Saturday, March 31, 2007



at a glance

1.life

2.works

3.filmography

4.awards

5.quotations

6.chronology












source:http://www.worldofbiography.com/9117%2DSteven%20Speilberg/

at a glance




STEVEN SPIELBERG [1947]


American filmmaker, Steven Spielberg is the most acclaimed and the ever popular living entertainer of the late 20th century. Emerged as creative moviemaker in 1970; today, he is not only a successful producer-director but also a household name and a veritable brand the world over.

His films have shallow story lines but with his cutting edge filmmaking technique and spellbinding special effects, he has produced a series of blockbusters. From Jaws to Jurassic Park, Spielberg has never failed to amaze and amuse the audiences. He combines mass appeal with stylistic mastery to create a visual fusion that appeals filmgoers ranging from the restless kids to scholarly critics. With his obsession for quality and habit of paying attention to detail, he has created the most popular body of work any director has ever produced in the history of Hollywood.

His films display two most significant elements of human nature – wonder and hope. The typical Spielberg hero is drawn to discovery and the key shot is the revelation of the wonder he has discovered. Spielberg uses reflexivity and intertextuality to enhance the meaning of his films. Hence, using elements of science fiction (sci-fi) and fantasy he avoids heavy ideas to propound inspirational feelings, particularly childlike wonder and optimism.

Aggressive commercialism and childlike simplicity of his films have come to dominate the world’s film industry. Spielberg has not only succeeded as director and producer but also as a complete entertainer. With his venture Dreamworks SKG, a media company, he has excelled in every medium that convergent technologies have created including interactive games, television software, live action, music and animation for films.

As he successfully churns out box-office hits one after another; his dream of producing the greatest entertainment, and influencing masses seems to have come true.

1.life


Born on December 18, 1947 at Cincinnati, Ohio in the United States, Steven Spielberg is the oldest and the only male child of the four children his parents had. His father Arnold Spielberg, was an electrical engineer and was involved in early development of computers while his mother Leah Adler, was a former concert pianist.

Childhood

Steven Spielberg's birth almost coincided with the first sightings of UFOs over the United States. There is some controversy to his year of birth as it is said that he was probably born a year earlier than what is generally believed. In the next few years, Steven was followed by three sisters, Anne, Sue, and Nancy. Steven would later complain that he spent his childhood in a house with three screaming young sisters and a mother who played the piano with seven other women. Although he was born in Ohio, young Steven would later grow up in Arizona.

In his childhood, he watched television most of the time as his mother indulged in an affair and his father too was busy in his own world. As a child, he kept shooting in the backyard with a camcorder. In 1952, one night, his father woke him up in the middle of the night and took him to an open ground where people were lying with blankets on, looking up at the sky. He was taken there to see the meteor shower. He remembers that it was scary to be awakened in the night and taken somewhere without being told where but it was quite pleasing to watch the cosmic meteor shower. From that moment he never looked at the dark skies as scary, but as a source of such wonderful occurrences. This incident helped him form an orientation that mystery offers promise and not threat

Another event in 1952 was his first experience of a movie theater. Again it was Arnold, his father, who took him, after carefully explaining what they were going to see. Not carefully enough, however, since Steven thought Cecil B. DeMille's film about a circus, The Greatest Show On Earth, was a real circus and not one on film. The circus interested him, since his mother had told him how an uncle had run away with one as a boy, the same uncle, it seems who had been in the black market, and had had hidden contraband watches under the family bed. The circus left a strong and everlasting impression on his mind. He was especially very impressed by one of the scenes: a train crash. As soon as he had a train set, Steven repeatedly recreated the train crash, and shadows of DeMille's cardboard characters drift through many of his films.

An Early Taste For Movies

He continued to find movies, unlike television, emotionally overwhelming. Especially Disney cartoons. At eight, he would come screaming home after watching Snow White and The Seven Dwarves. His parents did not understand it, because Walt Disney cartoons were not supposed to scare but to delight and enthral. His parents tried to keep him away from the feature cartoons.

He enrolled in Scottsdale's Arcadia High School but whatever school meant to him, it wasn't higher education. He's always avoided discussing classes or his academic record. At Arcadia High, he signed up with the Boy Scouts, and was admitted to its honor society, the Order of the Arrow. He began to study the clarinet too, and to march in the school band. His mother's preoccupation with her piano prejudiced him against the classical repertoire, and he would never warm to pop or rock. His ideal was movie music, of which he soon had an encylopedic recall. Once he had begun making his own amateur films, he would noodle tunes on his clarinet, but only for his mother to transcribe for piano and record as soundtracks. Shorn of friends and relations by the move to Arizona, and hungry for acceptance, Spielberg took refuge increasingly in showmanship. He began having puppet shows when he was eight years old. For the rest of his life, displays of virtuoso invention would alternate with attempts to create the suburban contentment for which he envied others.

A Strange Moment

Physical awkwardness remained his greatest humiliation. In a school footrace, he once found himself second last, only just ahead of an even slower handicapped boy. It was this boy the crowd cheered on, yelling 'C'mon, John, you can beat Spielberg!' With the compulsion to win but also to satisfy the expectations of an audience that became characteristic of him as an adult, Speilberg contrived to trip so that the other boy could pass him. Then, once the other was well ahead, he threw himself into almost catching up, coming in a close last. John was carried off in triumph, while Spielberg, winner and loser at the same time, stood on the field and cried for five minutes. 'I'd never felt better and I'd never felt worse in my whole life.'

An Angered Son

The year 1959 was a year of significance for Spielberg. References to it riddle his films. It was the year he was bar mitzvahed (a Hebrew ritual). This was also the year when he began to resent his father's obsession with his work. His father brought home a transistor, and told him, 'Son, this is the future.' Speilberg grabbed it and swallowed it.

At 12, he had made his first film with script and actors and at 13, he won a contest with his 40-minute film, Escape to Nowhere. As he was old enough to be allowed to see almost anything at his local cinema, he plundered Hollywood for ideas to make movies.

Movies: Escape From Sadness

By the early 60s, his parents' marriage was failing. Steven fled from the cold silences of the house to the warmth of the cinema In 1962, he saw the film that was to inspire him above all others. David Lean had spent years in the desert making Lawrence Of Arabia, a truly epic picture. He eventually had envisioned about what kind of touch he would like to give to his movies. In 1963, with a singlemindedness that has become characteristic of him, he set out to make his first feature, science fiction adventure called Firelight. He wrote the first draft of the script in a night; the story of scientists who, investigating lights in space, provoke an alien invasion during which the visitors steal an entire city from earth and reassemble it on another planet.

His First Movie
Every weekend, for a year, Spielberg worked on the film with anyone he could cajole or bully into helping. No girl, no football games, no summer jobs diverted him. His enthusiasm and persistence were infectious. Even his mother helped him in taking some shots. Once he was finished, Spielberd edited the film to 140 minutes. Actors had come and gone over the year, but he persuaded students at the nearby University of Arizona to post-synchronize the speaking parts as he ran the film on a sheet stretched over one end of the den. The Arcadia school band recorded some music for it.

The result, though he now deprecates it as 'one of the five worst films ever made', was good enough to screen for an audience. He persuaded his father, who had already invested $ 300 in the project, to gamble another $ 400 for the hire of a local cinema. The audience consisted of friends, relatives of the actors, ex-Boy Scouts and local film fans. Most stayed to the end, and Arnold, his father, pocketed a $ 100 profit.

Move To Saratoga


His entry into the world of cinema was also his exit from childhood and Phoenix. His father had decided to make another move, this time to join IBM at Saratoga, tem miles from San Jose, near San Francisco. Almost immediately they packed up, and set out for California.

After the barren and dry landscape of Arizona, Spielberg loved the hills and vineyards of Saratoga. But this move finally wrecked the marriage of his parents. The separation of his parents wrenched Steven, who developed insecurities about marriage and a sense of loss that would be reflected in his films, which are filled with sons seeking fathers and children deprived of their families.

Saratoga also exposed him to anti-Semitism for the first time. His parents had never been very religious, but at the same time the religion's emphasis on family values fed his need to belong. As an adult, he became a classic Jewish father - and sometimes, mother.

Because of a lack of academic interest, Spielberg's grades, never high, sagged still further in Saratoga. In the summer vacation of 1963, he made a trip to Los Angeles to visit his uncle. There, he visited movie studios and saw what it was really like in the film making world. After the summer of 1963, he returned to Saratoga and high school. In vacations, he would make lengthy forays to Los Angeles. He visited producers trying to find someone to look at his films. Everywhere he went he was rejected, although one did agree to screen some of Firelight but that did not work out either.

The Gradual Rise

Before graduating with BA in English from California State University in 1970, he had almost eight amateur works to his credit. A short film Amblin' directed by him in 1969, which he made for millionaire Dennis Hoffman, went out to win an award at the Atlanta Film Festival, and helped him to get noticed by almost all the big name studios. The struggling period was over. He was finally noticed by Universal Pictures, which hired him to direct television shows. He simply loved this job and soon proved himself by successfully directing Joan Crawford in the TV-movie pilot for Rod Serling’s Night Gallery. He then went on to direct episodes of such weekly series as Columbo, The Psychiatrist and Marcus Welby, MD. He also made three TV-movies; one of which, Duel made in 1971, was released in theaters across Europe, where it received commercial success and critical acclaim.


After the recognition of Duel, Spielberg became much confident and was ready for a theatrical film. His first official big-screen debut came in 1974 with the release of The Sugarland Express. Although, it received favorable reviews like "one of the most phenomenal debut films in the history of movies" from Pauline Kael, it failed at the box-office due to poor marketing.

However, his next film, Jaws, released in 1975 became an all-time box-office hit and grossed more than former box-office champ The Godfather. It was historically a difficult shoot with untrained crew, malfunctioning mechanical shark and erratic seas. However, success of this classic production propelled Spielberg to walk into the list of Hollywood’s best directors. The movie helped usher in, the modern age of movie blockbusters winning three Oscars for editing, sound and original score.

An Uncanny Knack

In 1977, his next picture Close Encounters of the Third Kind, along with George Lucas’ Star Wars, inaugurated a new era of screen science fiction and special effects driven filmmaking. This became the hallmark of Spielberg movies. His artistry in this movie was the light flooding in through a doorway suggesting brightness and mystery outside. He started showing something amazing that the audiences had never seen before.

By this time, Spielberg had gained an uncanny knack for eliciting and manipulating audience response. He started turning ordinary story lines into mega movies with his brilliant craftsmanship, coupled with special effects. He fell in love with the camera and not the stories. Old style stories of adventure serials of ’30s and ’40s were crafted with cutting edge direction to score an unexpected triumph with Raiders of the Lost Ark in early 80s followed by two sequel movies in the following years. In 1979, he met Amy Irwing, an actress and married her, but the marriage would not last for long..

In 1982, he founded a company using the name of his first professional film, Amblin Entertainment and produced ET – Extra Terrestrial. The film hurtled him to the top slot in the film industry. It won both critics’ appreciation and a huge box-office response. Spielberg continued his success by directing and producing amazing movies in the 80s.

While auditioning for the film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom he met actress Kate Capshaw who was to do a lead role. He developed a deep relationship with her. Kate was married to Robert Capshaw and had had a daughter before her film career took off.

Success And Failure


In the late 80s, his films, The Color Purple, Always and Empire of the Sun, which dealt with adult subjects, failed at the box-office. At the same time, the Back to the Future trilogy and Who Framed Roger Rabbit produced by him became smash hits. He was now perceived as a producer rather than a director. Through his company, he produced over a dozen films. In 1987, he finally received an Oscar and the Irving Thalberg Award, a career achievement award given to producers.

Divorce And Marriage


In 1989 he divorced Amy Irving and married Kate Capshaw in 1991. Before marrying Spielberg, Kate had adopted a son who was adopted by him later. Spielberg loves children and believes that children keep the child inside him alive. He has six children, five from Kate and one from Amy.

Movies With A Difference

In 1993, Spielberg directed two dramatically different films. Jurassic Park, a fascinating science fiction based on Michael Crichton’s best seller on dinosaur life and created best effects on screen, the world has ever seen. The other one was a three-hour, black and white (sepia) masterpiece, Schindler’s List. This film with tremendous emotional impact and a fine artistic perfection finally earned him an Oscar for the best direction, which he was deprived of, so far.

Dreamworks: Where Dreams Are Reality

In 1994, Spielberg started Dreamworks SKG, a media company, with partners Jeffery Katzenberg and David Geffen. The movie studio, Playa Vista announced under Dreamworks SKG, was supposed to be the first in Hollywood in over 75 years but the deal with Playa Vista was cancelled for some reasons and is now planned at a new location. The company is into animation, film and television software production, film distribution, live action, interactive games, arcade and virtually every aspect of entertainment. Spielberg has understood technology and business very well. In 1995, he along with his partners at Dreamworks SKG announced a creative partnership with Microsoft Incorporated to form Dreamworks Interactive to produce interactive games, videos and teaching materials.

The Highest Paid Entertainer

By 1997, Spielberg’s annual income touched $283 million and he was declared the highest paid


entertainer for the year by Forbes. With Amblin Entertainment, Dreamworks SKG and other successful projects such as Idealab - an Internet content developing company, Dive – a restaurant chain. Business Week of June 1998 estimated his value at $1 billion. Understanding the pulse of entertainment market and flexibility to adopt new technology and business practices has made this entertainer a successful entrepreneur too.
Unparalleled

His film, Saving Private Ryan, in 1998 again created history and has been praised by critics as unparalleled in the history of cinema and at the same time has become the most popular film of the 90s. He won an Oscar for the 2nd time, for best direction for this film.

Since mid 80s, Spielberg has kept himself busy in the TV realm too. He has produced TV programs such as Amazing Stories between 1985 and 1987, Tiny Toon Adventures between 1990 and 1995, Steven Spielberg presents Animaniacs between 1993 and 1997 and Steven Spielberg Presents Pinky and the Brain between 1995 and 1999.

A Legend

Steven Spielberg has contributed significantly to the western world cinema and has changed the course of Hollywood history using masterly art of filmmaking and hi-tech special effects. He has certainly proved to be the most influential person in American cinema and most successful entertainer America has produced so far. His contributions in future will certainly continue to inspire the film industry.

2.works


Unlike other successful young American filmmakers of the last two decades, Spielberg did not attend any of the major American University film programs. Largely self-taught, at the age of 16 his first feature was a two-hour science fiction movie titled Firelight. Firelight was premiered at a local movie house in Phoenix (Arizona). In 1969, his short film Amblin was instrumental in gaining him a job with Universal Studio’s television unit. There he directed episodes of Columbo, The Psychiatrist, Queen Marshall: Counselor at Law and Marcus Welby, M.D.". He also made three television movies, which included Duel (1971). Duel was released in theatres across Europe, where it won critical acclaim and commercial success.

Duel is the story of a salesman (Dennis Weaver) who is pursued by a giant diesel truck. The driver of the truck is never seen nor is the motive explained. This factor creates suspense in the movie.

Spielberg’s first production film was The Sugarland Express (1974). Pauline Kael has described this movie as "one of the most phenomenal debut films in the history of movies." The film is based on the true story of a Texas woman and her escaped convict husband who fight the law to regain custody of their baby. His choreographed car chases and deft handling of suspense and comedy are remarkable. Poor marketing could be one of the reasons for the failure of this memorably entertaining and poignant feature at the box office.

Spielberg’s second production Jaws faced a lot of production problems. The troubles chiefly owed to a young inexperienced director, a dissatisfied crew and a malfunctioning mechanical shark. In spite of these hurdles Jaws emerged as a classic tale of adventure that propelled Spielberg to the A–list of Hollywood directors.

His next film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind displayed the first development of his cinematic interest in the amazing world of children. In this film, Francois Truffaut is a scientist who has an open faith in the existence of extra terrestrial beings. The aliens in this revisionist work are initially terrifying. His works are infused with his childhood memories of the 50’s and early 60’s of American middle class suburbia. He has remarked that the experience was like "growing up with three parents – a mother, a father and a TV set." In Spielberg’s films, the characters are rarely at ease with their surroundings. When Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) has his first encounter with the extra terrestrial, he acknowledges the acceptance of greater powers in the universe.


Riding high after two blockbusters, Spielberg decided to try his hand at producing a colossal big budget comedy. His attempt resulted in 1941 (1979), a loud, and wildly uneven film about paranoia. The setting is a small coastal southern Californian town after the attack on Pearl Harbor. 1941 was perceived as a huge and indulgent flop but however in the ultimately run it yielded a profit.
One of Spielberg’s signature films is Raiders of the Lost Ark. Here, along with George Lucas and Harrison Ford, he introduced Dr. Indiana Jones, the celebrated archaeologist, teacher and adventurer, in the film that became the most popular of his screenings.

Spielberg’s next film was E. T. – The Extra Terrestrial for which he is best known. E. T. was an instant classic and a masterpiece as well. The film experience is overwhelmingly emotional. Here, Spielberg’s ability to portray imaginative possibilities beyond the realm of reason, is a result of his childlike sense of wonder. In 1982, he admitted, "I feel I’m still a kid. I’m 34 and I really haven’t grown up yet."

Spielberg’s The Twilight Zone - The Movie (1983) is a remake of an episode, which was scripted by Richard Matheson. It concerns old people who can be children again only if they strongly desire to be so.

As a young filmmaker, Spielberg seemed to favor the child’s world of harmless adventure as was featured in his production The Goonies (1985). In Empire of the Sun (1987), he presented the World War II through the eyes of his young protagonist. Back to the Future is a transitional work, which deals with the subject of time-travel fantasy. Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom deal with racism and imperialism. The Color Purple (1985) is a film inspired on a novel by Alice Walker. It speaks of racism, wife beating and lesbianism. Some politically minded critics condemned The Color Purple. This project was commercially risky, as it mostly featured a black female and unknown cast. The reaction of the intelligentsia was not a favorable one. However, the audiences, especially the black women, perceived it as an aspect of African–American history which was given full-scale Hollywood treatment. The film earned $100 million and Walker, Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey became stars.

In Empire of the Sun, Spielberg chose far riskier material than the prevalent norm for Hollywood blockbusters. Here, Spielberg along with Tom Stoppard (screenwriter) brought together the contradictory themes of an American filmmaker and British novelist J. G. Ballard. In this movie, the effects of colonialism and war are displayed from a child’s perspective. Here, traditional Spielbergian imagery like a strong back lighting and joyful depictions of childlike awe and wonder are used extensively.

Always (1989) is Spielberg’s first romantic film. It depicted issues of emotional commitment, loss and mortality, which are commonly faced by aging people.

In Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade the European topography is used. Here the emphasis is on the family of Dr. Jones. The rift in the relationship of Harrison Ford and Sean Connery makes up for the highlight of the film.


Through Amblin Entertainment, Spielberg created the fantasy series, Amazing Stories (NBC, 1985-1987). Besides being the executive producer, he also provided it with many stories. Spielberg lured many talented film directors to direct for TV. This included Martin Scorsese, Robert Zemeciks, Paul Bartel, Danny DeVito, Joe Dante and Clint Eastwood. Though it was lavishly produced, many of the stories were unsatisfying. Spielberg achieved greater success with the children’s cartoon series, Tiny Toon Adventures.


Hook (1991) was Spielberg’s long awaited return to fantasy land. Hook is a lavish update of the Peter Pan story. Earning over $ 60 million, the film left an everlasting impression on the minds of audiences.

Jurassic Park (1993) is an adaptation of Michael Crichton’s novel on dinosaurs. The film was a breakthrough in the field of special effects. However, the caricatures were quite shallow. Surprisingly, Spielberg did little for its publicity. However, Jurassic Park became one of the biggest moneymakers of all time. Schindler’s List (1993) deals with the World War II concentration camps. This film reflects the atrocities perpetrated by Hitler on the Jews. Schindler’s List was filmed in black and white without any well-known stars. It is adopted from Thomas Keneally’s Booker Prize winning 1982 novel (based on a true story). This increasingly restrained documentary styled drama earned Spielberg the most respectful recognition of his career. Janet Maslin, who is a critic of New York Times has remarked, "It should be noted, if only in passing, that Mr. Spielberg has this year delivered the most astounding one-two punch in the history of American cinema. Jurassic Park now closing in on billion dollar grosses, is the biggest moneymaker of all time. Schindler’s List, destined to have a permanent place in memory, will earn something better." Spielberg is widely recognized as one of the masters of world cinema. This recognition owed a lot to Schindler’s List. This film won almost every film industry award of 1993. There awards included the Director’s Guild of America, the Golden Globe Awards, seven Academy Awards (out of 12 nominations) and Oscars for best picture, best director and best adapted screenplay.

Following the triumph of Schindler’s List, Spielberg resumed producing lavish mainstream entertainment, and produced The Flintstones (1994), Casper (1995), Twister (1996), Amistad (1997) and Saving Private Ryan (1998). He directed Lost World: Jurassic Park II (1997), Amistad, and Saving Private Ryan. Saving Private Ryan is a film equal to Schindler’s List in all respects and has been praised by critics as no other films have so far. His future projects as director includes AI, Minority Reports and Memoirs of a Geisha among others.

3.filmography

Short Films

1968 Amblin’
Television Episodes As Director
1969 Eyes
1970 Daredevil Gesture
1971 Make Me Laugh
LA 2017
The Private World of Martin Dalton
Par For The Course
Murder By The Book
Duel
1972 Something Evil
Savage
1985 Ghost Train
1986 The Mission

Feature Films As Director

1973 Duel
The Sugarland Express
1975 Jaws
1977 Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
1979 1941
1981 Raiders Of The Lost Ark
1982 E.T. The Extraterrestrial
Poltergeist
1983 The Twilight Zone: The Movie
1984 Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom
1985 The Color Purple
1987 Empire Of The Sun
1989 Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade
Always
1991 Hook
1993 Jurassic Park
Schindler’s List
Films As Producer
1978 Hold Your Hand
1980 Used Cars
1981 Continental Divide
1984 Gremlins
1985 Back To The Future
The Goonies
Young Sherlock Holmes
1986 The Money Pit
An American Tail
1987 Inner Space
Batteries Not Included
1988 Who Framed Roger Rabbit
The Land Before Time
1989 Back To The Future II
Dad
1990 Back To The Future III
Gremlins II: The New Batch
Joe Versus The Volcano
Arachnophobia
1991 American Tail II: Fievel Goes West

4.awards&achievements

1974
Cannes Film Festival: Best Screenplay, The Sugarland Express

1982
National Society of Film Critics: Best Director, E.T. - the Extra Terrestrial
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Film, E.T. - the Extra Terrestrial
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Director, E.T. - the Extra Terrestrial
Sha West Convention: Director of the Year

1985
Directors Guild of America: Theatrical Direction, The Color Purple

1987
Eastman Kodak: Second Century Award (with Burt Reynolds)
AMPAS: Irving G Thalberg Award for Career Achievement

1988
National Board of Review: Best Director, Empire of the Sun

1990
Retirement Research Foundation: Wise Owl Award (Television and Theatrical Film Fiction)

1991
Daytime Emmy: Outstanding Animated Program, Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures (shared)

1993
Daytime Emmy: Outstanding Animated Program, Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures (shared)
Venice Film Festival: Golden Lion Career Achievement Award
Peabody Award, Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs
National Board of Review: Best Picture, Schindler’s List (with Gerald R Molen and Branko Lustig)
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Picture, Schindler’s List (with Gerald R Molen and Branko Lustig)
New York Film Critics Circle: Best Picture, Schindler’s List (with Gerald R Molen and Branko Lustig)
National Society of Film Critics: Best Picture, Schindler’s List (with Gerald R Molen and Branko Lustig)
National Society of Film Critics: Best Director, Schindler’s List (with Gerald R Molen and Branko Lustig)
Golden Globe: Best Picture (Drama), Schindler’s List (with Gerald R Molen and Branko Lustig)
Directors Guild of America: Best Motion Picture, Schindler’s List
Golden Globe: Best Director, Schindler’s List
Oscar: Best Director, Schindler’s List
Oscar: Best Picture, Schindler’s List
BAFTA: Best Film, Schindler’s List
BAFTA: Best Picture, Schindler’s List

1994
American Society of Cinematographers: Board of Governors Award


1995
American Film Institute: Lifetime Achievement Award
Artists Rights Foundation: John Houston Award

1996
Daytime Emmy: Outstanding Animated Children’s Program, Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs (shared)
Daytime Emmy: Outstanding Animated Program, Steven Spielberg Presents Pinky & The Brain: Christmas Special (shared)
Daytime Emmy: Outstanding Special Class/ Animated Program, Steven Spielberg Presents Freakazoid! (Shared)

1997
Daytime Emmy: Outstanding Animated Children’s Program, Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs (shared)

Producers Guild of America: Kodak Vision Award (Theatrical), Amistad (with Debbie Allen and Colin Wilson)

1998
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Picture, Saving Private Ryan
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Director, Saving Private Ryan
New York Film Critics Circle: Best Picture, Saving Private Ryan
Broadcast Film Critics Association: Best Director, Saving Private Ryan
Online Film Critics association: Best Picture, Saving Private Ryan
Online Film Critics association: Best Director, Saving Private Ryan
Producers Guild of America: Milestone Award
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association: Best Picture, Saving Private Ryan
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association: Best Director, Saving Private Ryan
Golden Globe: Best Picture (Drama), Saving Private Ryan (shared)
Golden Globe: Best Director, Saving Private Ryan
Chicago Film Critics: Best Picture, Saving Private Ryan (shared)
Producers Guild of America: Darryl F Zanuck Award (Theatrical Motion Picture), Saving Private Ryan
Directors Guild of America: Outstanding directorial Achievement in a Feature Film, Saving Private Ryan
Oscar: Best Director, Saving Private Ryan
Nastri d’Argento: Best Foreign Director, Saving Private Ryan
Rembrandt Awards: Audience Award, The Lost World: Jurassic Park

1999
Daytime Emmy: Outstanding Special Class/Animated Program, Steven Spielberg Presents Pinky & The Brain (shared)
U S Navy: Distinguished Public Service Award, Saving Private Ryan
NACCP Vanguard Award

5.quotations

#I dream for a living.

#People have forgotten how to tell a story. Stories don’t have middle or an end anymore. They usually have a beginning that never stops beginning.

#I’ve discovered I’ve got this pre-occupation with ordinary people pursued by large forces.

#The most expensive habit in the world is celluloid, not heroin and I need a fix every few years.

#Only a generation of readers will span a generation of writers.

#Playing is about fun, excitement, competition and bringing people together. It’s about escape, adventure and connecting. It gives each person the chance to prove that he or she can be a star.

#I never felt comfortable with myself because I was never part of the majority. I always felt awkward and shy and on the outside of the momentum of my friends’ lives.

#I was never on the inside of that. I was always on the outside. I felt like an alien. I always felt like I never belonged to any group that I wanted to belong to. Unlike Woody Allen, you know, I wanted to become a member of the country club."

#Spielberg isn’t a filmmaker, he’s a confectioner.