Molly Haskell

Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films by Molly Haskell is part of the series Jewish Lives from Yale University Press. To quote the YUP site: "JEWISH LIVES is a major series of brief, interpretive biography designed to illuminate the imprint of eminent Jewish figures upon literature, religion, philosophy, politics, cultural and economic life, and the arts and sciences." In other words, this is not simply a biography of Steven Spielberg and it is even less a fan-driven pop biography. It is, as it show more was supposed to be, an "interpretive biography." Haskell, who was approached to write this book, not the other way around, does a wonderful job of providing an interpretive frame that at once takes Spielberg at his word when he said “everything about me is in my films” while making into a whole the fragmented parts of his story as it has been told in the past.

Haskell brings her usual sharp eye and broad range of ideas to this project and succeeds on almost every level. We get a better, more coherent, picture of Steven Spielberg as a person, a fimmaker and as a storyteller. We also come to understand how being Jewish factored into how he became who he is as well as how he tells his stories.

I listened to the audio version, which was satisfactory but I am the type of reader who probably prefers nonfiction in paper form for note-taking purposes. My only complaint, a small one, is that I would have preferred a female performer throughout the book since the book was written by a woman. I like Molly Haskell's work and her authorship was as big a factor in my interest as the object, Steven Spielberg. So to hear Haskell's words in a male voice just bothered me. That is my opinion, however, and should not be taken as a negative comment about the work Johnny Heller did here.

If a reader understands and is willing to approach this book for what it is, I would highly recommend this to everyone with an interest in film, Jewish Studies and contemporary intellectual history. There is enough here for a fan who would prefer a fandom-type bio to be satisfied as long as they remember that that is not the work's primary aim.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via LibraryThing Early Reviewers. show less

This audio book is a very enjoyable and well researched work about one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Spielberg did not agree to an interview for this work. Ultimately it ends with Spielberg being categorized as a director/producer of moral relativist films and a Democratic fundraiser for the party which encourages racial and sexual diversity. A Life in Films has a weak and abrupt ending but is nonetheless a very well written and fast paced work. Johnny Heller, the narrator had show more several mispronunciations but overall was easy to listen to and was not distracting from the topic itself. Duration time was six and a half hours total.
Although it is considered close to a crime against humanity to assume authorial intent (an axiom of deconstruction theory), as long as a listener allows this as Spielberg’s life take shape, the audience will be home free to enjoy Haskell’s work. I personally consider almost of Spielberg’s films to be very important cultural statements by an American about America. By bringing Spielberg’s life to illuminate his many films, I found it worthwhile, though risky.
Spielberg’s career is handed very well with special emphasis on selected movies (AI, Schindler's List, ET, Jaws, Lincoln, Raiders, Empire of the Sun). The early films are shown as attempts by Spielberg to deal with his own family of origin issues (fear of monsters, childhood abandonment, religious phenomena, and aircraft). The latter films are depicted as his attempts to rectify past character deficiencies and the promotion more “Boy Scout” men and women of principled moral values (Bridge of Spies, Lincoln). This was well worth listening to and I wish I had been given the print version to review. This work is part of Tantor media’s Jewish Lives series. show less

I found myself trying hard to keep up with all the threads that the author picks up as she presents so much thought provoking material in this book about the book and the movie "Gone With The Wind" From a biographical sketch of Margaret Mitchell to a study of the Hollywood stars and artists that created the film to the society that has taken the novel and the movie to heart for so many years. The author points out the book is often described as not good literature but a page turner and a show more best seller, as those that is a vice. In the end she calls it a YA Masterpiece! Margaret Mitchell is not a prose stylist, she creates a one of a kind with Scarlett O'Hara and compares her to Becky Sharpe from "Vanity Fair"- unrelenting in her struggle to survive and unpunished in the end. Feminism and racism and Freudian psychology perspectives on the film and novel are presented; Molly Haskell has much to say and she says it in a very entertaining way. show less

Skip the author's, rather effete and self serving introduction. I have seen surprisingly few of Spielberg's movies so the book was a film lexicon, moviecon?, of his works for me. More of a CGI, big picture Cecile B DeMille .than a true cinema auteur; his pictures made money, a lot of money, and were entertaining. Ergo, he was a successful director, producer and movie mogul. Paranoid likely, neurotic certainly; clearly an excellent tool set for his chosen profession. In this era of boring show more billionaires, he hardly stands our. show less