This is a beautiful review that really gets at the core of what makes Spielberg such a great filmmaker, and if I liked Disclosure Day less than you do, everything you point out as an asset is indeed an asset and I'm glad he's still directing.
But -- I think you're being a little too down on the remade West Side Story. Obviously (obviously!) it is worse than the original, and there's a couple cloying nods to modern political sensibilities. But it is a lot better than I expected, and particularly deserves praise for being the first adaptation of WSS (stage or screen) to *finally* figure out what to do with "I Feel Pretty," which is the highlight of the film. And I'm not just saying that to damn with faint praise!
Spielberg's motif has always been centered around divorce, and understandably so. In his generation, divorced parents were somewhat uncommon (as opposed to Gen-X, where it almost was the norm), so the trauma of a massive world shift hit him hard and ran through many of his movies. ET and Close Encounters are two I can think of.
I have always admired his technical mastery, something he demonstrated at a very early age directing Joan Crawford. He was not of the Zoetrope cabal of "serious filmmakers," but his career ran in parallel. He's proved himself in every genre, and you're right to point out his films are only as good as his screenplay. He uses the same ideas and develops them. Duel becomes Jaws. Close Encounters becomes ET. Saving Private Ryan becomes Bridge of Spies (and Frank Abagnale's career as a fraudster was wholly legitimized by Catch Me if You Can, because the greatest fraud––none of his exploits were remotely true––was such a terrific story in Spielberg's hands).
My problem with Disclosure Day, coming on the heels of two daring commercial flops, is that it lacked courage. I was expecting to see the same rick-taking from a master with nothing left to prove or lose. He's capable of giving us Mr. Smith or The Best Years of Our Lives. (I think of another brilliant film that captured the zeitgeist of hopelessness, 2006's Children of Men).
That's what I was expecting, and that's why I am disappointed by this latest film. He's 79. Maybe he has another one or two. His legacy is solid, so let's see what comes next.
And not just Spielberg! TV showrunner Javier Grillo-Marxuach wrote an amazing essay ~15 years ago arguing that the prestige TV boom was mostly about children of divorce getting revenge on their dads. ("Gilding the Small Screen," it was called - he also mentions MTV and Final Cut as factors on the audience and production side, respectively)
In the early 90s I did a comic designed for newspaper syndication that was based on a single mother and two kids. It touched all kinds of divorce subjects like mom dating, latchkey living, etc. The syndicated passed on it. I remember One Day at a Time was one of the only divorce families on TV, so a newspaper comic was probably too edgy. https://jhardycarroll.substack.com/p/a-life-in-comics
Well, it’s now the video bible for every conspiracy theorist out there. I’m shocked by this and Spielberg’s own admission that he believes not just in the existence of aliens, but also in the cover up (I think he qualified it as not so much the government, but rather evil tech firms.).
Also, the aliens gave Margaret the ability to make people do whatever she wanted and without having to use the device. So how then were the aliens ever captured in the first place?
Why use the second-hand, unsubstantiated story of Nixon showing Gleason dead aliens? Firmly in the realm of the crackpots.
Also the number of people who believe in aliens but not God is larger than those who believe in God (not including people who say they are “spiritual” - a very different thing). So not sure where the world can’t handle the truth comes from.
This is a beautiful review that really gets at the core of what makes Spielberg such a great filmmaker, and if I liked Disclosure Day less than you do, everything you point out as an asset is indeed an asset and I'm glad he's still directing.
But -- I think you're being a little too down on the remade West Side Story. Obviously (obviously!) it is worse than the original, and there's a couple cloying nods to modern political sensibilities. But it is a lot better than I expected, and particularly deserves praise for being the first adaptation of WSS (stage or screen) to *finally* figure out what to do with "I Feel Pretty," which is the highlight of the film. And I'm not just saying that to damn with faint praise!
Lovely essay. I especially enjoyed your thoughts regarding the ways art can bring unconscious or subconscious worlds to life.
yes exactly, this is what i loved about it too
Yes, wonderful food for thought—and art!
Terrific article. Thanks.
Spielberg's motif has always been centered around divorce, and understandably so. In his generation, divorced parents were somewhat uncommon (as opposed to Gen-X, where it almost was the norm), so the trauma of a massive world shift hit him hard and ran through many of his movies. ET and Close Encounters are two I can think of.
I have always admired his technical mastery, something he demonstrated at a very early age directing Joan Crawford. He was not of the Zoetrope cabal of "serious filmmakers," but his career ran in parallel. He's proved himself in every genre, and you're right to point out his films are only as good as his screenplay. He uses the same ideas and develops them. Duel becomes Jaws. Close Encounters becomes ET. Saving Private Ryan becomes Bridge of Spies (and Frank Abagnale's career as a fraudster was wholly legitimized by Catch Me if You Can, because the greatest fraud––none of his exploits were remotely true––was such a terrific story in Spielberg's hands).
My problem with Disclosure Day, coming on the heels of two daring commercial flops, is that it lacked courage. I was expecting to see the same rick-taking from a master with nothing left to prove or lose. He's capable of giving us Mr. Smith or The Best Years of Our Lives. (I think of another brilliant film that captured the zeitgeist of hopelessness, 2006's Children of Men).
That's what I was expecting, and that's why I am disappointed by this latest film. He's 79. Maybe he has another one or two. His legacy is solid, so let's see what comes next.
wow, never considered this divorced angle. super interesting
And not just Spielberg! TV showrunner Javier Grillo-Marxuach wrote an amazing essay ~15 years ago arguing that the prestige TV boom was mostly about children of divorce getting revenge on their dads. ("Gilding the Small Screen," it was called - he also mentions MTV and Final Cut as factors on the audience and production side, respectively)
In the early 90s I did a comic designed for newspaper syndication that was based on a single mother and two kids. It touched all kinds of divorce subjects like mom dating, latchkey living, etc. The syndicated passed on it. I remember One Day at a Time was one of the only divorce families on TV, so a newspaper comic was probably too edgy. https://jhardycarroll.substack.com/p/a-life-in-comics
Well, it’s now the video bible for every conspiracy theorist out there. I’m shocked by this and Spielberg’s own admission that he believes not just in the existence of aliens, but also in the cover up (I think he qualified it as not so much the government, but rather evil tech firms.).
Also, the aliens gave Margaret the ability to make people do whatever she wanted and without having to use the device. So how then were the aliens ever captured in the first place?
Why use the second-hand, unsubstantiated story of Nixon showing Gleason dead aliens? Firmly in the realm of the crackpots.
Also the number of people who believe in aliens but not God is larger than those who believe in God (not including people who say they are “spiritual” - a very different thing). So not sure where the world can’t handle the truth comes from.
What a wreck and a stain on his legacy.
Great review. A penny for your thoughts on the Spielberg documentary, @Sam Jennings!
Total pandering hagiography but tbh I'm a sucker for that
Abductions by aliens are benevolent. Of course they are.