The classic movies Steven Spielberg cherishes most of all: “One of the greatest filmmakers in film history”
Despite being one of the foremost filmmakers of his generation, and many more to boot, Steven Spielberg has never set himself out as a gatekeeper of the art form. The director, as well as being a box office hit and a provider of critically and commercially pedestal-worthy movies, has always been a welcoming force in the world of cinema. Not only has he spent his time championing the work of new directors trying to emulate his success, but he has also illuminated the work of past masters.
The Jaws director has been resolute in his appreciation for the skill and dexterity shown by the filmmakers of the golden age of Hollywood. Only in his semi-autobiographical piece The Fablemans did Spielberg pay tribute to John Ford (ably played by David Lynch) with whom the then-amateur filmmaker enjoyed a genuine and enlightening conversation.
Spielberg has routinely shared his appreciation for director David Lean, too, with his movie Lawrence of Arabia being consistently touted by Spielberg as perhaps his favourite film of all time. When dissecting particular moments that make Lawrence of Arabia glow, Spielberg considers “the mirage sequence as still the greatest miracle [he’s] seen on film.” But the ultimate superlative that he bestows on it is as follows, “What makes that film unlikely any film that can be made again is that it was done naturally, with the elements of light and sound and maybe the greatest screenplay ever written for the motion picture medium […] It was a miracle.”
So, when network TCM decided to gather some of the great directors to pick out their favourite movies that run on the exclusively ‘Golden Age’ channel, Spielberg seemed like the perfect choice. And he didn’t disappoint as he produced a list that not only acts as a wondrous accompaniment to a weekend afternoon of your choosing but also an education into what makes a movie a bonafide classic.
The director pays tribute to some of the best as he picks out two of Vincente Minnelli’s greatest outings. As well as selecting The Bad and the Beautiful, Minnelli’s 1952, a movie Spielberg deemed to be perhaps the best movie about making a movie ever constructed featuring the character James Shields whom Spielberg says “I would never want to work for,” the director also picks the 1944 smash hit Meet Me in St. Louis.
“A musical family movie for the whole family,” according to Spielberg, the director also singles out Margaret O’Brien’s performance ahead of Judy Garland’s as the young star “practically steals this whole movie from everybody.”
Within the selection there are nods to Douglas Sirk and his wonderful Imitation of Life from 1959, that features a show-stopping performance by Lana Turner. And there is also the addition of Them!, a 1950s science-fiction piece which has a sleek appeal and Spielberg lauds as “classy and smart”. And the director saves his final pick for another esteemed member of the filmmakers panethon: Alfred Hitchcock.
Though not his most famous movie, The Wrong Man has a unique true story behind the picture as Spielberg revealed the film was inspired by Hitchcock being locked up in jail on the orders of his father to teach him a lesson. “I think this [film] is a result of this childhood trauma, directly,” Spielberg said. “What his father did to Hitchcock was intolerable, but may just have made him the ‘Master of Suspense’ and one of the greatest filmmakers in film history.”
Steven Spielberg’s favourite classic movies:
- Meet Me in St. Louis (Vincente Minnelli, 1944)
- Imitation of Life (Douglas Sirk, 1959),
- Them! (Gordon Douglas, 1954)
- The Bad and the Beautiful (Vincente Minnelli, 1952)
- The Wrong Man (Alfred Hitchcock, 1957)
