Back in the mid-1970s we saw that rise of the blockbuster film with Best Picture nominees such as Jaws and Star Wars leading the way. It would be the directors of these two films, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, who would become synonymous with the blockbuster throughout the following decades. Spielberg in particular would be hailed as the king of the blockbuster after helming four of the 1980s top ten grossing films, two of which were nominated for Best Picture.
In fact the first of these two major blockbusters was a combination between Lucas and Spielberg with the former creating the character of Indiana Jones and the latter helming his first big screen adventure - Raiders of the Lost Ark. According to folklore, the idea was cooked up after Spielberg voiced his desire to direct a James Bond film. Lucas informed his friend that the 'Indiana' character he'd been working on, based on Stuart Grainger heroes of the 1950s, would be an ideal fit. Alongside the film's eventual screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, the pair hammered out various ideas for what would become Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Indiana Jones character eventually became an archaeology professor and treasure hunter who, in this first instalment, is tasked by the US government to find the Ark of the Covenant. The reason for their haste is due to the fact that the Nazis are also after the Ark and conveniently have hired Jones' arch rival Belloq as their head archaeologist. Jones soon runs into his old flame Marion in a bar in Nepal and she has an encounter with the dreaded Nazis before teaming up with Indiana. The majority of the action takes place in Cario where Jones must outwit Belloq and the Nazis and keep Marion safe at the same time.
After the success of Star Wars, you would think that anything with George Lucas' name attached to it would be snapped up instantly. But once again the major studios turned down the Indiana Jones franchise as they felt the story was too over-the-top. Whilst they were right there's no denying that Raiders of the Lost Ark is an incredibly enjoyable watch and is still entertaining over thirty years later. Part of the charm of the Indiana Jones character is the old-fashioned nature of the plot and the square-jawed look of the central character. Playing a slight variation on the Han Solo character, Harrison Ford is perfectly reserved when he needs to be but also shares great chemistry with Karen Allen as Marion. The swashbuckling nature of the plot is neatly counterbalanced by the amount of special effects that were available to film-makers in the 1980s. Indeed, Raiders of the Lost Ark did go on to win the Visual Effects Oscar, which I believe it deserved for the face-melting scene alone. The film won a further four Oscars, all in the visual and technical categories, however unfortunately composer John Williams didn't win an award for his score. Like with all of the Spielberg films he's worked with, Williams' score enhances the mood of the film and helps to convey the character's emotions. Despite it not being as deep as other Best Picture nominees, Raiders of the Lost Ark is a thoroughly enjoyable romp with a well-written story and some great visuals. It's a shame that not more action adventure films get nominated for Oscars but then a lot of them today are simply cheap carbon copies of this brilliant Spielberg original.
One year later, Spielberg had another film in the Best Picture category and this offering would go on to surpass Star Wars as the highest grossing film of all time. The film was E.T. and was loosely based on the imaginary friend that Spielberg created following the divorce of his parents. The lead character in E.T., Henry Thomas' Elliot, is also the child of a recent divorce and currently lives with his mother, brother and sister in California. Whilst his mother still hasn't completely gotten over her divorce, his older brother Michael has taken over as the man of the house and often chastises Elliot for his child-like behaviour. Both his mother and brother don't believe him when he tells them he's encountered a 'goblin' in the back yard that is until he takes him into the house. Eventually, Michael and Elliot decide that their goblin is an extra-terrestrial and has come from outer space. The brothers decide to keep E.T.'s presence a secret from their mother and swear their sister Gertie to secrecy when she accidentally discovers the creature. E.T.'s arrival appears to create a bonding experience for the siblings as they attempt to help him get back to his home planet. But this is easier said than done when government agents swarm the house and quarantine both Elliot and E.T. This sets up a couple of dazzling final scenes that have since gone down as some of the most famous cinematic moments of all time. In fact, one iconic bike ride in particular would later become the calling card for Spielberg's own Amblin Entertainment Production Company.
Like most people of my age I have watched E.T. several times, usually when it airs on the TV over the Christmas holidays. But this is the first time that I really thought about the film as a whole and mostly about how simplistic it all is. Nothing much happens in terms of the story but at the same time it's a film you'll always remember for a number of reasons. Firstly E.T. itself is a wonderful creation, an iconic screen figure whose pointy illuminated finger is a thing of beauty. Secondly, I feel that the three child actors are all brilliant and add a sense of realism to an otherwise fantastical film. Interestingly the majority of the film was shot in chronological order primarily to get the best reactions from the children. Henry Thomas is totally great as Elliot whilst a young Drew Barrymore steals every scene she's in as the fantastic Gertie. Adding some humanity to the film is Dee Wallace as Elliot's mother who portrays the role of a single mother getting over a divorce beautifully. It's this family aspect that gives E.T. its edge and it's easy to see how Spielberg drew on his own childhood to create the central brood. Allen Daviau's camera captures all of the wonderment that Spielberg can throw at it and is particularly brilliant at filming Elliot and E.T.'s first meeting. Finally, I feel that John Williams' score is vital to the film's success as it contains very little dialogue and at times his accompaniment feels like that of a pianist during a silent film. Williams' score was honoured with one of the film's four Oscars with awards also given for achievement in Sound, Sound Editing and Visual Effects. Furthermore the director of that year's Best Picture claimed that E.T. deserved to win but you'll have to wait to find out who that was and what film they won for.
Three years after E.T.'s nomination, Spileberg would have another film in consideration for the top prize. But, unlike his previous Best Picture offerings, The Color Purple was an entirely different beast and demonstrated a new side to the director that he would enhance over the coming decades. Based on Alice Walker's book, the film looks over thirty years in the life of Celie Harris, a young black woman who had a terrible life. We discover immediately that Celie is the victim of sexual abuse from her father and that she has produced two children as a result. She's soon sold on to the despicable Albert Johnson, who really wants to be with her sister Nettie, who basically treats her as a servant. When Nettie rejects Albert's advances he sends her away and Celie eventually believes her sister is dead. Celie's life is improved by two women, the first of whom is Sofia, a woman who later goes on to become her daughter-in-law. Sofia is someone who, unlike Celie, won't be treated like a victim and often hits back at men who hit her. The other woman is jazz singer Shug Avery, Albert's one true love, who takes a shine to the nervous Celie. Over their time together Shug teaches Celie to come out of her skin and eventually helps her find the letters that Nettie sent to her. By the end of the tale everybody has redeemed themselves so to speak and the film concludes with a tearful finale that is incredibly moving for those who don't possess a hear of stone.
The Color Purple was seen as Spielberg's foray into 'serious film-making' and it definitely got a mixed critical reaction on its release. Some felt that Spielberg was tugging at the heartstrings a little too much whilst others felt he was sugar-coating the plight of black people during the early 20th century. While I can certainly see their points, my main problem was that it took so long to get going. Although it's understandable that Spielberg wanted to establish the relationship between Nettie and Celie, the first thirty minutes dragged for me as we had to rattle through a large amount of exposition. The film really got going when Whoopi Goldberg took over playing the role of Celie as her performance was truly stupendous. Goldberg's tender take on the character makes you really care about Celie and she makes every single moment count when she's on screen. The appearances of both Sofia and Shug made the saga progress even faster and from that point on I was completely engrossed until the end credits rolled. This was partly down to the performances of Oprah Winfrey and Margaret Avery both of whom steal the show in their various appearances. Winfrey starts out by making Sofia a force to be reckoned with before pulling it back to portray her world-weary nature. Similarly, Avery makes Shug a force of nature but changes the character as the years go by, plus she has an amazing singing voice. All three ladies were nominated for acting awards at that year's Oscars but none of the trio were victorious which, in the case of Goldberg, is a disgrace. In fact the film has the dubious honour of receiving eleven nominations without getting a single win. Though the film does have problems, I felt that it was beautifully shot, wonderfully acted and included a brilliant score from the excellent Quincy Jones.
Throughout the rest of his career, Spielberg would go on to balance his output as he continued to create blockbusters while at the same time harnessing his love for the so-called 'serious films'. It would be these historical pictures which would net him two Best Director Oscars in the next decade and one of them would grab the Best Picture honour also. But for now at least we have to bid adieu to Mr Spielberg as we see what else the 1980s has to offer.
Next up we have the final major film by two stars who've cropped up numerous times during this blog.
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