Steven Spielberg is easily one of the greatest directors of all time. The filmmaker has had a long history in Hollywood that goes as far back as the 1950s, with him creating groundbreaking films. Not all of his films are well-beloved, but the ones that are tend to be known as modern classics. Spielberg has been well known to be inspired by a lot of different films, such as The Day the Earth Stood Still, which served as inspirations for E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and many more films. There is also the film Pinocchio that helped to create films like A.I.
All of Spielberg’s films have a reverence for the past. Whether that take shape in their indulgence in the history of film or the strange sense of nostalgia that many of his films tend to give off. This can be especially felt in films like The BFG or The Adventures of Tintin. Both films feel like they are pulled straight from the minds of Stanley Kubrick or Alfred Hitchcock, with their visual trademarks, stylistic choices, and dreamlike qualities. As a result of all of these different influences, it is easy to imagine what films would turn out to be Spielberg’s favorites. Films that are really able to break the mold in the world of filmmaking today and make massive sweeping changes to the world of Hollywood.
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6 Blue is the Warmest Color
Wild Bunch
The French film, Blue is the Warmer Color, based on a French graphic novel of the same name, depicts a lesbian relationship between two young women during a time when such relationships were very taboo. The film was notable for it explicit portrayal of sex, which naturally found it in the midst of many controversies upon release. Indeed, audiences have debated whether the sex scenes focused too much on tantalizing viewers, while others argued for their removal altogether. Despite this, the film still managed to tell a beautiful and extremely raw love story between these women. What’s more, the year it premiered at Cannes Film Festival, Spielberg was President of the Jury, and he ultimately awarded the film the coveted Palme d’Or prize.
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MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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5 Fiddler on the Roof
United Artists
The 1971 musical Fiddler on the Roof manages to pull on very different heartstrings as it analyzes what was happening to many Jewish people before the Holocaust. The story surrounds a man named Tevye and his large family living in Russia. The film depicts their daily lives and hardships while living in this small town, where tensions are growing as many people dislike those who practice the Jewish faith. Fiddler on the Roof spends a lot of time tackling faith as Tevye attempts to find a person whom he feels would be right for his daughters. It is an interesting look into antisemitism prior to the rise of Nazis in Germany. The film was able to gain eight nominations, including a Best Picture Oscar, during the 1972 Academy Awards.
4 The Iron Giant
Warner Bros.
The Iron Giant was unable to make waves at the box office when it first came out, becoming a commercial failure and making only $23 million worldwide on a budget of $70 million, and yet, today, it is seen as a cult classic. The story is one that is able to grasp audiences’ heartstrings and keep them investe d through. Roger Ebert praised the film as being “full of spirit and imagination as well as heart and soul.” It is easy to see with praise of that caliber why the film is so beloved, and why Spielberg loved the film so much. He even incorporated it into his film Ready Player One.
3 War of the Worlds (1953)
Paramount Pictures
Spielberg was a massive fan of War of the Worlds as he even, later on, remade it and did his own bigger-budgeted version of the iconic story — one that was fairly faithful to the spirit of the original without being a carbon copy. The story is based on a novel by H.G Wells, who was well known for writing stories about science fiction. This writer has even been named “the father of science fiction” by some creators. When the original film was released, the special effects on display were seen as quite revolutionary for their ability to portray these alien beings in a very easy-to-digest way. In fact, they were so amazing that the film even won Best Special Effects at that year’s Academy Awards. The story being told was also quite streamlined and simple, while also being able to ask pertinent questions about humans’ relationship with religion and war. This film’s ability to balance both of these aspects of the story allowed for it to be well remembered by audiences even today.
2 Avatar
20th Century Studios
Another film that was also able to break the mold in Hollywood was Avatar. This huge blockbuster reigned as the highest box office grosser before Avengers: Endgame came along. The James Cameron film helped in allowing 3D and IMAX visual effects to become a much more viable method of storytelling. Despite this, the legacy of the film has faltered quite a bit over the years, with many people forgetting its existence and even going so far as to question the validity of its planned sequels. Some have also criticized the film’s story as feeling weak in comparison to other films by Cameron. Of course, Spielberg disagrees, having once called it an “emotional spectacle” (via IndieWire).
1 Star Wars: A New Hope
Lucasfilm
Star Wars: A New Hope is easily the most impactful blockbuster film of all time. It is easy to see why not only Spielberg, but all popular filmmakers have such reverence for the George Lucas epic. Star Wars lives and breathes in the world of science-fantasy storytelling as it uses its setting to give us mythical concepts like “The Force” and “The Jedi.” It is also known for having some of the most well-beloved characters ever in fiction: characters like Luke, Anakin, and Leia that have had massive impacts on an entire generation of children growing up.
Star Wars also impacted films outside of science fiction and fantasy as the film really changed the way people perceived fictional stories, particularly in the cinema. War movies and Japanese fiction were impacted by the film along with Lord of the Rings. Star Wars also added in moving Hollywood into more blockbuster storytelling. There are so many areas of impact had by Star Wars. It is truly the most influential film in history, made by one of Spielberg’s closest friends and colleagues, too, for that matter.
