Steven Spielberg Postmodern Auteur And Constructor

Jessica Tang CTCS469 Professor Casper 18 October 2017 Steven Spielberg: Postmodern Auteur and Constructor In a 1977 interview with Steven Spielberg, the young filmmaker mused, â€Å"I think in a way I’m two different people; my instincts always commandeer my sensibilities, or my intellect is always beaten down by my instincts† (36). Spielberg’s prognosis is accurate – Spielberg’s creative instincts and business sensibilities balance each other, laying the foreground for his present prominence as both a postmodern constructor and postmodern auteur. 40 years later, today, Steven Spielberg remains one of the most highly-recognized, prolific directors in Hollywood. I argue that Spielberg is both a postmodern constructor and postmodern auteur, but†¦show more content†¦and Canada, ultimately raking in $400 million globally (99). How did this happen? In the Hollywood Reporter article, â€Å"‘Jaws’: How Massive Promotion Built a Summer Blockbuster,† the revolutionary marketing strategy of Jaws is discussed: â€Å"In the two weeks p rior to Jaws general release, Spielberg, Benchley, Zanuck and Brown toured 11 U.S. cities, saturating every major market. ‘Jaws’ star Robert Shaw made guest appearances on Today, Dinah!, The Mike Douglas Show and Tonight† (THR Staff). What’s more, prior to release, the shark sprawled the cover of Time magazine, with a â€Å"5-page article spread† (Casper). Further, a â€Å"new releasing strategy† was devised, and Jaws opened in over 400 theaters (THR Staff). Jaws revolutionized marketing for the summer blockbuster, striking early intrigue in new audiences, as well as existing fans of Bentley’s novel. In the 1970s television-rampant climate in which feature films were often hit-and-miss – with summer releases particularly vulnerable to poor reception – the successful marketing of Jaws paved way for more summer blockbuster hits, like Lucas’s Star Wars, the second film to gross over a hundred million (Spielberg 99). Definitely, Jaws shows early on in Spielberg’s career his capacity as a constructor. But, it also foreshadows some of his personal trademarks. First, Jaws is pastiche of other works. According to Casper, it thematically imitates Moby Dick, and Act 1 is structurally very similar