June 2012
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This interesting Guardian piece takes a look at Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Prometheus and the use of music as a method of communication in science-fiction films.
It’s not especially in-depth, but it’s a good read nonetheless.
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Adam Zanzie is a great up-and-coming critic and Spielberg fan who has written some brilliant in-depth pieces about the director’s films. The articles can be seen below and are well worth reading…
Amblin’
Jaws
Jurassic Park
Schindler’s List
Saving Private Ryan
War Horse
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evEmpire of the Sun - extract from ebook
thepaulbernard:
Working on Empire of the Sun SPAIN & ELSTREE STUDIOS - 1987
Empire of the Sun, the story of 12 year old Cathedral Schoolboy Jim, interned in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, was based on the childhood memories of author J.G. Ballard. The boy chosen by Spielberg to play Jim was Christian Bale and the entire camp, including airfield and working runway was built on...
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KDK12: Poltergeist As Sequel To The Shining →
kdk12:
∆ The Shining ends with a close up on the words “July 4th.” Poltergeist opens in darkness with only the sound of the National Anthem playing.
∆ The Shining ends with a slow zoom into a detail, Poltergeist starts with a slow reverse zoom out of a detail. Televisions are…
Really interesting stuff.
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In 2002, Salon ran this interesting interview with two of the experts Spielberg enlisted to advise him on future technology for Minority Report.
One of the experts, Harald Belker, offers the following fascinating tidbit about creating a realistic future…
Much has been made of this “think tank summit” hosted by Steven Spielberg prior to shooting. Can you give us an idea what that experience...
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Drinkin’ Drive-In has a great article (with some fantastic pictures) of the many Jaws rip-offs that were released after the movie hit it big. Some of them (well, almost all of them actually) look utterly dreadful.
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The Jaws poster is one of the most famous in film history, but there are plenty of cool redesigns at this Shortlist link. My favourite? The one with only the legs. It smartly trades on our knowledge of the original poster, while putting a nice, fresh spin on it.
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A link that’s well worth checking out if you’re into Jaws is the F*** Yeah, Jaws Tumblr blog. It’s full of great bits and pieces that you can (and probably will) lose hours of your day to.
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Here’s one of my own pieces, written for the Huffington Post, about why Jaws - re-released in the UK today - remains one of the greatest blockbusters ever made.
Check it out…
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A little shout-out to JawsCollector.com, which is one of the greatest collections of Jaws merchandise I’ve ever seen. Some great magazine and newspaper clippings on there too. Well worth a look.
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This is a wonderful interview with a key figure in Spielberg’s life: his father, Arnold. There aren’t any dramatic revelations here and nothing that anyone who’s read Joseph McBride’s biography won’t already know, but it’s a nice read with a few fantastic photos.
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Empire take a look at the production, release and legacy of Jaws in this cracking 1995 piece which has been republished to celebrate the film’s re-release in UK cinemas. Utterly comprehensive, it covers all aspects of this landmark work through interviews with some the key players (sadly not including Spielberg).
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There’s an interesting little revelation about the E.T. shoot in this interview with Dee Wallace from British newspaper The Sun. Apparently, Spielberg wanted to see a bit of flesh from Wallace…
“Steven Spielberg and I butted heads a couple of times.
“I think that’s what it’s about when everyone wants the best and wants to bring the best, they fight for what they think is...
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One final E.T. post…
This great article is from Steven Awalt, a brilliant writer who runs the SpielbergFilms Facebook page. It’s an in-depth look at E.T.’s deleted scenes and covers things that you may not know even existed. An essential read for Spielberg enthusiasts.
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A couple more E.T. links to finish the film’s 30th anniversary…
Firstly, Daily E.T. 2012, which is a great photo log featuring a cuddly E.T. dressed as various other pop culture icons - Doctor Who, Batman, Alex from A Clockwork Orange.
Secondly, This Is Your Alien, which features pictures of people dressed as E.T. or with cuddly E.T. toys back when they were kids.
Both are great...
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