Steven Spielberg: The Cinema of Autobiographical Metaphors
Abstract
The motif of growing up is the autobiographical dominant of Steven Spielberg’s films. It is manifested in numerous characters; the main topic of this article is examining them. Particular attention has been paid to the following films: Duel (1971), Jaws (1975), War of the Worlds (2005), Catch Me if You Can (2002) and The Color Purple (1985). The thesis of the author, who started from the results of Werner Faulstich’s research and then took other films directed by Spielberg into consideration, is that various forms of the growing-up motif lead to a cinema of autobiographical metaphors created by the director. It means that the audience have to decode and find the metaphorical level of meanings of the films. Seeing only the surface makes their sense impoverished and sets the films in the commercial mainstream. Examining other autobiographical components of Spielberg’s works may be a consequence of these reflections. The components could be: assuming the viewpoint of a child, a need of miracles (making imagination independent of the mind in a way) and the motif of unity of contrasts. Only such an extensive look can guarantee recognizing all autobiographical metaphors of Spielberg’s works.
Keywords:
Steven Spielberg, autobiographism, coming of ageReferences
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Authors
Krzysztof Kozłowskikwartalnik.filmowy@ispan.pl
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan Poland
Filmoznawca i teatrolog; profesor UAM w Zakładzie Filmu i Telewizji IFP UAM w Poznaniu. Zajmuje się historią filmu światowego, problematyką muzyki filmowej (muzyki w filmie), historią i teorią mediów, powinowactwami sztuk i operą (wagnerologia). Autor monografii o Parsifalu Richarda Wagnera (Teatr i religia sztuki. „Par- sifal” Richarda Wagnera, 2004), a także książek o operze i filmie (Opera i dramat muzyczny. Szkice, 2006, Kubrick’s “Barry Lyndon”, 2007).
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