The first time Steven Spielberg met John Ford
When it comes to a director of Steven Spielberg‘s status and work, it is not easy to imagine that he was once an aspiring and nervous newbie looking to the greats who came before him for guidance. However, the American filmmaker has always shared his early experiences in the film industry, meeting those who paved the way and contributing features that inspired Spielberg’s work. One of these directors was John Ford, the influential figure who trademarked location shooting to capture the majesty of harsh, natural landscapes.
From the patch on his left eye to his love for music to be played on sets, Ford was an irreplaceable and unmissable presence in the film industry. His most recognised and acclaimed features include The Grapes of Wrath and My Darling Clementine, both films that employ a thorough exploration of their landscapes to elevate the subject matter, executed through Ford’s disciplined use of wide shots presenting rugged geographical areas. Spielberg addressed the director’s compelling perspective on filmmaking, mainly through the dialogue he used to describe it.
“I walked into the office, and he was sitting by his desk with his feet up on the desk,” Spielberg told Jon Favreau during an interview. “He sat me down, and he just said, ‘so they tell me you want to be a picture maker.'” This choice of wording took Spielberg by surprise as “(he) never heard that before, but (he) never forgot it”.
The Jaws director then went into detail about Ford’s advice approach, employing a painting to channel his cinematic vision. “He said, ‘you see those paintings around the office… we will get up and walk over to the first painting. Tell me what you see in that painting.” Spielberg described his immediate interpretation of the artwork as: “two Indians on a horse'”, prompting Ford to ask where “the horizon is”.
A confused Spielberg aligned the horizon: “‘With the horizons, you know you know way above the head of the Indians'” before being asked by Ford to explain what he perceives in a second painting. Ford was not satisfied with the young Spielberg’s answer of ‘”there’s some Calvary, you know?” an answer Spielberg himself cites as ‘stupid’, further pressing him to locate this sacred horizon.
Spielberg could only cite this spot at “‘the very, very bottom of the painting.'” However, from this interpretation, Ford gave the upcoming filmmaker treasured advice. “‘When you’re able to distinguish the art of the horizon at the bottom of a frame or at the top, but not going right to the centre of the frame. When you’re able to appreciate why it’s at the top and why it’s at the bottom, you might make a pretty good picture maker.'” Perhaps owing to Spielberg’s junior status or the senior director’s busy schedule, Ford followed it up with: “‘now get the fuck out of here'”.
This vision of where a shot’s horizon should be placed to make the image interesting comes to fruition in many of Ford’s great works. The filmmaker exerted a precise shot composition that focused the horizon where it needed to be, in turn situating the subject of the character shown against their designated background effortlessly. Spielberg processed this experience and now watches at least one Ford picture before starting his own film.
This historical meeting was also replicated in Spielberg’s latest feature, The Fabelmans, a semi-autobiographical story loosely based on Spielberg’s adolescence and first years as a filmmaker. The film employs the fictionalised character of Sammy Fabelman to channel the director’s story, including the time he met Ford, who acclaimed art director David Lynch plays.
Watch Spielberg tell the brilliant Ford story, and Lynch and Gabriel LaBelle reenact it below.
