Customer Reviews

Steven Spielberg: The Unauthorized Biography

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The book only scrathes the surface of this splendid director. Several chapters on the directors movies are simply to "thin". There's no information that we haven't heard of before. Instead read the book on GEORGE LUCAS by same auther. It's much better.

Despite its respectable cover this is only slightly more serious than the celebrity tell-alls of recent months. Incidentally it also has at least a couple of factual flaws even mild Internet research could have corrected

As someone relatively young, born and raised when Spielberg was already popular for Jaws, I've always found him an iconic figure but have never exactly been a fan-boy. Enjoyed the movies, but never really succumbed to worship. That said...

Mr. Baxter's attempt seems admirable on sight alone -- it's a large book -- but while reading I couldn't help but take issue with his tone and perspective. Rather than acknowledging the obvious talent it takes to craft the stories the way Spielberg does, the author focuses on an idea that Spielberg is more manipulative businessman than creative force. A simple viewing of even some of his earliest work, like Jaws, diminishes Mr. Baxter's point considerably.

Let's talk about the creative process and how he's able to visualize and achieve what he has; his business acumen at a young age just seems too obvious a point to harp on.

This book has plenty of interesting anecodotes and armchair-psychology ideas. But I'm struggling to get to page 200, don't feel compelled to finish and don't feel I've gleaned much as to HOW Spielberg gets things done as a director. I understand that biographers probably often feel the need to develop a strong point-of-view; maybe Mr. Baxter's attempt just missed the mark (for me).

While John Baxter's informative and interesting biography of Steven Spielberg is a solid examine, it fails to dig deep into its own questions and ethos. The early years at Universal Studios are well told and compelling, the author seems to lose interest halfway through concerning Temple of Doom and The Color Purple. Some chapters are prearranged too much breathing space, while other essential proceedings are frustratingly twee. To his credit, Baxter does a good job at showcasing some of the most excellent films (JAWS, RAIDERS and SCHINDLER'S LIST) but ultimately it lacks the depth that made Ian Freer's Spielberg book the best. This is one for the completists though, but for someone more perceptive, there are plenty of superior books.

This is a very interesting book about a filmmaker. What i like is that it spends most about his career. It was very well written biography.