Directed by Steven Spielberg : poetics of the contemporary Hollywood blockbuster / Warren Buckland.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Buckland, Warren.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Spielberg, Steven, 1946---Criticism and interpretation.

Spielberg, Steven.

Spielberg, Steven, 1946-.

Blockbusters (Motion pictures).

Criticism and interpretation.

Physical Description:

xiii, 242 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Continuum, 2006.

Summary:

Steven Spielberg has defined the standard by which other contemporary Hollywood blockbusters are judged and compared. But how did he attain this position? In Directed by Steven Spielberg, Warren Buckland argues that Spielberg's blockbusters contain more than mere spectacle and visceral effects. In addition, Spielberg successfully exploits visual storytelling techniques to create strong audience involvement.

Buckland identifies the "poetics" of Spielberg's blockbusters-the storytelling options available to him and particularly the choices he makes in directing his films. Buckland does this by investigating the origins of Spielberg's filmmaking in his television work, including Columbo and Duel, before analyzing key blockbusters from 1975 to 2005: Jaws (1975); Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977); Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981); E.T. (1982); Jurassic Park (1993); Minority Report (2002); and War of the Worlds (2005).

Buckland also uses poetics to answer once and for all the question: did Spielberg really direct Poltergeist? The reader will discover whether Poltergeist should remain a Tobe Hooper film, or whether it should be added to Spielberg's cannon.

Contents:

Origins of the contemporary Hollywood blockbuster

Poetics of film directing

Pre-blockbuster work: from Amblin' (1968) to Duel (1971)

"Duel with a shark": Jaws (1975)

The UFO experience: Close encounters of the third kind (1977 theatrical release)

Serials, chase scenes, and off-screen presences: Raiders of the lost ark (1981)

Dramas of suburbia and authorship: Poltergeist (1982) and E.T (1982), or, who really directed Poltergeist?

"Close encounters of the prehistoric kind": narrative, narration, and spectacle in Jurassic Park (1993)

Precogs dream of future murders (not electric sheep): Minority report (2002)

News from Mars: War of the worlds (2005).

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-235) and index.

ISBN:

0826416918

0826416926

OCLC:

62728627

Publisher Number:

9780826416919

9780826416926