Steven Spielberg is one of the most influential people of the twenty first century. His
great works are prof to his dedication and passion for the art of directing. Spielberg was born
in Cincinnati, Ohio. Self-taught as a filmmaker, he began shooting home movies at the age of
12 and continued to make films while he attended California State College in Long Beach,
graduating in 1970. His prize winning short film Amblin' (1969) landed him his first contract as
a television director, and his first full-length motion picture, The Sugarland Express (1974), was
praised by one influential critic as ' one of the most phenomenal debut films in the history of
movies. Spielberg was a reciepiant of the Irving G. Thalberg Award(1986) for the ACADEMY
of motion picture arts and science.
Spielbers work wasn't just thrillers, he also directed pictures that were more touchy and
historical. “ Evidence of this change came with Schindler's List (1993), a HOLOCAUST drama,
filmed in black and white, that won seven Academic Awards, including the prize for best film
and Spielberg's first Oscar as best director” (Funk and Wagnalls). Stevens works were factual
and sometimes based on true events. “Oscar nominated for best director for Munich (2005)
based on the real-life event of the assassination of eleven Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists
at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany” (Funk and Wagnalls). Spielberg is a recipient for
the french Legion of honor awards selected in 2006 as a Kennedy center honoree. He is a huge
contributor to humanitarian causes, especially ones related to the holocaust. These films showed the more compassionate and caring side of Spielberg. Not only were the movies great films, but
they had true meaning.
Spielberg's works aren't just some random works that he just decides to do, he puts deep
thought and consideration into each of his films. His love for Oldies is shown as well.
“Spielber's love for older movies was demonstrated with his serial- inspired trilogy of movies
featuring Indiana Jones” (McBride). He also directed The Color Purple (1985), Empire of the
Sun (1987), and the widely acclaimed Holocaust drama Schindler's List (1993) “The director
later explored a slave revolt and trial in Amistad (1997) and won his second Oscar for the
realistic World War II drama Saving Private Ryan (1998)”(McBride). He explored futuristic
films in his film Minority Report (2002), where crime was detected and stopped before it is
