After more than 50 years of a career that, apart from occasional ups and downs, we could describe as brilliant, it is perfectly understandable that a filmmaker of the stature and prestige of Steven Spielberg has become source of inspiration for filmmakers—and aspiring ones—of several generations and with sensibilities that sometimes do not match those of Hollywood’s King Midas.
matter of influences
One of the most curious samples of this phenomenon has been collected in a Screen Daily special in which various directors and directors pay tribute and review Spielberg’s legacy. Among them is Luca Guadagninodirector of titles such as ‘Call Me by Your Name’ or the remake of ‘Suspiria’, who has recognized the influence of Cincinnati on his work.
To illustrate, Guadagnino references the iconic push-in that Steven Spielberg uses to heighten the sense of wonder in their characters when they make a discovery.
“It influenced me in the way that I’m not afraid to make clear cinematic gestures. If you think of Spielberg’s signature shot, zooming in on a character approaching a mystery that’s out of frame with a light coming from behind and with the music going up in intensity, it’s a very clear and maximalist gesture, and I humbly think it has influenced me.”
In addition, the Italian draws a line between one of the most iconic scenes of ‘Jurassic Park’ and the german expressionism.
“That moment in ‘Jurassic Park’ when the kids are being chased by velociraptors in the kitchen… There you find the idea of cinema as the core of mystery, dream and nightmare that comes straight out of German Expressionism.”
While Guadagnino alludes to the spirit of German expressionism as part of the spirit of ‘Jurassic Park’, Spielberg himself pointed out the composer during an event John Williams as the secret weapon in the adventure starring Sam Neill and Laura Dern. According to the director, the scores of his regular collaborator are the key for the dinosaurs to generate that almost indescribable sensation when seeing them on screen.
“When John first saw the movie, he spoke to me about the nobility of these animals. He never called them monsters, he never called them dinosaurs, he called them animals. John wanted to give dinosaurs the place they deserve, with the same kind of admiration and I respect little kids have when they go to a natural history museum and see the remains of that era. They are in awe of just the bones, not even seeing the meat on them! I feel like a kid composed this movie, with the child’s heart, because John knew how to create a sense of wonder about these magnificent animals.”
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