough maturity but was unfairly snubbed by the Oscars.
He still didn't lose heart and won over the cynics with Schindler's List. Two parallel characters during the holocaust, Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) and Amon Göth (Ralph Fiennes) proved that he could handle a subject like this with the required sensitivity. A film on his scarred history -- it's a true modern masterpiece.
There was no stopping him with Saving Private Ryan-- a moving war epic. The graphic violence has been both praised and criticised, but there is no denying the fact that Spielberg succeeds in showing war soldiers as petrified human beings.
In between, Spielberg tried different genres with films like Catch Me If You Can, where he discovered his funny side with this whacky con caper with electrifying performances.
However, at the end of the cat and mouse game, it's not the characters but the film-maker who cons us with theplot and leaves us with a chuckle.
Be it the art or the commerce -- he knows both sides of cinema better than anybody else. You wouldn't know it better unless you buy these timeless works.
