<em>Spielberg</em> Can’t See Beyond the Director’s Greatness
HBO’s new documentary on the legendary filmmaker does a good job recapping his many successes—but largely skirts over some of his most interesting movies.
The myth of Steven Spielberg is the canonical tale of success in the New Hollywood era—a time when a wave of exciting young American filmmakers emerged in the late ’60s and early ’70s, and the old studio system became more freewheeling and director-driven. An admirer of the widescreen epics of yesteryear, Spielberg was compelled to make movies from an early age; he made countless amateur films on Super 8 cameras and honed his craft as a teenager. He edged his way into Hollywood through sheer perseverance, hanging out on the Universal Studios lot and even camping out in an empty office before finally talking his way into a job
