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The distinction of emotional tone in Stephen Spielberg's And Oliver Stones cinematographic works. Stephen Spielberg and Oliver Stone are the notorious contemporary directors who have been determining the cinematographic tastes from more then three decades. Spielberg and Stone succeed no only in directing but also in producing and writing scripts for their own movies and for other directors. The films of Spielberg and Stone have a very wide thematic range: they shoot historical dramas, war dramas, detective movies and social dramas.
Despite many similarities Stephen Spielberg and Oliver Stone convey different ideas in their works. You can never see Stone venture into horror or comedy, like Spielberg does, except for his famous Natural Born Killers (1994), the idea of which was prompted by Quentin Tarantino and in which Oliver Stone lets out his specific sense of humor. This work compares the works of Stephen Spielberg and Oliver Stone and tries to determine the themes appropriated by each director, follows how Spielberg's and Stones backgrounds influenced the emotional coloring of their movies. The better half of Stephen Spielberg's works touches the theme of divorce. This topic was already present in his movies back in seventies but E. T.
The Extra-Terrestrial was the milestone which highlights the deeper exploration of this theme and analyzing the roots of divorce, shoving one of the parents as reluctant and irresponsible. Spielberg's interest in this theme was conditioned on his own childhood experience when his parents divorced. Stephen Spielberg received the divorce experience from the point of view of a parent when he divorced in 1989 with Amy Irving with whom he has a son Mark. The movie Catch Me If You Can is the explorations of psyche and actions of a young man Frank Abagnale. Frank Abagnale was greatly influenced by the divorce of his parents and with childish with childish purpose turned into fraud in order to get money for his family and bring his parents together. Real Abagnale whose story is told in the movie stressed in several interviews that his real motives were not that noble but more self-centered and the real goal of his frauds were the money, the wealth and the women.
But Stephen Spielberg approaches the story as talented psychologist, he knows that the actions of every person are in major degree dictated by psychological factor, his experience and childhood fears always influences his decisions and preferences. Spielberg explores the inner psychological motives of Abagnale actions and reveals to the audience more than Abagnale himself cared to show. The story shows Frank Abagnale committing crimes, frauds and passing four million dollars in bad checks but the audience warms up to the Abagnale's character because Spielberg showed us the frightened child who is obsessed with the idea of bringing together his family. Other characters of Catch Me If You Can make the whole picture vivid and impressing and help to explore further Frank Abagnale's character.
FBI bank fraud specialist Carl Hanratty pursues Abagnale for all five years of his fraud career and finally succeeds. Hanratty is a lonely and sad person whose work is the only important thing in his life. But as the movie progresses the audience can see that Hanratty is a caring and kind person who influenced Abagnale's life The image of parents is very essential in this movie. Frank Abagnale, Sr. is the kind and understanding father for his son. The Frank Abagnale's motivations for crimes are mostly dictated by his desire to please his father, to heal his wounded soul and return him the wealth he possessed.
The mother Paula Abagnale is the egoistic self-centered person who concerns are mostly directed on herself and her own welfare. Frank Abagnale Jr. is torn between his parents and their divorce leaves him in the gap between them. Stephen Spielberg gives the picture of two different parental figures and sets them together to show the audience the possible result of their parenting efforts. The great kindness of Frank Abagnale Sr.
and the perpetual selfishness of Paula Abagnale do not compensate but completely negate each other. The child is drawn between two polar figures and left unattended. The Spielberg's philosophic discussion on bad parenting draws the conclusion that not only the family as the whole should be in harmony but the psychological state and pedagogical abilities of each separate parent. Stephen Spielberg introduces into the picture bank fraud specialist Carl Hanratty. Carl Hanratty is humorless and stiff workaholic who devotes all of his time to his work. But at the same time hi is kind and caring man who was the biggest influence on Frank Abagnale.
He was pursuing Frank with all insistence and obstinacy but after Franks capture Carl did not vent his spleen on him but offered help and direction with the same insistence and obstinacy. Stephen Spielberg introduces in Carl's images his own concept of the perfect father figure. Carl Hanratty is the accumulative image of Spielberg's childhood ideas about parenting and his adult views. The movie Catch Me If You Can is the priceless example of Spielberg directors venture into shooting a detective movie which carries his unique views on family values. Spielberg's movie A. I.
Artificial Intelligence (2001) originally was a project of director Stanley Kubrick, Spielberg's good friend of many years. After Kubriks death Spielberg postponed several of his projects in order to pay tribute to his friend and fulfill his dream. This story of friendship and allegiance has found way into the movie as its essential theme. A. I. Artificial Intelligence is the story of an android boy who was adopted by people whose own child had incurable illness.
The android David became very close to his adopting mother and loved her without question. But after the child of these people was cured David was left in the wood to fend for himself. The rest of the story is Davids quest for searching of one thing which could bring back his mother Monica's love back to him. Many critics were surprised by Spielberg's introduction of question if machines could be loved or love in return. This movie calls to Isaac Asimovs book I, robot and the movie which was shot inspired by it Bicentennial Man.
But the love to machines is not the main idea of the movie, though it reflects the twentieth century fear of technical progress and its after affects. The main idea of the movie is the role of human in discriminative society and the values of family ties. This movie is one of many Spielberg's condemnation of discrimination and Holocaust which is the recurrent topic in his movies. The pursuit and extermination, the vicious entertainments which included the graphic and violent destruction was the directors figurative allusion to Holocaust and concentration camps of the World War II.
The introduction of this theme in far future as the result of technical catastrophe symbolizes Spielberg's fear that society has not yet shaken off the tendencies for discrimination and the violent history might repeat. Another major theme of the movie is the value of love, care and family ties in times of Holocaust and times of peace. Spielberg insists that love and family are the most important things in the life of a person and undergoing the hardships and dangers is not a high price for them. The final scene of the movie expresses Spielberg's hope that once in the future the society would be able to overcome the hatred and discrimination and the parents would learn to understand their children and love them.
The idea that Monica's clone could live only one day symbolizes that all good and bad is temporary and perishable in this world but the memory of them remains forever and a few precious moments of happiness are worthy of fighting for because the memory of them would help the person to overcome any hardships and he would be happy to share the love which he once received. Stephen Spielberg's movie Schindler's List (1993) is the important milestone in his directing career. Spielberg called the triumph of this movie "the most satisfying experience of my career. " Being a Jew Stephen Spielberg was greatly effected by the events of Holocaust during the World War II. The discrimination of Jews was the long time shame of the Western society.
But the Holocaust was the apogee which turned attention of the whole World towards this problem. Stephen Spielberg touches the problem of Holocaust in many of his movies, such as Schindler's List, the movie which tells the events of the World War II. Shindler was the factory owner who did not hesitate to associate with Nazis when he saw the possibility of profits. But the reality of war became too much even for this man of little moral. Shocked by the cruelty and inhumanity of Nazis Shindler sets out to save the workers of his factory and does not hesitate to loose all of his money and possessions in order to save human lives. In this movie Spielberg strongly criticizes the reality in which people were not viewed as humans simply because they were born Jewish.
But Spielberg shows that even these impossible circumstances could be overcome by even greater the strength of the human spirit. Oscar Schindler, a sinner destined for hell, who steps up and puts his life on the line to help innocent men and woman who face almost certain death. Spielberg argues then in vital circumstances the human nature awakens from inaction and fights for justice. Stephen Spielberg recurrently uses the themes of family ties in his movies. He is very concerned by the role of the family in the society and most importantly the role of the family in the conscious of every person. Spielberg's own parents divorced and he judged from his own experience what kind of a father he wished for.
Besides, being a father and stepfather total of seven children Spielberg has a priceless experience in bringing up children. In Jewish religion family is the most important value for every person, especially the role of the father. The importance of the father is emphasised by Judaism where the God is called the father of all and everyone and Spielberg shares these ideas. In almost all of his movies Spielberg shows the importance of the father figure for the development of the personality and emphasizes that good parenting affects all actions and views of people since their childhood and till the grave.
In the final scene of the movie the Jews whom Shindler saved, their children and grandchildren visit his grave and lay a stone on it like the children do when visit their parents graves. The stones from the home land symbolize that the parents are remembered and loved by the children even long after the death. The Shindler's grave was loaded by stones, which symbolizes that he became a father for the Jews whom he saved, he literary gave them live as father would do and gained eternal gratitude from them and their descendants whom Shindler also gave the chance to live. Oliver Stone wrote the final script for the movie Scarface (1983). Oliver Stone rewrote the script after many authors who tried to do it including the director of the movie Brian De Palma and only Stones draft satisfied the director. The Script of Scarface is one of the typical Oliver Stones works.
At the beginning of the movie the audience sees the ship with Cuban immigrants arriving to the Mariel Bay. Fidel Castro opened the borders of his country in order to let the Cubans with their families in the United States. Later it became evident that this was the Castro's plan to get rid of criminals because 20000 of 150000 Cuban immigrants had criminal background. Scarface narrated the life of the Cuban criminal Tony Montana who came to find his American Dream. Tony Montana and his friend Manny turned out to be talented criminals and they raised quick in ranks. Tony got the criminal business of his and married his girlfriend.
But Tony's friends and wife were only his possessions and he could not find satisfaction from them but he did not notice the void in his life until he lost the only two people who were close to him. The movie Scarface ends with the same musical theme which sounds in the beginning when Tony arrives to Muriel Bay. This musical theme rounds up the plot and shows Tony's dreams in the beginning and what came of them in the end. Oliver Stone shows that there is no hope for such people as Tony Montana and they would never reach their American dream because their goals contradicts the concept of American society, which offers freedom of choice to every person with honorable goals and desire to work hard.
The restless mood of the movie reaches the point of depression by the end. This gradual approach to showing the characters depression is Oliver Stones trademark style. Stone shows the fall of villain but he does not offer soothing hope for the audience. Tony kills everything good around himself; he killed his friend and became the reason of his sisters suicide. And even Tony's demise is not the victory of good over evil but the rotation of forces within mafia. Such depressive themes in Oliver Stones works are the result of his experience as the soldier in Vietnam.
On September 14, 1967 he left for Vietnam and was assigned to the 2 nd Platoon of Bravo Company, 3 rd Battalion, 25 th Infantry, stationed near the Cambodian border as "Private Bill Stone" (fearing that "Oliver" was too effeminate). In Vietnam Stone won the Bronze Star for Valor and the Purple Heart with First Oak Leaf Cluster. The war in Vietnam is the ambiguous fact of American history. The great number of people in the United States and abroad criticized the American expansion of Vietnam. Many soldiers returned home with wounded bodies and souls. The depression and despair of war affected all of Stones works.
After seeing life in its worst Oliver Stone does not look hopeful into the future while the world is full of crime and armed conflicts. The movie Wall Street (1987) which was and directed by Oliver Stone won the Academy Award for actor. Oliver stone dedicated this mover to the memory of his father who was a broker. Oliver Stone like the Wall Street as it was at the times of his father. Bu eighties brought a new wave of speculation, a system which in relation to his father's business values, creates and produces nothing for society. This story tells how the honest businessman becomes corrupted when he enters the world of high incomes and economic games.
Bud Fox, a young ambitious broker learns from investment banker Gordon Gekko the rules of big business. There's the theme that Stone had already explored in Platoon of two fathers fighting for the soul of their son. In Platoon it was Tom Berenger and Willem Defoe battling for custody of Charlie Sheen's spirit. In Wall Street it is Gordon Gekko and Bud Fox's father represent the 'exciting but evil' and 'wholesome but tedious' ways to go for Bud Fox.
This theme introduces some good tension in the storytelling. Bud Fox denies his biological father and according to Biblical stories he is punished for his betrayal and short sight. At the end of the movie Bud Fox falls from high ranks and looses the acquired power and tries to take Gordon Gekko with him. But Oliver Stone does not promise absolution to his main character because Bud Fox betrayed the most important moral values, family, truth and decency.
Natural Born Killers (1994) is the single Oliver Stones venture into comedy. But even in this genre he found the opportunity to express his contempt of contemporary reality. The movie shows how mass media can popularize the scum of the earth and feed their ambitions for fame. The movie tells the story of newlyweds who commemorated they honeymoon by violent tryst into murder and compulsion. Most of the murders are done off screen of shown with great degree with black humor and buffooneries which makes the deeds even more horrible. The Oliver Stones first experience of comedy turned out to be one of the most depressing movies in his career.
Stones sense of humor is not kind or optimistic because he doesnt find the contemporary optimistic. The works of Stephen Spielberg and Oliver Stone were greatly influenced by their background and facts of life. Stephen Spielberg in his movies expresses the abundant interest in the historical backgrounds of Jewish culture. The facts of his personal life also influenced the themes of his movies. Spielberg highlights the influence of the family and good parenting on the development of a harmonic personality.
Spielberg's movies are full of worries for the future of his children and his state, which is expressed in his anti-utopia works such as E. T. the Extra- Terrestrial (1982), Jurassic Park (1993), A. I Artificial Intelligence. (2001), etc. But he also possesses hope that the people are able to overcome their drawbacks and sins and become better. Oliver Stone doe not view the future of mankind in bright colors.
Stones experience in Vietnam influenced his perception of the reality and he openly shows his disappointment in reality. Most of his movies are open-ended and ambiguity which shows Stones doubts in positive development of mankind. The movies of Stephen Spielberg and Oliver Stone express their own experience of the World and unique outlooks, but they have one thing in common: they show how valuable are love, family, honesty, loyalty and faith. Bibliography De Palma, B. (Director). (1983). Scarface. [Motion Picture]. Spielberg, S. (Director).
Spielberg, S. (Producer). (1993). Shindler's List. [Motion Picture]. Spielberg, S. (Director). Spielberg, S. (Producer). (2001). A. I.
Artificial Intelligence. [Motion Picture]. Spielberg, S. (Director). Spielberg, S. (Producer). (2002). Catch Me If You Can. [Motion Picture].
Stone, O. (Director). (1987). Wall Street. [Motion Picture]. Stone, O. (Director). (1994). Natural Born Killers. [Motion Picture].
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