Steven Spielberg

There can be no doubting Steven Spielberg's directorial talents. In my opinion, his greatest gift is his ability to instil wonder in the viewer. He is a pre-eminent storyteller and combines that talent with stunning visuals. Yet, Spielberg is also a flawed director and it is primarily due to an unrealistic worldview that lines all his films. Spielberg is a humanist and in this respect, it is insightful to contrast his films with those of Bergman, another humanist. There is a qualitatively difference in how these directors arrive at their humanism and it stems from their view of evil. Bergman recognizes the banality and normalcy of evil as a part of the human condition, as seen most clearly in Seventh Seal. Bergman is unable to reconcile that evil with a vision of God and hence, he is resigned, almost fatalistically, to his humanism. Spielberg, on the other hand, regards evil as aberrant and abnormal to the human condition. As such, Spielberg arrives at his humanism because he seems to trust in the inherent goodness of humanity. This view, however, does not bear itself in life (or art) and so, Spielberg's films always fail to speak to the human condition. more...