Duel.
This film is based on the short story written by
Richard Matheson.
It’s about one salesman David Mann who went to a business trip by
his car through the California desert.
On the highway he tried to go round a huge lorry. But this attempt
led to a car skirmish. The mysterious lorry driver begins a
psychological game against David and throws down a
challenge to him. David has to accept it to survive. It was first
Spielberg’s feature film that brought him world fame.
The Color Purple is based on novel of the same name by Alice Walker, who won the Pulitzer Prize for this novel. The film tells the story of a young African American girl Celie who became pregnant from her stepfather. This film shows the problems which African American women faced during the early 1900s, including poverty, racism, and sexism. Spielberg touches upon the problem of racism in his several works. The film was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as a motion picture with the largest number of nominations and no awards of “The Oscar”.
Empire of the Sun is based on J. G. Ballard's semi-autobiographical novel of the same name about the events in Japan during the Second World War through the eyes of a child. Film tells the story of a young boy who was separated from his parents during the war in Shanghai in 1938. Spielberg vividly showed the tragedy of the rapidly passing childhood ruined by the horrible prison life conditions. The film garnered numerous praises of critics and was nominated for several Oscars, but did not attract the kind of box-office power that Spielberg's films usually get.
The Color Purple is based on novel of the same name by Alice Walker, who won the Pulitzer Prize for this novel. The film tells the story of a young African American girl Celie who became pregnant from her stepfather. This film shows the problems which African American women faced during the early 1900s, including poverty, racism, and sexism. Spielberg touches upon the problem of racism in his several works. The film was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as a motion picture with the largest number of nominations and no awards of “The Oscar”.
Empire of the Sun is based on J. G. Ballard's semi-autobiographical novel of the same name about the events in Japan during the Second World War through the eyes of a child. Film tells the story of a young boy who was separated from his parents during the war in Shanghai in 1938. Spielberg vividly showed the tragedy of the rapidly passing childhood ruined by the horrible prison life conditions. The film garnered numerous praises of critics and was nominated for several Oscars, but did not attract the kind of box-office power that Spielberg's films usually get.
Schindler's
List is based on the
novel “Schindler's
Ark” by Australian novelist Thomas
Keneally. This is a true story of
Oscar Schindler, a man who sacrificed
himself to save thousands Polish-Jewish refugees
during the Holocaust by
employing them in his factories. For "Schindler's List"
Spielberg earned his first Academy Award for Best Director and for
Best Picture. Spielberg presented the given novel in his usual
manner. But besides the special effects and horrible details of
cruel war, the famous director won the audience by depth of feeling
and emotional experience of the main character.
Amistad
is based on the novel “Black
Mutiny” by William Owens which
in turn was based on a true story about African slaves who rebelled
against their captors. Spielberg touches upon the problem of the
abolition of slavery in the U.S which he continues in his film
“Lincoln”. The film received lavish praises from the critics,
but was noted for its violent massacre scenes.
War
of the Worlds is a science
fiction film
adaptation of Herbert
Wells' novel
of the same name. Spielberg moved
the plot of the book from England of the early 20 century to America
in present days. But in general, the plots of the book and film are
fairly close. Spielberg had already made films about space aliens.
(“Close Encounters of the Third Kind”
and “E.T. the
Extra-Terrestrial”). In these films
he portrayed alien visitors as a potentially friendly for humanity
creatures willing to connect with them. As for “War of the
Worlds”, this film is marked a departure from these optimistic
themes. Spielberg shows more violent alien invaders that visit the
Earth for the purpose of destruction.
Munich
is based on the book “Vengeance:
The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team” by
Canadian journalist George Jonas, which in turn was based on the
story of Yuval Aviv, who claims to have been a Mossad agent. The
film describes historical events about the Israeli government's
secret retaliation
attacks after the massacre of
Israeli athletes by the Black
September terrorist group
during the 1972
Summer Olympics. It shows how a
squad of assassins, led by former Mossad agent Avner, tracked down
and killed a list of Black September members thought to be
responsible for the eleven Israeli athletes' murders. The film
received positive reviews and was nominated for five Academy
Awards.
War
Horse is based on the novel of the
same name by British author Michael
Morpurgo, which was published in
Britain in 1982. This is the story about inconceivable friendship
between boy Albert and his horse Joey. During the World War I, the
horse was sent together with the cavalry regiment on the
battlefields of France. But Albert, despite the very young age for
the military service, went to the front to find and rescue his
friend. Steven Spielberg is a big expert in the family movie.
Therefore screen adaptation of Morpurgo’s novel which is
accessible to readers of any age, became another successful product
from talented director. This film was nominated for six Academy
Awards including Best
Picture. It was also nominated
for two Golden
Globe Awards and five
BAFTAs.
