One of the films that should be among the most cited in the upcoming Hollywood awards season, “The Fabelmans” is inspired by the childhood of Steven Spielberg, one of the most celebrated directors of American cinema.
To round out the experience, the list below highlights ten films from the 76-year-old director, including the blockbusters ‘ET’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ and the award-winning ‘Schindler’s List’.
Unfortunately, not all of the director’s productions are part of streaming catalogues, such as “Raiders of the Lost Ark” or “Munich”, which can only be rented.
Shark (1975)
It was with this film that Steven Spielberg began to gain fame as the golden boy of Hollywood. Legend has it that the film’s budget was recouped in full only on its first opening weekend. In the story, a small coastal town that thrives on tourism is threatened by several attacks by a great white shark. While the mayor tries to cover up the case, a sheriff calls on the experts to hunt down the bug.
Jaws, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss. 124 mins On Prime Video.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
A householder believes he has seen a UFO and becomes obsessed with the idea, even leaving his family in the background. He learns that other people have had the same experience and that the government is also investigating the case. Years after the film, Spielberg even claimed that ultimately he would change the fate of the main character (no spoilers).
close Encounters of the third kind, USA/UK. Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr and François Truffaut. 138 mins On HBOMax.
ET (1982)
Kid befriends an alien who is accidentally left behind on Earth by his family. While ET tries to get in touch with his species, the boy asks his brothers for help to protect the creature, with which he creates a strong bond. “ET” became the top-grossing film upon its release, a title he held for a few years.
ET. the extraterrestrial, USA. Starring: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Dee Wallace and Peter Coyote. 115 mins. On Prime Video.
The Color Purple (1985)
Spielberg leaves the world of adventure and fantasy aside for more serious subjects with this film, which had 11 Oscar nominations, but won none (“Between Two Loves” won best picture). The plot follows Celie’s tortuous path to her, in Georgia at the beginning of the 1900s: after being raped by her father and becoming her mother, she is given to another man, who treats her as a slave and a companion. Celie tries to keep her sanity by writing letters to her sister, from whom she was separated in childhood.
The color purple, USA. Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover and Oprah Winfrey. 154 mins On HBOMax.
Jurassic Park – Jurassic Park (1993)
Spielberg’s golden year started with the first film in the series ‘Jurassic Park’ which became the highest grossing film until it was beaten by ‘Titanic’ (1997). In the adventure, scientists manage to recreate dinosaurs through DNA found in a fossilized insect. A millionaire, who relied on experience, wants to set up a park with Jurassic attractions on a distant island, but needs the approval of renowned experts. However, during the visit, the animals lose control.
Jurassic Park, United States. Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough. 127 mins On Prime Video.
Schindler’s List (1993)
At the end of the year, Spielberg released the film that would finally earn him artistic acclaim: it won 7 Oscars, including directing, in early 1994. The feature film portrays the story of Oskar Schindler, an opportunistic businessman and seductive, who took advantage of controlling the Germans in World War II to thrive in factories that used Jewish slave labor. However, after discovering the genocide perpetrated by the Nazis, he uses his fortune to try to rescue Jews from concentration camps.
by Schindler List, United States. Starring: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes. 195 mins. On Netflix.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
In World War II, after the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944, a captain is given the mission of leading a small group to rescue Private Ryan, the youngest of four brothers, after the other three have died in combat. The film earned Spielberg his second directorial Oscar.
Rescue Private Ryan, USA. Starring: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon and Tom Sizemore. 169 mins On Prime Video.
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Despite being very young, Frank is a master of the art of forging checks, making him the target of an FBI agent. In the years in which he is persecuted, the boy pretends to be a doctor, lawyer and airplane co-pilot.
Catch me if you can, USA/Canada. Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken and Amy Adams. 141 mins On Netflix.
War of the Worlds (2005)
In this remake of HG Wells’ adaptation of the classic, Ray is a divorced man caring for his two children when gigantic machines leap out of the ground and wipe out the population. The alien attack causes a mass flight of civilians, who seek shelter, while Ray only tries to get the children safely back to their mother.
War of the Worlds, USA. Starring: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin, Tim Robbins. 116 mins. On Prime Video (through January 15).
Love, Sublime Love (2021)
The classic 1961 musical, itself adapted from Broadway, won this remake, but the story remains largely the same. Two rival gangs vie for the same territory in New York: the Jets, formed by white Americans, and the Sharks, with immigrants or descendants of Puerto Ricans. In the midst of the brawl, young Maria has just arrived in town and falls in love with Tony, bringing out the rivalry in the gangs.
west Secondary history, United States. Starring: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose and Rita Moreno. 156 mins On Disney+.
bonus tip
Spielberg
The experience of seeing “The Fabelmans” is completed with this nearly two and a half hour documentary, directed by Susan Lacy. In the feature film, Spielberg not only recalls his career, like the perrengues of “Tubarão”, but also recalls the memories of his childhood, in Arizona, with his brothers and his mother, who acted almost like an older sister.
USA, 2017. Director: Susan Lacy. 147 mins On HBOMax.
#Fabelmans #winning #Golden #Globe #find #stream #Spielberg #movies
