Steven Spielberg On Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock & Martin Scorsese

[westernNYnativ]

It's fun that different different directors approach work in different ways. Spielberg is an incredible storyteller.

[TheDrYes]

Orson Welles-Citizen Kane and others idk

Alfred Hitchcock- Psycho, Birds, North by Northwest, Vertigo, Rear Window

Michael Curtiz- Casablanca, Captain Blood, Gone with the Wind

Martin Scorsese- Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, the Departed, Goodfellas, Hugo

Steven Speilberg- Jaws, Close Encounters(i hate it but..eh)E.T, Indiana Jones, Schindlers List, Jurassic Park

EACH AN ETERNAL CLASSIC AND NONE BETTER THAN THE OTHER

[ThePhantom135]

I think Spielberg is a great collaborator even though he doesn't have a distinct style. That doesn't make his film bad; if anything, that makes each one of his films unique. I think that's something to be proud of.

[colianANDcrowbar]

i envy steven spielberg when i watch a movie you can tell when spielberg made it i love him so much he is my inspiration i would do anything to meet him

[bchow398]

I have only known Steven Spielberg to be stylized. Every movie you ever see of his has his own signature and his own stamp.

[albertstock85]

Even though I think Spielberg can do no wrong, he is dead wrong here. Spielberg has a style, and he can only make Spielberg films, but, that's why I love them so much.

[333Paradigm333]

Humble Spielberg words. How refreshing.

[dickhalloran]

Spielberg made Welles last years in film miserable. So he doesn't really have a right to speak about Welles

[spacepatrolman]

@dickhalloran spielburg wormed his way into a job in the movie business by sneaking onto a movie studio lot doing industrial espionage and stealing their clients when he did the night gallery episode he didnt know what he was doing he had to have rod serling tell him what to do then he killed vic morrow and 2 children

[McRighty]

@spacepatrolman That was John Landis' segment of the Twilight Zone Movie, douchebag.

[spacepatrolman]

@McRighty hey fuck you douchebag speilburg was the executive producer he hired those children off the books had them working off hours against child labor laws went there after the accident ran away before the cops came

[rayjr62]

@McRighty Correct. Landis was to blame for that one. And amazingly enough, he is still working in Hollywood today.

[UFOSPACE1999]

I seen Steven Spielberg grow up on the screen....along with John Williams, Michael Kahn!!! Who would of thought that we got a Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan...from the same guy who did Jaws, E.T. Hook, Indiana Jones, 1941!!!! Spielberg changed and along the way we all see and hear films.

[whitelion44]

Steven, I agree there is nothing wrong in the way you make films. It allows you to to work more often and in more Genres.

[mastertheben]

Spielberg sells himself short here. There's never been a director before him who has both that "style" and that versatility that he's talking about. No other director could get away with adapting to as many subjects as he has without his identity being mistaken. "Saving Private Ryan", "Catch Me If You Can", "War of the Worlds" and the "Indiana Jones" movies are all quintessentially Spielberg.

[whitelion44]

@mastertheben I disagree about the statement of there hasn;t been a more versitile director before him. Billy Wilder was equally as versitile. From Some like it hot(a Comedy)to the likes of Witness for the Prosecution and Sunset Blvd.(heavy Drama)b to inbetween(Stalag 17)

[gammacurve]

It's bold of Spielberg to say he doesn't have a style, but it's a bit disingenuous. He definitely has a style: a sort of modern matinee style using manipulation and sentimentality. Whether or not you approve of it, he's a master at it, and it's drawn many imitators.

[Capcoor]

Styleless?It works for you!

[MultiPlates]

Unique Sights from creative moving spaces....

[McNugget06]

Jaws was Spielberg style.

[TheMostAnnoyingTroll]

quit raping movies cunt bag

[Trekiefreak777]

@TheMostAnnoyingTroll Quit bitching about things as unimportant, and expendable as movies, cunt bag.

[PhantomOnTheHorizon]

"The thing about Schindler's List is, the holocaust is about failure, but Schindler's List is about success." - Stanley Kubrick

[Mokkari77]

@PhantomOnTheHorizon

Well, Kubrick wanted to make his own movie about the Holocaust and Spielberg beat him to it.

[christopherhoughton1]

Spielberg has two styles -- the "blockbuster" Spielberg (Raiders, Jaws, etc.) and "serious" Spielberg (Schindler, Private Ryan, Munich). Both have their similarities but he sometimes adapts based on what area he's working in. But you can see Spielberg-esque moments.

FYI, I like Spielberg, but I think he's somewhat overrated as a filmmaker.

[CHRI0N]

My father

[RonAlmeida]

How can anyone without brains have style?

[JenTak19]

Steven Spielberg just put the finger of what I have always have thought! He isn't a great director, not an original one, and that's why he not one of my favorit directors. What a genius.

[8825TWO]

@JenTak19 Nothing new. So many directors don't think too highly of themselves. Don't agree with Spielberg's opinion of himself. There's so many opinions on the concept of style. It's certainly debatable.

[Trekiefreak777]

@JenTak19 I can't tell if that was an insult to him, or a compliment.

[MillaHead]

Also William Wyler aaaaaand perhaps George Stevens.

[plisskin83]

Munich is my favorite Spielberg film.

[NormanMatchem]

Akira Kurosawa was another amazing director who influenced. He made some amazing movies in his time. I'm still trying to find more of his work but what I've seen him make in the 50s-60s is outstanding. I didn't think I'd be one for samurai flicks lol not that that's the only thing he works on. Anyone who loves movies, and doesn't mind black and white or subtitles, start off with "Seven Samurai", "Yojimbo", or "Ikiru" on netflix. Look forward to some amazing acting by Toshiro Mifune as well :)

[emayano]

Spielberg surely identify himself pretty well

[Dobermite]

I'm Glad Spielberg pays homage to Michael Curtiz, its long overdue and about time somebody did it, afterall he only directed more "classics" than any director whoever lived.

What, you think that's hyperbole?

Go take a look at the list of films Curtiz directed, wikipedia his bio and look at the list of films, the number of "classics" on that list is staggering, so I'll call him the greatest director whoever lived and let his body of work speak for itself.

[Gencturk92]

Alfred Hitchcock is the best filmmaker in cinema history, no one can reach Hitchcock's limit, he is the master of filmmaking.

[weikko79]

Well, it's not that staggering, to tell you the truth. (No offense to Curtiz, of whom I'm a fan -- I count Yankee Doodle Dandy among my favorites and even like Mission to Moscow because of MC's style). The ones that have survived to this day as classics everyone loves and recognizes are Robin Hood, Casablanca, YDD, Mildred Pearce, White Christmas; great films, but that's pretty much it. Compare this with Ford, Hawks, or Hitchcock, each of whom has at least a dozen "solid" classics to his credit.

[Casarzino]

Kubrick I think has the most recognisable style of any filmmaker. There are certain things you always have in a Kubrick film, like long closeups of a person's face, long uninterrupted shots, classical music, a famous/memorable piece of music during the opening credits..

[futurestoryteller]

I think it's infinitely great that he 'has no style', how do you get to be one of the highest paid well respected film makers in the business based on movies that aren't flocked to by a group of cultist fans waiting to see what they like about 'a Spielberg picture.'?

You make them well, regardless.

[dcolby5]

When he speaks of "style," he's speaking of what the director does with the camera, right? I mean, he tends to make sentimental films and Scorsese tends to make "gritty" films, but I wouldn't call that their style. Style is the way Scorsese whips the camera around and cuts with rapid motion. Right?

[Casarzino]

@dcolby5 that's only a part of it, it could also be other details like use of particular kinds of music, recurrent themes, etc.

[1Moregano1]

I think Spielberg has one of the most (if not the most) distinctive style in the history of moviemakers. Funny he should think the opposite.

[yohei72]

@1Moregano1 I was kind of thinking the same thing. Although he has developed at least a little more stylistic versatility in the last decade and a half or so, there's a very distinctive "Spielberg style"... although in many ways in became the default "Hollywood blockbuster style," especially in the '80s.

[1Moregano1]

@yohei72 Yeah, I think Spielberg was kind of the generator of that 80's/90's 'blockbuster' look. If you look at movies from then from guys like Zemeckis or Cameron, they've kinda got the same thing going that Spielberg had, except not as good.

[hughpower123]

So what he's saying is "I make better films than them because my films lack consistency"

[TheResidentSociopath]

@hughpower123 Uh, he's clearly saying the opposite. Notice the word "envy"? He's actually taking an indirect shot at himself and his directing talents, which is very typical of his humble nature.

[lehighmark]

Spielberg saying anything on Welles is ridiculous... Welles rarely (if ever) had the money to make films... "directors like Spielberg have wasted more $ on one picture than Welles had for all of his" or something close to that statement has been repeated.... apples to oranges

[samyooljackson]

@lehighmark The reason being is because Spielberg's name alone will draw enough of an audience to make back the original budget. Keep in mind that Spielberg's films have grossed over $8 billion, so obviously a studio is more willing to trust him with a movie then way back when Welles was directing.

[inrwizards]

i think spielberg does have his own style im just not sure how to describe it. theres a lot of family themes in most of his films and an adventure and sort of curiosity. every great director has their own style even if their hard to describe, u see their films and u know who made it. scorsese, spielberg, etc

[rtms1988]

I think Spielberg always improve his art on the movie that he does and it's different than Martin Scorsese does, and My God, I love Scorsese movies, too and also the same with Hitchcock and Welles. Oh, PLEASE!! It's all Cinema!!!

[rtms1988]

When I was a kid Spielberg was an idol to me and I grew up watching movies that he directed and/or produced and I admire him very much and when I started my film course I could admire him much more, because I could see what it is a film production, he's still an idol to me but in a different way. I love blockbuster as I love cult movie, anyway it's Cinema,

[sauronthegr8]

He definitely has certain themes he likes to work with. I don't know if that's the same as a style, though.

[UFOSPACE1999]

@sauronthegr8 White Dresses, Sun, Divorced Parents, Sunsets, Actors thinking, and on an on..Spielberg's styles....

[GenesiusFilms]

Love it, Bobby!

[UniversalBrother108]

Exactly why collaboration is so crucial

[LukeLovesRose]

Does Spielberg refuse to see film as an art? He refuses to "impose" himself in his art, is that what he's saying here?? That's what I got from what he said. I thought art was all about self-expression.

[NeroBlack2200]

@LukeLovesRose I think his point is like the difference between what we would identify as a "movie star" and a "character actor". Some actors, like Jack Nicholson, have a presence that transcends their role without losing subtlety or greatness, whereas other actors, such as Gary Oldman, can project that same greatness while getting into the character to the point of being unrecognizable.

[kingcaesar5]

thats the reason the academy overlooked scorsese, welles and hitchcock, every time thier film came out people were like hey another film that was just like the last one, they didn't pay attention to the craft of filmaking and the subtle touches each director put into his film.

The most versatile director ever is Howard Hawks, then Kubrick (although you can tell a film of his within 10 seconds.

[UFOSPACE1999]

@kingcaesar5 Welles won an Screenplay Oscar for Kane!!!

[weikko79]

@kingcaesar5 What makes Kubrick such a versatile film director in your opinion? Not only can you immediately tell his films are his (which if true of Hawks as well, to a degree), but his range isn't that great (unlike Hawks'). You could say that basically all of his films (give or take a few) are about obsession with control (and the ways it can go wrong).

[kingcaesar5]

@weikko79 his versatily was that he has able to adapt his unique style to every genre he made, he was able to stretch himself as a director to create different worlds. An actor is versatile if he can adapt to different roles, but ultimately we know its the same actor. In every genre, Kubrick has a film that cracks at least the top ten, the films he makes are extremely effective in their respective fields.

[weikko79]

@kingcaesar5 In *every* genre? I doubt that, even though it's true that Kubrick has made his mark in a surprising number of genres (caper film, war film, historical film, sci-fi, comedy). But in my opinion (and many people agree with me) The Shining doesn't make it to top ten in the horror genre, and that still leaves e.g. love films, adventure films, conventional dramas, not to mention musicals :-)

[kingcaesar5]

@weikko79 ou have to do some clever manuevering. The Shining is a psychological horror film, and it ranks in the top ten, its not a slasher or gross out film like what natural convention deems as a horror film. By every genre i mean the ones he attempted. De Niro never did a pure western but that doesn't mean we couldn't have churned out an outstanding performance in one.

[weikko79]

@kingcaesar5 Well, that's pure speculation then. (I presume that by De Niro you mean Bob De Niro; in that case the correct verb form would be "has never done", as he is still living.) IMHO The Shining doesn't work very well as a psychological horror film, and I'm not alone in this view.

[dckitchen]

@kingcaesar5 King of comedy, new york new york, taxi driver, raging bull, cape fear, goodfellas, aviator, shutter island are all very different just because mean streets/departed and goodfellas/gangs of new york (not really the same at all) are gangster themed does not mean Scorsese is limited or is not 'subtle', to be honest aside from Schindler list and Munich speilberg only really tackled the superficial summer blockbuster - to cheesy for me.

[Gaston088able]

@kingcaesar5 GOODFELLAS was just like the last thempation of Christ? RAGING BULL was just like TAXI DRIVER? CASINO was just like THE AGE OF INNOCENCE? AFTER HOURS Wwas just like MEAN STREETS? THE AVIATOR was just like THE DEPARTED?...SUTTER ISLAND?. marty has his style with mob films like hitchcoock with triller/suspense films, but also marety has made GREAT GREAT films and MAsterpieces that arent just of that genre. Being versatile is wonderfull but had style like MArty it is too!

[DonRMB]

@kingcaesar5 Add Paul thomas Anderson to that list.

[McNugget06]

@kingcaesar5 Jack Hill and Howard Hawks are definitely the kings of versatility.

[TruthOnly142]

@kingcaesar5 I dont think there is anything left that Kubrick has not touched upon in his career

[kingcaesar5]

@TruthOnly142 i would have really liked to see him make porn, although eyes wide shot may be close enough

[JesusCristo2002]

@kingcaesar5 - True, but you could tell a Kubrick film "within ten seconds" because of (how Spielberg puts it) the "impeccible craftsmanship" that only Kubrick could execute. If were speaking in regards to subjective versatility - I think Kubrick takes the cake. The man never repeated himself.

[MrDamian12345]

I don't think a director should be so concerned with holding a mirror up to him/herself and asking "does this movie fit in with my 'style'," and trying to impose that onto a film, whether it works or not. The way you shoot a film should come from the material. Whereas style comes subconsciously, through a director doing things a certain way that feels right to them; sort-of like handwriting, innate within their mindset.

[iaintmadatcha]

you are looking at billions worth of movies right there !

[FreedInsanity]

Spielberg is unique in that he adopted two styles. First, it was the traditional, adventurous, John Williams-ready capers (Jurassic Park, ET, Jaws). But after Schindler's List, his craft became decidedly darker and more mature (Munich, Saving Private Ryan.)

[UFOSPACE1999]

@FreedInsanity As Spielberg Matured....So did his films...He was handed years ago by Sid Shienberg Schindler's List......A Younger Spielberg PAST on it..Gave it to Martin Scorsese.....HE wanted to do it..but PASSED ON IT...and Roman Polanski got it..and wanted to do it..but Passed on it..and Finally Spielberg got his hands on it again....and the rest is history...When Spielberg finally grew up...I agree...his films grew up also...BUT times...i miss the inner child of spielberg.

[chicoslivokio]

@FreedInsanity Those are not styles, they're genres.

[blablaidontcarewhour]

@FreedInsanity ...And then he directed Crystal Skull

[meNtor890]

@FreedInsanity I don't think that makes him more unique than others at all. I'm not saying anything bad about him, he is unique. It's just that whatever you're getting at is just empty talk. You talk like you think it takes a great talent to go from adventurous, john williams-ready capers to more serious stuff. No, one just does it.

[FreedInsanity]

@meNtor890 Note to self: delete any top-rated comments.

[meNtor890]

@FreedInsanity you think he's the first one to go from laid back-mooded movies to more serious stuff? you agree there are others? Your comment implies that all such other moviemakers are as unique as Spielberg as that's the main talent of his, according to you. I think that's no talent but a conscious decision.

[FreedInsanity]

@meNtor890 I'll concede, "unique" was not the choicest of words in the comment I made 8 months ago, as indeed there are other directors who have shifted styles over time, but never did one adjust so drastically and successfully as Spielberg. No other director could have directed Jurassic Park in one year, and immediately follow up with Schindler's List, creating the Best Picture and the #1 blockbuster of 1993, consecutively.

That takes talent, of the unique variety, I'm sure you'll agree.

[meNtor890]

@FreedInsanity Ye I agree with that but I guess he didn't try to make a really good movie with Jurassic Park, just dinosaurs. And so the shift of styles wasn't dramatic afterall, as he did have the ability all time. But this discussion is already dead now. We agree and came to a conclusion.

[proceedapathy]

I think it's great to be a director with style but also to be a chameleon like Spielberg says and be able to adapt to what is right for the film.