Amazon.com Review
Über das Hollywood-"Wunderkind" Steven Spielberg ist bereits vieles gesagt und noch mehr geschrieben worden. Oftmals begleitet von der unterschwelligen Kritik, dessen oberflächliches Mainstream-Kino sei der tiefschürfenden Betrachtung nicht wert. Doch der Vorwurf des seelenlosen und berechnenden Filmemachers ist ebenso überholt wie die Einordnung als Wunderkind, das nicht erwachsen werden will. Seeßlens setzt sich in seiner Analyse des Spielberg'schen Gesamtwerks das Ziel, die Filme in einen größeren Zusammenhang zu stellen. Seeßlen spürt den Brüchen der amerikanischen Gesellschaft in Spielbergs Filmen nach und zeigt das Echo der amerikanischen Geschichte in jedem Einzelnen auf. Akribisch untersucht er, wie die Filme so universal wirksam werden konnten, wie Spielberg quasi Hollywood neu erfunden hat. Wie funktionieren Spielbergs Filme in unserer Wirklichkeit? Wie funktioniert unsere Wirklichkeit in ihnen -- oder auch nicht.

Spielberg hat eher Kino- als Film-Geschichte geschrieben: Das Kino-Erlebnis steht im Zentrum seines Werks. Seeßlen versucht sich daher an der Übersetzung des Spielberg'schen Bilderdenkens in Wörterdenken -- ein Versuch, der, wie der Autor selbst zu bedenken gibt, in einem Wortmedium nur in gewissem Maße gelingen kann. Seeßlen erschließt Spielbergs Werk nicht chronoligsch oder über den Genreansatz, sondern geht kapitelweise in Themenblöcken vor: Familie, Träume und Erinnern, Heldenreisen, Zeichen und Wunder, Versöhung und Erlösung. Manchmal bleibt die Einteilung der Filme in dieses Schema strittig -- warum diese Aufsplitterung der Bereiche Kindheit und Krieg? -- doch die detaillierten Einzelanalysen lassen kaum zu wünschen übrig. Untergeordnet sind diesem größeren Rahmen die Mythologica, die filmübergreifende Themen, Bildmotive und Symbolik behandeln und diese in den zeitpolitischen Kontext einordnen. Neben der Bedeutung und Rolle des Vaters sowie der Reise des Kindes in einen Zustand des Erwachsenseins sind hier vor allem das Verdängen der jüdischen Identität sowie die Opfer- und Erlösungsmythologie von großem Interesse. Seeßlen prägt den Begriff des "Spielbergianismus": Der einfache Mensch muss sich seinen Ängsten stellen, die (schmerzhafte) Erkenntnis treffen, anders zu sein. Seeßlen beschreibt Spielbergs Filme als cineastisch formulierte Bitte um Liebe und Schutz. Spielbergs Helden werden geboren durch die Herausforderung, die sie nicht gesucht haben.

Doch stellt sich die Frage, wenn es um das Denken in Bildern geht, wo die Analyse der Bildsprache bleibt? Erst im vorletzten Kapitel "Die Techniken des Spielbergianismus" widmet sich Seeßlen ausführlich dem "Blick eines kindlich spielenden Gottes", wie er Spielbergs Methodik beschreibt. Der Blick, nicht das Wort führt die Kamera und die Montage, der Louma-Kran als Darstellung der spielbergianischen Bewegung.

Abschließend beschäftigt sich Seeßlen am Beispiel von A.I. - Künstliche Intellgenz mit der Zukunft der Wahrnehmung. Aufgrund der Aktualität des Films beim Erscheinen des Buches ist dies zwar nachvollziehbar, doch wäre gerade hier die Einordnung des Films in das Gesamtwerk äußerst spannend gewesen. Auch lässt sich der Eindruck nicht ganz verwehren, dass die letzten beiden Kapitel Auffangbecken für noch unverwertete Themen darstellen: So werden noch schnell die Grundregeln der Spielberg'schen Blockbuster abgehandelt, kurz die Entwicklung von Amblin Entertainment zu Dreamworks SKG geschildert sowie eine Einordnung der Spielberg-Factory -- hier konzentriert Seeßlen sich vorrangig auf Robert Zemeckis und Joe Dankte -- gegeben. Manchmal wäre weniger mehr gewesen. Fazit: Für Spielberg-Kenner ein äußerst detaillierter Baustein im Gesamtwerk, für Nicht-Spielbergianer die Chance, sich von einem ihresgleichen belehren zu lassen. --Birgit Schwenger ... Read more

Product Description
Discusses how Steven Spielberg obtained his goal of becoming a movie director. Includes advice on setting and reaching goals. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Best Book Ever
I borrowed this book two times from the library at school.
I read it last night. I just have it for one week.
It's a cool book.
Steven got a camera and he filmed tons of movies on it.
And it talks about all the movies he directed.
He then became a famous director after all that stuff
i just said.
So,now,please buy this book!

Superb Book
The book is astonishing as I would have love to meet him in person.I have been always fascinated with Spielbergs movies and he has shown me great courage and great technical skills in which he is my number one idolbecause the movies such as ET and CE32 taught me how to film when I was 6yrs old.So I could only wish to see him someday.

Thank you

Superb Book
The book is astonishing as I would have love to meet him in person.I have been always fascinated with Spielbergs movies and he has shown me great courage and great technical skills in which he is my number one idolbecause the movies such as ET and CE32 taught me how to film when I was 6yrs old.So I could only wish to see him someday.

Thank you ... Read more

Product Description
Follows the life and career of the man who has directed four of the top ten money-making films of all time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Biography
Two model trains headed running straight at each other, which soon makes them debris!, with a set up of plastic people, Steven Spielberg, one of the most famous directors in the world captured it all on film, why, because hewas making a movie, not a famous movie, but his first. Six years old, youmight think he is you but that's how old Steven Spielberg was when hestarted making a train crash film. I think this biography is veryinformative and interesting I suggest this book for everyone that everwanted to learn more about movie making. This biography tells about himdirecting, writing and producing films and budgeting his movies.

If Igave this book a rating from zero to ten, it would be a definite score often. ... Read more

Product Description
A biography of the filmmaker responsible for such popular films as "Jaws," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," and "E.T." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Stephen Spielberg Director of Blockbuster Films
WOW! What a neat book for Steven Spielberg's young movie fans. My nine year old grandson has just received a copy for his birthday and loved it. His parents only recently allowed him to see Jaws and the first chapter of this bio dealt primarily with the challenges he faced in the making of that movie. The boy has been talking about it ever since. A great summer read.- Judith Robinson

... Read more

Product Description
This is a Scholastic Book Services book. Color pictures on front and back cover, as well as throughout the book. Features photographs from Steven Spielberg's magical film. Printed in the United States. This has an ISBN # 0-590-37408-5. The Amazon ISBN verification process states that this is not a valid ISBN, but this number is on the copyright page and on the outside back cover of the book. ... Read more

Product Description
'Stanley Kubrick was the grandmaster of film making', says Steven Spielberg in his Foreword to this lavishly illustrated celebration of the legendary film director. 'He copied no one while all of us were scrambling to imitate him' The variety of his work - a mere 13 features since 1953 - is astonishing; the powerful Great War movie PATHS OF GLORY; the multistar epic SPARTACUS; the black humour of LOLITA; the nightmarish satire of DR STRANGELOVE; the serene visual beauty of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY; the violent expression of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE; Jack Nicholson in THE SHINING; FULL METAL JACKET (where an East London gasworks was used as a set for the Vietnam War); EYES WIDE SHUT with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in 1999; and finally the posthumous production of A.I (Artificial Intelligence) directed by Spielberg in 2001. Kubrick's monument is his movies, and this book is a vibrant equivalent to them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Personal side to Stanley
This is a great book for fans of Stanley's movies.It shows the human side of someone who avoided the spotlight and was thus seen as crazy.

Great photo history, but has some errors
I enjoyed looking at this photo history of Stanley Kubrick at work.Included are seldom seen pictures, with interesting and well-written captions.The filmography is extensive (much of it is transcribed from film credits).There are omissions in the filmography, such as the narrators on some films.There are errors in the photo captions.Jamie Smith ("Killer's Kiss") is misidentified as Vince Edwards ("The Killing") in two photos.Photo 177 refers to Billyboy ("A Clockwork Orange") as Georgie.The list of Harris-Kubrick films is incorrect.Several of the photos originated in color, so their presentation in black & white is a loss.Many of the photos are too small.All in all, a very nice collection.

Please allow me to comment on some of the other books about Kubrick.LoBrutto's biography is well written, with only a few errors that I could find.A few of the opinions are far-fetched (such as a conjecture that Kubrick's childhood friend throwing a pickle in the air foreshadowed the bone-spacecraft transition in 2001).Baxter's biography is rather unreliable, with errors and dubious speculations.Both biographies stop short of Eyes Wide Shut.Ciment's final version of his photo essay is wonderful.Great pictures and interviews.The organization is strange because he keeps adding to his versions, instead of restructuring.Kagan's book has many factual errors in the plotlines of the films; so the criticism is suspect.Falsetto's book has excellent criticism but also quite a few factual errors concerning details in the films.Narramore's criticism is one of the best (in-depth and insightful).He omits Spartacus.Sperb's book focuses on narration and narrators in the films; this is interesting but limited, and Sperb repeats himself a lot in this short book.Rice's book is an interesting analysis of the films from 2001 on.There is a lot to ponder here.Rasmussen's book is an analysis of seven films---the same ones Rice covers plus Dr. Strangelove.Rasmussen focuses entirely on plot, while Rice brings in literary sources, philosophy, other films, etc.Gelmis's book contains an interview with Kubrick when he hoped to film "Napoleon."Herr's memoir is thought-provoking and well written but very brief.Walker's book has excellent analysis and explanation of Kubrick's working methods, but it emphasizes pictures from the films and the pictures are small and don't show well.Nelson's book is advanced reading, explaining cinema theory in relation to Kubrick's films.Chion's book is somewhat fragmentary, with profound observations about mostly 2001.Castle's book has awesome photos from the films and insightful essays.Overall, my favorites are the books by Narramore, Ciment, LoBrutto, and Castle.

A photo chronicle of one of the greatest filmakers of all time
Although Stanley Kubrick made many other movies with a powerful message, I will always associate him with "2001: A Space Odyssey." The power of the movie overwhelmed me the first time I saw it and it still does each time I view it again. The music seems to penetrate your entire being and each time I watch it a new thought about the human condition pops into my mind. It is one of the few movies that you never seem to be able to completely talk out. I always wished that Kubrick had continued making films out of the additional novels by Arthur Clarke such as "2010." Kubrick's other films also have the quality of overwhelming you, viewing "Dr. Strangelove" is a life altering event, it points out the absurdity of a rational discussion concerning a nuclear war.
This book is not about the films that Kubrick made, but a chronicle of his life in photographs. Few of them are personal; almost all show him executing some act in the making of a movie. Generally, he is on the set of his films, we see stills from "Lolita", "Spartacus", "Full Metal Jacket", "Dr. Strangelove", "2001", "A Clockwork Orange", and "Eyes Wide Shut." The photos show him doing everything from examining a script to intensely watching a rehearsal to walking away at the end of the day. If you are a fan of Kubrick, and quite frankly I don't know how such a condition can be avoided, then this book will interest you. Showing him in the creation of his works, he was truly a man with vision, putting things down on film that stay with you long after the credits have disappeared.

The Man Behind the Camera
"Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures" is more of a compendium to the documentary video released with the Kubrick Collection boxed set than a book of its own inspration. It's a trip through times past for both wife and author Christiane Kubrick as well as for the viewer who grew up with Kubrick's marvelous films. The book allows a deeper and more accessible view of the Man Behind the Camera.

Watching Kubrick's films, one gets the sense that something greater than a single man is directing these movies. Looking at these behind the scenes photos I hear the words "Dont' pay attention to the man behind the camera," as Kubrick plays the Almighty Oz in the production of his films.

The book is presented in a large hardback volume with glossy pages; all of the photos are black and white. We see Stanley from an infant all the way through to his work on "Eyes Wide Shut." The final pages also offer some pre-production sketches for "Artificial Intelligence." It is less of a book to read than a book to look through, although there are small captions to each picture that Christiane gives the reader the time and place and offers a little insight into Stanley's thinking.

With a foreward by Stephen Spielberg (the eventual director for "A.I."), "Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures" is designed for the Kubrick fan, but serves as a memoir for Mrs. Kubrick. As she mentions in the introduction, "The photographs will...correct the mistaken view of Stanley as some sort of isolationist misanthrope out of Dr. Mabuse by way of Howard Hughes."

An insightful photographic odyssey.
'STANLEY KUBRICK: A Life In Pictures' (c. Oct 2002) by Mrs. Christiane Kubrick, is an insightful photographic odyssey of Stanley Kubrick, America's very original and probably only auteur director.

Mrs. Kubrick presented, in chronological order, rare family photographs of Stanley Kubrick from his childhood in the Bronx and through his teenage years in high school and working for LOOK magazine.This included his very first 1945 photograph of a newspaper vendor he sold for twenty-five dollars to that publication.

The chronology then continued as a mix of Stanley Kubrick in his various movie publicity stills and with candid photographs of the behind the scenes activity as Director Kubrick lined up his shots on movie cameras; interacted with his crew; conversed with his stars; "having a little game of chess"; or the very obvious serious discussions with cast and technicians. (The pictures of Stanley Kubrick cracking-up laughing on the set of '2001' are priceless; as are the touching photographs of him holding his young children.) The photographs continued until the filming of his last movie, 'Eyes Wide Shut', showing a mature and greying director.

And for those who follow the interesting lives of the actors in his films, 'STANLEY KUBRICK: A Life In Pictures' provided dozens of revealing off-camera images of his interactions with such noted personalities as: Marlon Brando; Kirk Douglas; Lawrence Olivier; James Mason; George C. Scott; and Sterling Hayden.Equally as interesting as his cinematographic technique was his managerial style as he presided over some of Hollywood's most powerful movie stars, dozens of cast and crew, and sometimes thousands of extras, which one can only infer from the objectivity of this black & white photographic collection.

This collection contained a touch of poignancy as photo #57 showed a publicity still of Stanley Kubrick, Sterling Hayden, and Kola Kwariani pouring over a chess game together in the chess club set of 'The Killing'.In this 1956 movie, Kola Kwariani played professional wrestler Maurice Oboukhoff, who instigated a very memoriable diversion for the race track robbery.In real life, Kola Kwarinani was a real wrestler and expert chess player who played in the same New York 'Chess & Checker Club' (alias The Flea House) as Stanley Kubrick.The neighborhood changed, and in February 1980 at age 77 while playing in 'The Flea House' Kola Kwariani was beaten to death by five black teenage hoodlums.

The book: 'STANLEY KUBRICK: A Life In Pictures' is neither biography nor history but simply an important collection of objective photography mutely capturing the working details, values, and personality of America's only world class movie director.

As a suggestion, first read the biography: 'STANLEY KUBRICK: A Biography' (c.1997) by Vincent LuBrutto, to fully appreciateMrs. Christiane Kubrick's impressive photographic compilation.Only then does the revealing photographs of her husband answer the many questions induced by all the incomplete written biographies on Stanley Kubrick. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Easy Piano!
Great book of classic Disney songs from the 30's to the 80's, but this is an EASY PIANO songbook.Don't be fooled into thinking this is the "New Illustrated Disney Songbook" like I was!:)

A great book of catchy Disney tunes
This book of songs contains music from tons of Disney movies which range from Mary Poppins to some of their newest hits. I would definately reccomend this book to anyone with an interest in the kinds of classic songs that Disney creates. My edition (1986)contains a forward by Steven Speilberg. ... Read more

Product Description
Marking the 10th anniversary of the Academy Award®-winning film, first publication of this collection of stunning photographs—many never before shown.Schindler's List, a Steven Spielberg film, is a cinematic masterpiece that has become one of the most honored films of all time. Now, for the first time, this unique book captures the filmmaking experience, before and behind the cameras, during the memorable 72-day shoot in Krakow, Poland, in 1993, when an incredible cast and crew re-created the true story of the enigmatic Oskar Schindler, a Nazi party member and war profiteer, who saved the lives of more than 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust.

Just as Spielberg filmed the movie entirely in black-and-white, so did stills photographer David James shoot his pictures the same way. Now, Spielberg and James have selected over fifty of these stunning images for this commemorative volume, printed in a high-quality, four-color process for enhanced visual presentation. 50 b/w images. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wonderful Keepsake
This review refers to "Schindler's List: Images of the Steven Spielberg Film"

I get chills every time I open this book. Opening with a touching forward by Spielberg, as he talks about the emotional journey the film took him on, and then pages and pages of memorable stills from the film, ending with production notes, you will find this book to be quite a keepsake. The film is one that went beyond the awards it received,is beyond words and if you are a fan you will love this book.

It's a beautiful hardcover(does not come with DJ), a little larger in length than a normal size paperback, and the photos in the stark black and white of the film fill most of it's 80 pages. Each photo is the full size of the page - no captions needed to describe them -and it's hard not to study and not to be mesmerized by each and every one of the chilling shots.You can't help but relive the horrific moments so true to history.

The book is part of the Schindler's List Gift Set(DVD),Schindler's List which also includes other nice items, like a soundtrack of the CD and an individually numbered 'Senitype' from the film(mine came with one of the little girl in the red coat).See my review of 6/10/04 for package details. However if you already have the DVD, it's nice that you can just buy this book here.If you are interested in the CD on it's own, you can find it here:Schindler's List: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Makes a wonderful keepsake or gift for anyone who loved the film or is a film history(or history) buff.

Thanks.. Mr. Spielberg for truly another gift ....Laurie

Nicely Produced Gift Book
If you're a big fan of the Speilberg film, this is a nice, pocket-sized, hardcover gift book. Measuring about 5" x 7.5", the 80 pages are mostly devoted to David James' excellent black and white still photos taken during production. A suitably earnest three page introduction by Speilberg seeks to remind us of the continuing relevance of the Holocaust and Schindler's story. Tacked on the end are five pages of production notes (these are "story" of the production, and are issued as part of the general press kit when a film is released). Released to coincide with the ten-year anniversary of the film's release, James' photos are very good, and quite evocative (even though it's only a movie!). ... Read more

Product Description
Step behind the scenes of Oscar winner Steven Spielberg's closed set to explore the perils that wait in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: A Photographic Journal. Dr. Jones dons his hat and holsters his whip for another death-defying adventure into the uncharted provinces of history in the latest film of the Indiana Jones series. Pit against the sinister ambitions of the Soviet empire, he must take vigilante action to save the world from the uncanny threats of ancient evils. From the jungles of the Amazon to the bazaars of Morocco we follow the cast and crew through the landscapes, cinematic battles, and diverse sets that challenged filmmakers for five months of shooting. Witness how the dark myths of Mayan mythology were brought to life, the reconstruction of early Cold War environments, and how Harrison Ford performed his own stunts in his most physically demanding role to date. From concept to cutting room floor access the creative force behind Indiana Jones and leap beyond
screen. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A must have for any Indy fan!
My 6yr old son and his father both avid Indy fans love this book and snuggle up and look through it at night.The pics are great!

Must have for the Indy fan.
If you liked the movie, you'll like this book.If you didn't like the movie...there's no talking to you...and you'll still like this book.The photos are superb looking.I've never seen pictures printed so clear in a book before.I tend to like behind the scenes photos and there are plenty of them in here.To begin each chapter there is a one or two page summary of events describing the authors travels and thoughts.Each photo has a brief description of what is taking place and how it was photographed.Also, my book has no scratches whatsoever as described in the review below.Enjoy!

Beautiful pictures and printquality
This book has beautiful pictures and the quality of the printing is great. However the last page with the colophon had some serieus black and gray scratches. Those are not acceptable for the quality books Insight Editions brings out. There should be a better quality control on such books ... Read more

Product Description
A gang called the Goonies finds a pirate's map that leads to a perilous treasure hunt. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Mixed Bag
Steven Spielberg's novelization of his groundbreaking movie is a bit uneven. It's impossible to know whether the book was entirely written by Spielberg himself, or whether it was partially or totally ghost-written. The writing is very good in spots, such as the depiction of Roy Neary's obsession and its effect on his family. In other places it reads more like a movie script, or even a treatment. There are a few instances where there is a little extra background informantion that is not in the movie. Unfortunately, the grandeur and scope of the climactic final scene does not come off anywhere near as powerfully as it does in the movie.

3 and 1/2 Stars
This is Spielberg's novel version of his more famous movie. It's not a bad book but, being Spielberg, it reads more like a movie screenplay than an actual novel. It's not that the writing is dry or boring (it's actually quite well-written and captivating in spots), but it doesn't go into extreme detail on some of the more mysterious and awe-inspiring scenes, as good science fiction invariably does. Of course, this was reconciled in the movie where you could actually SEE what is merely being described in this book. Still, this is a fun book, and I reccommend it to you for a rainy day or something of the kind. It's nice, quick read that you'll enjoy.

It's a good book. I would recammend it to all people.
I would recommend this book to people who like to read novels, comics, picture books, and who like to read about aliens. The part that I didn't like was that Iknew what was coming up because I already saw the movie twice. ... Read more