Steven Spielberg Biography Essay -- Biography Biographies Bio

Steven Spielberg Biography Steven Spielberg: Revolutionary and Visionary Who would have thought that a brilliant career in filmmaking could have originated with a modest jar of Skippy Peanut Butter smeared on a neighbor’s window in a tiny Cincinnati suburb? One might not think that such an average boyhood prank could evolve a boy into a man who would become the most financially successful film director in history. Well, that is exactly where Leah Spielberg, Steven Spielberg’s mother, would trace her son’s initial entry into becoming one of our nation’s most creative storytellers. â€Å"His badness was so original,† she recalls (Stein 3). Steven Spielberg, the only child of Leah and Arnold Spielberg, was born on December 18, 1946 at the beginning of the Baby Boom years in Cincinnati, Ohio. It does not take a great stretch of the imagination to see that Steven’s film influences were derived from his father’s experience as a World War II veteran and computer technician and his mother’s past profession as a concert pianist. The love and amount of technology, history, and music within Steven’s films can all be traced back to his early life with his family. While many men returning from war never want to reiterate their experiences, Steven’s father seemed to be an exception. Steven said of his father, â€Å" he intoxicated me with bedtime stories about the war. His stories were like the war movies I was watching on television, all worthy of cameo appearances by John Wayne† (Stein 1). It is no wonder that at the age of twelve Steven’s first film, Fighter Squad, was filmed on a WWII fighter plane (Corliss 79). However, when Steven was unable to find certain props or realistic backdrops, he simulated dogfights and plane crashes by editing in footage from a WWII documentary. Only a year later, in 1960, he featured the war family Jeep in his second film, Escape to Nowhere, which was an action picture in which GIs invaded a Nazi hideout in the Libyan Desert. Since his family had moved to Arizona in 1960, the Arizona desert near his house would easily replicate the simulation of the Libyan Desert. It is clear that Steven’s love and knowledge of visual effects began many years before his creation of a mechanical great white shark in 1975. There have been many incidents throughout Steven's childhood that have made it into his films. At the age ... ...ed against the moon, his films have sketched images in our minds we are unable to forget. His influence upon mainstream Hollywood directing is more than evident. Whether it be making us reflect on past tragedies or teaching us that differences should be celebrated aside from being just recognized, his methods of storytelling have established him as more than just a wonderful film director, but as a great humanitarian. Works Cited Corliss, Richard. â€Å"Peter Pan Grows Up, but Can He Still Fly?† Time Magazine. 19 May, 1997. 75-82. Dyer, Richard. â€Å"At Work Again, he and John Williams Exalt in their Admiring of 24 Years.† Boston Globe 24 Feb. 1998: 4/13/99 http://www.multimania.com/spielbrg Stein, Ruthe. â€Å"Biography : Steven Spielberg.† Empire Mar. 1998: 4/13/99 http://www.multimania.com/spielbrg Graham, Judith. Current Biography Yearbook 1996. New York: H.W. Wilson Company, 1996. Gritten, David. â€Å"When the Going Got Tough: Steven Spielberg’s D-Day Drama ‘Saving Private Ryan’ salutes the ‘citizen soldier of WWII’.† L.A. Times 10, May 1998: 4/13/99 http://www.multimania.com/spielbrg Martinelle, Betty. Personal Interview. 11 Apr. 1999.