Product Description

This biography sets out to reconcile Steven Spielberg's seeming contradictions to produce a portrait of a man who found a way to transmute the anxieties of his childhood into dramatic films which are among the most commercially-successful of all time. They include "Jaws", "ET", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Jurassic Park", and the Oscar-winning "Schindler's List", which was the culmination of Spielberg's struggle with his Jewish identity, of which he had long been ashamed.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #841600 in Books
• Published on: 1998-08-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 528 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Writing a biography is tough enough when the subject is dead and the biographer must rely on a paper trail and recollections of contemporaries to relate the essence of the subject's life. When they are still alive--and especially when he is as powerful as Steven Spielberg--a whole new set of problems emerge. For one thing, it's difficult to find anyone willing to criticize a man who pulls as many strings in the film industry as Spielberg; for another, how does one evaluate a career that is still in progress? If the definitive Spielberg biography cannot yet be written, Joseph McBride's Steven Spielberg: A Biography will suffice in the interim. Though certainly affected by the aforementioned constraints, McBride still creates an impressive portrait of the man behind Schindler's List, E.T., Jurassic Park, and many, many more.

McBride is especially effective at drawing out the contours of Spielberg's childhood. Born in 1946 to Arnold and Leah Spielberg, the young Steven endured both frequent moves and his parents' unhappy domestic life. These factors, combined with the anti- Semitism he encountered as a teenager, drove the introverted Spielberg to seek approval through film-making. In addition to exploring Spielberg's private life, McBride offers some perceptive criticism of his work. Anyone interested in the film industry and Spielberg's place in it will find Joseph McBride's Steven Spielberg a valuable resource.

Customer Reviews

Entertaining and enlightening
As a huge fan of Spielberg's work, I wanted to find out as much as possible about the great man's life behind the camera. This book has all the information needed to quench my thirst for the Spielberg info I required! It is a large book exhausively researched, jam-packed with as much information as the author could lay his hands on. Overall, an entertaining read for fans - probably the best Spielberg biography available. Much reccommended.

So far, the definitive account of Steven Spielberg's life
I've now read about five or six biographies of Steven Spielberg and all vary in depth and quality. However Joseph McBride book can only be described as THE most in-depth account of Spielberg's fascinating life. You simply won't read a more well-researched account of Spielberg's life unless the great man writes his autobiography. Don't be put off by the fact that Spielberg didn't co-operate with this book, virtually everyone else did including, most surprisingly, his father. A terrific read from start to finish.

An in depth biography, but lacks bite in film analysis
Steven Spielberg's films have dominated the past 25 years of cinema, and have set the tone for the impersonal, large scale, special effects laiden offerings which fill the multiplexes. So it may come as a surprise when it is argued that these films are deeply personal, but that is what Joseph Mcbride does in this book.
The book is well researched, and goes into extreme detail about Spielberg's childhood. It is well balanced and it is not afraid to criticise (the section detailing the helicoptor accident on the set of the Twilight Zone film is very informative).
Yet the book falls down when relating these biographical details to the content of Spielberg's films. To suggest that Spielberg's films (especially those that he did not write or direct) all stem from his childhood is unconvincing and does nothing to explain why those films have been so popular and have had such an impact on Hollywood.
If you are looking for accurate information about Spielberg's life (especially his childhood) look no further. However, if you want to understand Spielberg's films better or find out how they were made, avoid this book.