To say that children matter in Steven Spielbergs films is an understatement. Think of the possessed Stevie in Something Evil (TV); Baby Langston in The Sugarland Express; the alien-abducted Barry in Close Encounters; Elliott and his unearthly alter-ego in E.T; the war-damaged Jim in Empire of the Sun; the little girl in the red coat in Schindlerrsquo;s List; the mecha child in A.I.; the kidnapped boy in Minority Report; and the eponymous boy hero of The Adventures of Tintin. (There are many other instances across his oeuvre). Contradicting his reputation as a purveyor of lsquo;popcornrsquo; entertainment; Spielbergrsquo;s vision of children/childhood is complex. Discerning critics have begun to note its darker underpinnings; increasingly fraught with tensions; conflicts and anxieties. But; while childhood is Spielbergrsquo;s principal source of inspiration; the topic has never been the focus of a dedicated collection of essays. The essays in Children in the Films of Steven Spielberg therefore seek to address childhood in the full spectrum of Spielbergrsquo;s cinema. Fittingly; the scholars represented here draw on a range of theoretical frameworks and disciplinesmdash;cinema studies; literary studies; audience reception; critical race theory; psychoanalysis; sociology; and more. This is an important book for not only scholars but teachers and students of Spielbergs work; and for any serious fan of the director and his career.
2016-05-17 2016-05-17File Name: B01DC1YFIQ
Review
