Directed by Susan Lacy, Spielberg is a documentary film about the life and career of one of the key figures in cinema in Steven Spielberg. The film chronicles many of the films Spielberg made including some of his rarely-seen student and home movies he made when he was a kid as well as the themes of the films he made told by the man himself as well as many of his collaborators as well as film critics, filmmakers, and members of his family. The result is a fascinating and lively film from Susan Lacy.
The name Steven Spielberg is often synonymous with populist cinema as some claimed that he started the Blockbuster era with 1975’s Jaws and would continue to give the film industry a jolt in the arm financially through films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the Indiana Jones film series, E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, and Jurassic Park. While he had been criticized from moving American cinema away from personal and more serious subject matter that had dominated in the 1970s. There are those that disagreed with that sentiment including Spielberg himself as he states that many of his films are personal. The difference is that they’re big personal films as his parents Arnold Spielberg and Leah Adler as well as sisters Anne, Nancy, and Sue will agree to that as there’s scenes from his films that is based on his own life and the life of his family.
Among the themes Spielberg often explored is family as it relates to the dysfunctional family life he had when he was young when his parents split up as well as his own growing pains as a child and teenager. Part of his reasons in making Schindler’s List had to do with his own issues about his Jewish faith as he felt ashamed of being a Jew when he was young and had ignored until he married actress Kate Capshaw in 1991 who got him to come to terms with his Jewish faith. Capshaw would be at his side when he made the film as he also chose not to profit from any financial success of the film in order to create a foundation that allowed Holocaust survivors to give their testimonies. It’s among the one of many stories Spielberg would tell as well as why he would make films outside of his comfort zone like The Color Purple, Empire of the Sun, and A.I.: Artificial Intelligence as a way to challenge himself but also know his limits as a storyteller.
The film also explore some of the business ventures he did such as founding Dreamworks with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen as well as producing other films for other filmmakers while remaining friends with filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Brian de Palma who are also interviewed in the film. Even film critics/historians such as A.O. Scott, Annette Insdorf, David Edelstein, J. Hoberman, and Janet Maslin talk about why his films endure and still matter as well as revealing why Spielberg has had a polarizing relationship with critics despite being championed early in his career by the famed critic Pauline Kael. Collaborators such as cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond and screenwriter Melissa Mathison are both interviewed in the film before their respective deaths in 2016 and 2015 as well as Spielberg’s mother who died in February 2017 as the film is dedicated to her as they all talk about Spielberg’s gift in telling stories as well as stories about children. While films such as Always, Hook, The Terminal, and The Adventures of Tintin aren’t mentioned with the other films that are discussed in the documentary at the time Spielberg was in production for his 2015 film Bridge of Spies. Susan Lacy does provide a great insight into his body of work with the aid of editor Deborah Peretz in compiling footage from those films as well as some rare making-of footage.
Cinematographers Ed Marritz and Samuel Painter would film many of the interviews what were filmed which would feature many of the actors who worked with Spielberg along with collaborators who are often part of Spielberg’s filmmaking family. Sound editor Steve Borne would compile some of the audio from other interviews including clips from other films as much of the music that is played on the film is from many of Spielberg’s films which is mainly the music composed by John Williams.
Spielberg is a marvelous film from Susan Lacy. Not only is the film essential for fans of the filmmaker but also an engaging documentary that explore many of the filmmaker’s methods in making films as well as the kind of stories he want to tell. Even as it offers some rare footage of his personal life without revealing too much and give the man the chance to speak for himself as he’s still a vital force in the film industry. In the end, Spielberg is a remarkable film from Susan Lacy.
Steven Spielberg Films: (Duel (1971 TV film)) – (The Sugarland Express) – (Jaws) – (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) – (1941) – (Raiders of the Lost Ark) – (E.T.: The Extraterrestrial) – (Twilight Zone: the Movie-Kick the Can) - (Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom) – (The Color Purple) – (Empire of the Sun) – (Always) – (Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade) – (Hook) – (Jurassic Park) – Schindler's List - (The Lost World: Jurassic Park) – (Amistad) – Saving Private Ryan - (A.I. Artificial Intelligence) – (Minority Report) – Catch Me If You Can - (The Terminal) – (War of the Worlds (2005 film)) – (Munich) – (Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) – (The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn) – (War Horse) – (Lincoln) – (Bridge of Spies) – (BFG) – (The Post (2017 film)) – (Ready Player One)
© thevoid99 2017
Based on the novel by Thomas Keneally, Schindler’s List is the real-life story of a Czech-born German businessman who tries to save thousands of Jews by making them work in his factory during the era of the Holocaust in World War II. Directed by Steven Spielberg and screenplay by Steve Zaillian, the film is a look into the life of a man who tries to do good during one of the most horrific periods in the history of the world as the role of Oskar Schindler is played by Liam Neeson. Also starring Ben Kingsley, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagall, Embeth Davidtz, and Ralph Fiennes. Schindler’s List is a visceral yet evocative film from Steven Spielberg.
Told in the entire span of World War II in Europe from the Invasion of Poland to the aftermath of Germany’s surrender. The film plays into the life of Oskar Schindler during that period in World War II where he decided to have Jews working for him at his factory so they can stay alive while he deals with Nazi officials and such during the days of Polish ghettos and concentration camps. It’s a story that is quite simple yet it is also filled with a lot of graphic detail into what went on in Krakow, Poland and all of these places that the Germans had occupied during World War II. Even as Schindler has to deal with the sadistic Anom Goeth (Ralph Fiennes) who would become a concentration camp leader that has a sense of sick pleasure in killing Jews no matter who they are.
Steve Zaillian’s screenplay does have this very traditional yet broad three-act structure that plays into Schindler’s desire to save the lives of Jews by having him work in his factory and such. Yet, it also display Schindler as a man with some very big flaws such as the fact that he is a member of the Nazi party that would wear a Nazi pin in his suit. He would often socialize with Nazi officers and have drinks with them and was a notorious womanizer despite the fact that he is also married. It is among the many complexities of a man who would do something that is good but he is no saint despite his courageous act of kindness. The first act would play into Schindler’s social life and meeting this Jewish accountant in Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley) who has contacts with black markets and such in the Jewish community where he would run Schindler’s enamelware factory in secrecy with Schindler being the one to over see everything.
While Stern is often suspicious of Schindler’s activities in and out of the factory, he is grateful for what Schindler is doing for the Jewish community who had been driven away from their homes and be forced to live in ghettos. The film’s second act plays into Goeth’s arrival and the creation of Plasnow concentration camp as it is a world that is very scary. Especially with Goeth watching over everything as the first taste of that sense of terror is where kills a young woman watching over the building a camp because she made a simple mistake. It adds to this sense of terror where Schindler tries to befriend him in order to keep people safe but it’s not enough where a scene where children are being driven away from their families is a big moment while there’s a few that would hide and manage to stay in the camp. The film’s third act doesn’t just play into the growing realities of what Schindler is facing but also in what he hopes to do as well as see what real power could do.
Steven Spielberg’s direction is very intense not just for some of the graphic violence that occurs in the film from time to time but also in the atmosphere that he creates. While it opens with shot in color of a simple Jewish ceremony where candles are lit, it plays to a world before war but that candle goes out. The film is then presented in black-and-white as it plays into this very chilling period of war and terror. Shot on location in Krakow, Poland and areas nearby, the film does play into a world that becomes undone by prejudice and occupation where Spielberg’s usage of hand-held cameras and tracking shots capture these moments where Jews are driven out of their homes and be cramped into these apartments where overcrowding becomes an issue. Spielberg’s usage of close-ups and medium shots do play into that intimacy but also in moments where there is very little space in comparison to the places where the Germans and Schindler lived in.
The usage of wide shots are also evident to capture the look of the locations as well as these eerie scenes such as the liquidation of Krakow where Schindler and his mistress are watching up on a hill into this moment where many Jews are being killed with some hiding from the Germans. There are also some very eerie scenes of dark comedy in the way Goeth handles situations such as how he kills Jews or a moment where he tries to kill a former rabbi. There are also these moments that play into Schindler’s own sense of disconnect from the realities of what is happening as it features a scene where he’s in a party having fun while Goeth beats a young Jewish maid as that moment is actually far more gruesome than the scenes of people being killed. It is among these moments that showcase not just a stench of death but also some of the eerie symbolism that Schindler is forced to confront that includes this strange image of the little girl in a red coat.
It’s not just these elements of symbolism that Spielberg would put in that are very evident as it relates to Schindler’s disconnect with what he really needed to do but also in how it would relate to the film’s ending. It showcases not just the development in Schindler but also the severity of what he had to do at not just great cost of his own but also in what more could be done. The film features an epilogue as it relates to the people who were saved because of Schindler as they’re presented in color as it reveals not just the fact that some of these people are still alive. It’s a moment where Spielberg breaks the fourth wall and allow these survivors to have their moment into how much Schindler meant to them no matter how flawed he is as a man. Overall, Spielberg creates a tremendously riveting and harrowing film about a man trying to save thousands of Jews in German-occupied Poland.
Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski does incredible work with the film‘s cinematography with its usage of lights for some of the scenes set at night as it has elements of film noir and German Expressionism in its black-and-white photography as well as the element of neo-realist images in its usage of tracking shots as it is one of the major highlights of the film. Editor Michael Kahn does amazing work with the editing as he uses some jump-cuts during a scene where Schindler interviews different prospective secretaries as well as some very chilling rhythm cuts that play into the violence and drama in the film. Production designer Allan Starski does excellent work with the look of the some of the interiors in the homes of Schindler and Goeth as well as the look of the concentration camps and some of the even more chilling interiors in Auschwitz. Costume designer Anna B. Sheppard does nice work with the costumes from the dresses that many of the rich women wear as well as the Nazi uniforms of the officers to the ragged look of the Jews.
Hair supervisor Judith A. Cory and makeup supervisor Christina Smith do fantastic work with the look of the characters from the hairstyle of the women in the posh world to the ragged look of the Jews in the numerous stages they would endure. Visual effects supervisor Steve Price does terrific work with two major moments of symbolism in the film from the color of red in the girl in the red coat and the Jewish candlelight scenes. Sound editors Charles L. Campbell and Louis L. Edemann do superb work with the sound in creating layers of sound in some of the chilling moments in the film as it relates to eerie scenes in some of the camps as well as what goes on in the ghettos along with some somber yet eerie moments late in the film. The film’s music by John Williams is great as it is very low key in its orchestration where it plays in these very eerie and somber moments that is supported by Itzhak Perlman’s violin playing as the music also features some of music that was playing in those times including the traditional Jewish prayer hymns.
The casting by Toya Cypin, Lucky Englander, Fritz Fleischhacker, Liat Meiron, Magdalena Szwarcbart, and Juliet Taylor is phenomenal as it features some noteworthy small roles from Oliwia Dabrowska as the little girl in the red coat, Hans-Michael Rehberg as Auschwitz camp leader Rudolf Hoss, and Andrzej Seweryn as SS Officer Julian Scherner that Schindler befriends to get him to ease restrictions for Jews. Other notable roles from Anna Mucha, Rami Heuberger, Piotr Polk, Norbert Weisser, Miri Fabian, Michael Schneider, Adi Nitzan, Jacek Wojcicki, Beata Paluch, Pawel Delag, Mark Ivanir, and Ezra Daga as the many Jewish refugees who would be spared and saved by Schindler as they would endure some of the most humiliating moments that no one should deal with. Jonathan Sagall is superb as Poldek Pfefferberg as a young Polish-Jew who would be an officer for the SS as he would deal with the many complications of his role as well as protecting friends and family.
Embeth Davidtz is excellent as Helen Hirsch as a Jewish maid hired by Goeth to do things for him as well as be a sick object of desire that she is repulsed by. Caroline Goodall is terrific as Schindler’s wife Emilie as a woman who would see him often though she is aware of his womanizing and such while being the one person he can always turn to for guidance. Ben Kingsley is amazing as Itzhak Stern as a Jewish accountant who serves as the film’s conscience as a good man that would run many of Schindler’s operations as well as be the one person that can connect Schindler to the people. Ralph Fiennes is brilliant as Amon Goeth as this sadistic and insane concentration camp leader who seems to have sick pleasure in killing Jews as well as being someone that is very scary as it is one of the most haunting performances in the film as well as a great breakthrough for Fiennes. Finally, there’s Liam Neeson in a riveting performance as Oskar Schindler as this man who is very flawed in his activities as he tries to make money during the war and hire the Jews to manufacture pots and pans for him where he also deals with the severity of what is happening forcing him to do something in a world where a lot of wrongs are happening.
Schindler’s List is a magnificent film from Steven Spielberg. Armed with a great ensemble cast led by Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Ben Kingsley as well as some top-notch technical work and a sumptuous score by John Williams. The film isn’t just one of Spielberg’s best films but also one of the most sobering and harrowing films about the Holocaust and what Jews from Poland had to endure during Germany’s occupation during World War II. In the end, Schindler’s List is an outstanding film from Steven Spielberg.
Steven Spielberg Films: (Duel (1971 film)) - (The Sugarland Express) - (Jaws) - (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) - (1941) - (Raiders of the Lost Ark) - (E.T. the Extraterrestrial) - (Twilight Zone: the Movie-Kick the Can) - (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) - (The Color Purple) - (Empire of the Sun) - (Always) - (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) - (Hook) - (Jurassic Park) - (The Lost World: Jurassic Park) - (Amistad) - Saving Private Ryan - (A.I. Artificial Intelligence) - (Minority Report) - Catch Me If You Can - (The Terminal) - (War of the Worlds (2005 film)) - (Munich) - (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) - (The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn) - (War Horse) - (Lincoln) - (Bridge of Spies) - (The BFG)
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the book by Frank Abagnale and Stan Redding, Catch Me If You Can is the story about a young Abagnale who manages to concoct several successful cons before the age of 19 as he’s often in pursuit by a FBI agent. Directed by Steven Spielberg and screenplay by Jeff Nathanson, the film is a quirky comedy of sorts where a young man forges checks to create elaborate cons as he deals with being pursued by a FBI agent who refuses to give up as Leonardo diCaprio plays Frank Abagnale and Tom Hanks in the role of FBI agent Carl Hanratty. Also starring Nathalie Baye, Martin Sheen, Amy Adams, Jennifer Garner, James Brolin, and Christopher Walken. Catch Me If You Can is a witty yet adventurous film from Steven Spielberg.
The film revolves around the life of a young man who decides to forge checks in order to con banks out of their money as his actions get the attention of a FBI agent who would chase him for several years. It’s a film that plays into two men involved in this cat-and-mouse game where there is a bit of mutual respect between the two even though Frank Abagnale is a criminal and Carl Hanratty is a FBI agent. Though Hanratty’s motivations is to capture Abagnale and retrieve all of the money that was stolen, it is Abagnale’s motivation that is clearly far more interesting. Especially as he is doing these schemes on banks as an act of revenge when his father Frank Sr. (Christopher Walken) was turned down by banks for a loan due to various things involving the IRS. By pretending to be a Pan Am pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer, Abagnale does whatever it takes to survive but things eventually get out of control which forces Abagnale to get more desperate in order to evade the FBI.
Jeff Nathanson’s screenplay does have a unique narrative as it’s told in a reflective style where Abagnale is returning to the U.S. from France as he’s accompanied by Hanratty. While the film does have a traditional structure, it is more about Abagnale’s motivations as he once lived a good life with his parents until money issues and his French mother Paula (Nathalie Baye) having an affair with a friend of his father in Jack Barnes (James Brolin) which lead to the end of the life that Abagnale had. The divorce of his parents would lead Abagnale to run away and use his mastery to con people would provide him as a means of survival where he would live well and woo women. All of this gets the attention of authorities where Carl Hanratty would be the one chasing him throughout the years as it’s all set during the 1960s while the scenes of Abagnale and Hanratty coming home to the U.S. is set in the 1970s.
While the presentation of the story is comical as the chases does have Hanratty in a series of humiliating moments. It is still a drama at heart where there’s these conversations from a pay phone that Abagnale would have with Hanratty on Christmas Day where it is about these two men getting to know each other as an act of respect between two opponents. Even as Abagnale would have thoughts of giving up his criminal schemes where an encounter with a young pregnant nurse named Brenda (Amy Adams) would raise those thoughts. While it’s third act plays more into what Abagnale would endure as a captured criminal and what he would have to do to avoid spending more time in prison where the roles of Abagnale and Hanratty would sort of change in terms of who gets humiliated. Still, it is about a sense of one-upmanship as well as how Abagnale would use his skills into this new life and find some fulfillment in his life.
Steven Spielberg’s direction is very stylish as it plays up this vibrant world of the 1960s as well as creating something that feels upbeat and lively. Especially in the way he definitely mimics films of those time while creating something that feels intimate with the compositions he creates. Some that intimacy with its use of close-ups and medium shots play into the life that the young Abagnale had with his family including the scenes between Abagnale and his father which expresses Abagnale’s desire and loyalty to his father. It’s among these smaller moments that Spielberg creates that is quite magical while having airs of sentimentality since it showcases Abagnale’s willingness to make his father proud. The direction also has Spielberg use some unique compositions to play into the phone conversations between Abagnale and Hanratty where Spielberg uses a few wide shots to play into the loneliness that looms in Hanratty as he is never seen not working.
The scenes where Spielberg plays into the chase scenes have these intricate steadicam shots play into the frenzy of Hanratty’s desperation to capture Abagnale. Even as Spielberg infuses some style with some tracking shots as well as scenes that play into some of the chases along with an extravagant scene where Abagnale hires women to pretend to be stewardesses. There is a sense of extravagance in these moments but it plays to how elaborate Abagnale’s schemes are as things do slow down in the third act. Yet, Spielberg does manage infuse some style in his compositions as well as in creating the conflicts in Abagnale in what he has to do in the third act. Overall, Spielberg creates a very compelling yet whimsical film about a cat-and-mouse game between a FBI agent and a young con artist.
Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski does brilliant work with the film‘s photography with its array of stylish approach to interior lightings for the scenes set in the bars and restaurants as well as some of its nighttime exteriors in the U.S. and parts of France. Editor Michael Kahn does fantastic work with the editing with its rhythmic approach to humor that includes the chase scenes along with some straightforward cuts to play into the drama. Production designer Jeannine Oppewall, with art director Sarah Knowles and set decorators Claudette Didul and Leslie A. Pope, does amazing work with the set design from the look of the hotel rooms and places that Abagnale stayed in to the FBI office building where Hanratty is at in his job.
Costume designer Mary Zophres does excellent work with the design of the Pan Am pilot uniforms and stewardess costumes as well as some of the clothes Abagnale wears to play into the sunny world of the 1960s. Visual effects supervisors Nathan McGuinness and Patrice Mugnier do nice work with some of the minimal visual effects which plays more as set-dressing in some sequences in the film. Sound editors Charles L. Campbell and John A. Larsen do terrific work with the sound to play into some of the machines that Abagnale would use later in his cons as well as the planes and location scenes to play into the world that the characters are in. The film’s music by John Williams is incredible as it is this nice mix of jazz textures and lush orchestral music to play into the humor and drama as the soundtrack features music from Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, Dusty Springfield, and the trio of Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stan Getz, and Joao Gilberto.
The casting by Debra Zane is phenomenal as it features some notable small roles from Elizabeth Banks and Ellen Pompeo as women that Abagnale would woo in his adventures, Brian Howe, Chris Ellis, and Frank John Hughes as a trio of FBI agents who work with Hanratty as they’re often seen as bumbling fools, the real Frank Abagnale as a French policeman who would arrest Abagnale in France, Jennifer Garner as a call girl Abagnale would woo during one of his schemes, and Nancy Lenehan as Brenda’s mother who definitely takes a liking to Frank as she is excited that Brenda found a good man. James Brolin is terrific as Jack Barnes as a man who was a friend of Abagnale’s father who would betray him by sleeping with Abagnale’s mother and later marry her. Martin Sheen is excellent as Brenda’s father Roger Strong who is a bit suspicious of Abagnale yet takes him under his wing when Abagnale thinks about becoming a lawyer.
Amy Adams is fantastic as Brenda Strong as this young nurse who falls for Frank as she comes to him thinking he’s a doctor about having an abortion as the two fall in love where Adams exudes a sense of innocence to her role. Nathalie Baye is superb as Abagnale’s French mother who met Abagnale’s father when she was 18 and would marry him as she is really an interesting character as a woman that wanted a different life as she has no clue into how bad she hurt her son. Christopher Walken is brilliant as Frank Abagnale Sr. as the man that the young Frank idolizes as Walken has this sense of charm and warmth into his role as a man who wants to do what is best for his family while he would learn exactly what his son has been doing.
Tom Hanks is amazing as Carl Hanratty as the FBI agent who would be chasing Abagnale for several years as he tries to figure out how he does his schemes and such where there’s a bit of admiration in the character as well as some humor as Hanks manages to create a character that is fun to watch despite some shaky moments in his New English accent. Finally, there’s Leonardo diCaprio in a remarkable performance as Frank Abagnale as this young man who would start his cons at the age of 16 in an act of rebellion against the banks that cheated his father as diCaprio brings a lot of charm and wit to his role as well an energy and anguish into someone that wants to make his father proud as it’s one of diCaprio’s finest performances.
Catch Me If You Can is a sensational and fun film from Steven Spielberg. Armed with a great cast led by Leonardo diCaprio and Tom Hanks as well as very exciting premise that is told with such style. The film is definitely one of Spielberg’s most entertaining films as well as one of his funniest. In the end, Catch Me If You Can is a marvelous film from Steven Spielberg.
Steven Spielberg Films: (Duel (1971 film)) - (The Sugarland Express) - (Jaws) - (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) - (1941) - (Raiders of the Lost Ark) - (E.T. the Extraterrestrial) - (Twilight Zone: the Movie-Kick the Can) - (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) - (The Color Purple) - (Empire of the Sun) - (Always) - (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) - (Hook) - (Jurassic Park) - Schindler’s List - (The Lost World: Jurassic Park) - (Amistad) - Saving Private Ryan - (A.I. Artificial Intelligence) - (Minority Report) - (The Terminal) - (War of the Worlds (2005 film)) - (Munich) - (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) - (The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn) - (War Horse) - (Lincoln) - (Bridge of Spies) - (The BFG)
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat, Saving Private Ryan is the story of an Army captain and his squad who trek through World War II-era France to find a lost paratrooper as he is the last-surviving brother of a group of servicemen. The film is a World War II story where a man and his team trek through treacherous battlefields and events to get a young man back home during a very tense moment during the war. Starring Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Vin Diesel, Jeremy Davies, Giovanni Ribisi, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, and Matt Damon as Private James Ryan. Saving Private Ryan is a thrilling yet visceral film from Steven Spielberg.
The film is a simple story set in World War II in France in the aftermath of D-Day where an Army captain is assigned to retrieve a young private whose brothers had already been killed as he is to return home. Joined by his squad, Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) treks through war-torn France to find Private James Ryan as they travel by foot. During this treacherous journey, the men endure many chilling events as well as false discoveries where they would eventually find Private Ryan who is bewildered into why he has to go home and not everyone else. Robert Rodat’s screenplay definitely plays into the scary themes of war and the sacrifices men make as Captain Miller and his men are just normal men that also want to go home but know they have a duty to their country. Even as not everyone is on board to sacrifice their lives to bring one man home as does Captain Miller but knows he has a duty to get Private Ryan home.
The film’s screenplay doesn’t start off with the actual story but opens with a present-day scene of an old man (Harrison Young) in modern-day France as he looks into the Normandy American Cemetery Memorial as it would then shift to the actual battle that Captain Miller and his squad were fighting in. The main story comes in when Captain Miller is asked by his superior in Lt. Col. Anderson (Dennis Farina) to retrieve Pvt. Ryan after three of his older brothers had been killed in different parts of the war as the orders are from General George C. Marshall (Harve Presnell). Though it’s a big deal, Captain Miller takes the mission with his small squad as it would include a newcomer in Corporal Upham (Jeremy Davies) who is an accomplished interpreter but lacks combat experience as he is treated with some disdain by the squad he joins in because of his inexperience. Still, they all have to work together as they would encounter some horrible moments in battle as they would fight Germans through dark parts of France where not everyone is able to cope with.
Steven Spielberg’s direction is definitely intense in terms of his depiction of the battles and war scenes. Though it does start off in a somber manner, it then shifts into what is truly one of the most visceral sequences ever that is the battle at Omaha Beach in Normandy where Captain Miller and various soldiers go into battle. It’s 23 minutes that is definitely uneasy to watch as it is war at its most horrific as Spielberg definitely makes no qualms into how gruesome it is in terms of the impact of its violence. One of the aspects of the film that is interesting is how he is able to shift tones into one sequence into another yet maintain a balance as he does shoot many scenes in very different ways. The scenes of war and engagement are shot with hand-held cameras and frenetic cuts to play into its sense of terror and uncertainty. Spielberg’s usage of close-ups and wide shots into that sequence and other moments of battles with some slanted camera angles definitely add something that feels real where it does imply that war is indeed hell. While much of the film is shot partially in Normandy, much of the battle scenes including the Omaha Beach sequence were shot in Ireland yet Spielberg does manage to make it feel like it’s the actual battle.
While it is a war film, Spielberg does balance that aspect of war’s horror with elements of sentimentality as it plays to what is at stake in Captain Miller’s mission. Notably as Spielberg isn’t afraid to create something intimate whether it’s scenes set in the U.S. involving Private Ryan and his family to the moments where Captain Miller and his squad are walking through France. Spielberg’s approach to close-ups, medium shots, and wide shots definitely add to this feeling that it’s a film about brothers but men who are willing to put their lives for one another. Even as that bond becomes intense in its third act where the men eventually find Private Ryan who is also trying to do his own duty in this band of brothers as he and Captain Miller would have to work together to fight against the German in a climatic battle. Overall, Spielberg creates a very exhilarating yet rapturous film about war and a man trying to fight for his life to bring a young man back home.
Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski does incredible work with the film‘s cinematography as Kaminski brings a desaturated look to its colors from its very harrowing Omaha Beach sequence to some striking lighting for some nighttime interior scenes where the men rest during their journey to find Private Ryan. Editor Michael Kahn does phenomenal work with the film‘s editing with its frenetic approach to cutting for some of the battle scenes including the Omaha sequence as well as some more methodical and straightforward cuts for the dramatic moments including a montage which plays into the decision to bring Private Ryan home. Production designer Thomas E. Sanders, with set decorator Lisa Dean and supervising art director Daniel Dorrance, does brilliant work with the look of destroyed buildings in France as well as the battle trenches for the Omaha Beach sequence. Costume designer Joanna Johnston does excellent work with the costumes from the design of the uniforms as well as the officer uniforms for the scenes in the U.S.
Makeup work by Lois Burwell, Conor O’Sullivan, and Daniel C. Striepeke do amazing work with the look of war in terms of its chaos where soldiers would lose limbs or have major wounds to play into its horror. Visual effects supervisors Stefen Fangmeier and Roger Guyett do fantastic work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects in terms of the battle sequences including the very gruesome look of the Omaha Beach sequence. Sound designer Gary Rydstrom and sound editor Richard Hymns do spectacular work with the film‘s sound to create that horrific atmosphere of war from the sound of gunfire, cannons, and grenades to play into its chaos while going for more low-key sound effects in the non-battle scenes. The film’s music by John Williams is superb for its triumphant yet melancholic score as it features some lush string arrangements as well as drum cadences to play into the sense of war and duty as it’s one of his finest scores.
The casting by Denise Chamain is wonderful as it features notable small roles from Amanda Boxer as Pvt. Ryan’s mother, Dale Dye and Bryan Cranston as two officers from the war department, Harve Presnell as General George C. Marshall, Joerg Stadler as a German soldier the men would capture whom Cpl. Upham would converse with, Leland Orser as a glider pilot Miller meets during his journey, and Nathan Fillion as a young soldier who also has the same surname in Ryan. Other noteworthy small roles include Dennis Farina as Captain Miller’s superior in Lt. Col. Anderson and Ted Danson as a captain whom Captain Miller meets during a battle as two men who understands the severity of what Captain Miller has to endure, Max Martini is terrific as a corporal in Ramelle that Pvt. Ryan fights with while Paul Giamatti in a funny performance as a staff sergeant who also fights in a battle as he complains about his feet. Harrison Young is excellent as the old man in the beginning of the film and Kathleen Byron is radiant as that old man’s wife.
Giovanni Ribisi is fantastic as the medic Wade who is trying to make sure all of his band of brothers stay alive as he has a great scene involving a mother he meets in a church. Vin Diesel is superb as Pvt. FC Carpazo as an Italian-American rifleman who looks tough and is quite funny but also display some sensitivity as he is someone that is loyal to his squad. Adam Goldberg is amazing as Jewish rifleman Private Mellish who takes Corporal Upham under his wing to show him what to do in battle as he also has some very big reasons to keep on fighting. Barry Pepper is brilliant as the sharpshooter Private Jackson who is a man of faith as he always prays before he shoots as he’s a skilled marksman that does whatever it takes to protect his band of brothers. Edward Burns is great as the cynical Pvt FC Reiben as he is a BAR gunner that isn’t happy about taking on the mission as he definitely gets the ire of Captain Miller yet does have some valid reasons into why they shouldn’t do the mission.
Tom Sizemore is incredible as Sergeant Horvath as Captain Miller’s second-in-command as someone who had been through all sorts of battle with a massive collection of dirt as he is seen by the squad as the older brother. Jeremy Davies is phenomenal as Cpl. Upham as an interpreter/cartographer who may outrank most of the squad but his inexperience in combat showcases someone who is scared of fighting as he copes with the horrors of being in the battlefield as it’s a really chilling performance of someone who displays the sense of fear in war. Matt Damon is marvelous as Private James Ryan as the young man Captain Miller and his squad had to retrieve as Damon displays some charm as well as a stubbornness as someone that wants to keep on fighting and do his duty as a soldier. Finally, there’s Tom Hanks in an outstanding performance as Captain Miller as this man who is tasked to bring a young private home as he copes with the severity of his mission and wonders if he will get to go home. Hanks also displays a sense of leadership in his role where he manages to be the big guy but also one that carries respect and cares for those in his squad as it’s one of his most iconic performances.
Saving Private Ryan is a magnificent film from Steven Spielberg. Armed with a great ensemble cast as well as some amazing technical achievements, the film is undoubtedly one of the finest war films ever created in terms of displaying its sense of duty and the fear of being in a war. It’s also a film that displays the concept of brotherhood as soldiers do whatever to fight for each other in a war. In the end, Saving Private Ryan is a triumphantly powerful and riveting film from Steven Spielberg.
Steven Spielberg Films: (Duel (1971 film)) - (The Sugarland Express) - (Jaws) - (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) - (1941) - (Raiders of the Lost Ark) - (E.T. the Extraterrestrial) - (Twilight Zone: the Movie-Kick the Can) - (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) - (The Color Purple) - (Empire of the Sun) - (Always) - (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) - (Hook) - (Jurassic Park) - Schindler’s List - (The Lost World: Jurassic Park) - (Amistad) - (A.I. Artificial Intelligence) - (Minority Report) - Catch Me If You Can - (The Terminal) - (War of the Worlds (2005 film)) - (Munich) - (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) - (The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn) - (War Horse) - (Lincoln) - (Bridge of Spies) - (The BFG)
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, And the Oscar Goes to… is a documentary about the history of the Academy Awards from its inception to the ceremony that it would become in its many years. Narrated by Anjelica Huston, the film features interviews from actors, filmmakers, and technicians who had won or were nominated for the Oscar as they talk about the good and the bad. The result is an insightful documentary from Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman.
The film explores the history of the Academy Awards which was founded as a way to celebrate achievement in films while gathering the studios in the early 20th Century to celebrate and award actors, set designers, costume designers, editors, and such without the interference of the Union. Despite some issues during the Great Depression with the Union and the 1950s blacklist that would ban those who had been blacklisted at the time. Actors such as Tom Hanks, Whoopi Goldberg, Annette Bening, Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, Cher, and Ellen Burstyn along with filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, Jason Reitman, and Phil Alden Robinson talk about the importance of the Oscars but also the downside.
The downside reveals that despite winning the awards, there’s a room full of losers there that feel very disappointed as producer Kathleen Kennedy talked about the 11 nominations that The Color Purple had and ended up winning zero. Cher admits that it’s nice to be nominated, at first, until the ceremony where you end up feeling like a loser. Benicio del Toro reveals that while it’s fun to win, it’s not so good for the fact that there were other actors in the category that you won where there’s a feeling that they gave a better performance.
Directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman also use a lot of archival footage dating from the first televised Academy Awards in the early 1950s when television arrived to the world. With the help of editors Brad Fuller, Brian Johnson, and Jake Pushinsky, the use of archival footage as well as backstage clips showcase the sense of pageantry and chaos that goes in the presentation as Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal play into how difficult it was to host the Oscars. Cinematographer Nancy Schreiber, production designer Michael Fitzgerald, and sound editor Wade Barnett do much of the work for the interviews that is displayed on the film. The film’s music by Jeff Beal is low-key in terms of its orchestral arrangements that plays into some of the somber and humorous moments of the film.
And the Oscar Goes to… is an excellent documentary from Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. While it’s not a perfect documentary where it did overlook some good moments and some bad ones. It does showcase the Oscars in all of its glory as well as why not everyone is so happy about it. Still, it does manage to showcase its importance and why people always watch the ceremony. In the end, And the Oscar Goes to… is a superb documentary from Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman.
© thevoid99 2014
