The Spielberg Blogathon: Day 9

Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal or Before the Age of Spielberg

by Greg Ferrara

Steven Spielberg doesn't take part in the documentary (but is thanked in the closing credits) although I'm sure if the same doc were put together now he'd be front and center. Two of Pal's biggest works in the fifties have either already been remade by Spielberg (War of the Worlds) or will be soon (When Worlds Collide). And while it doesn't bother me that Spielberg has made, or will make, these movies, I do wish there was more of an appreciation these days for the work of Pal, a filmmaker who clearly influenced Spielberg in many ways.

War of the Worlds

by Ilias Dimopoulos

Then war breaks out. The father now has to earn his parental credentials. What is of unique interest is what these credentials are according to the director. Mr. Spielberg masterfully builds the atmosphere of terror, an environment where post 9/11 shock and awe is “returned to sender”. American audiences must have felt quite uncomfortable watching such a vivid depiction of innocents being evaporated and (in one of the unforgettable images of the film) an army of homeless people walking aimlessly to nowhere. No, this can’t be mindless summer entertainment; this is an austere political statement coming from the pope of Hollywoodland.