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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 45 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Spielberg, Steven
| At the time that Spielberg directed 'A.I. Artificial Intelligence', how many of Spielberg's previous feature films had Nazis in them? | Steven Spielberg Movies
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5. 5 and they are: '1941' 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' 'Schindler's List' and 'Saving Private Ryan'.
| Which Spielberg movie featured the tagline, 'It's about life. It's about love. It's about us.'? | Steven Spielberg Movies
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E.T.. Williams was having a little bit of difficulty getting the timing down for the final 15 minute bike chase and farewell scene from 'E.T.' Spielberg told him to just conduct the piece without the film running. The ending was later re-edited to the music.
| Which Spielberg film features cameo appearances by George Lucas, Glenn Close, Carrie Fisher and Spielberg himself? | Steven Spielberg Movies
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Hook. Lucas and Fisher are the kissing couple that float as fairy dust is sprinkled on them. Spielberg leads the pirates in the march onto Hook's ship with Michael's watch on a pillow. And Close is the pirate shut in the chest with the scorpion.
| Which two screen legends did Spielberg offer the role of 'General Stilwell' to, from '1941'? | Steven Spielberg Movies
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Charlton Heston and John Wayne. Both Heston and Wayne felt that the entire '1941' production was un-American and turned down the part.
| Who was Spielberg's original choice to play Roy Neary in 'Close Encounters Of The Third Kind'? | Steven Spielberg Movies
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Steve McQueen. Steve McQueen, though interested, turned down the role. But after meeting several times to discuss the role he and Spielberg became good friends.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Aykroyd appears towards the beginning as Indy, Willie and Shorty are boarding the plane.
The Lost World. At the end of the movie when the characters are watching television.
| In which of Spielberg's early films can you spot a truck with the word 'Grebleips' written on it? (Grebleips is Spielberg backwards) | Steven Spielberg Movies
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Duel. During the scene where Dennis Weaver stops to help the schoolbus full of children.
David Swinton. In a film set in the future, humans have advanced sufficiently to create realistic robots, called mechas. One company built an artificial child, called David, who became the first of the robots to have real feelings. He was adopted by Monica, whose son had an incurable disease and so was in cryo-stasis until a cure was found. When her son recovers, he returns home. David then has to try to win back his mother's love, while his 'brother' manipulates him to force Monica to abandon him.
Empire of the Sun. 'Empire of the Sun' is based on J.G. Ballard's autobiographical novel. It tells the story of Jim (Christian Bale) whose life is changed dramatically when the Japanese invade Shanghai in December 1941. He was separated from his parents and lived for some time on the street, before being captured and interned by the Japanese. He met Basie (John Malkovich) in the camp, where he develops admiration for the other prisoners and for their Japanese guards.
The Colour Purple. 'The Colour Purple' tells the story of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), a young African American girl. She is fourteen when the story begins, and is pregnant by her own father, whom she later discovered to be her step-father. The film follows her life for the next thirty years. She was married off to a man who used her as a mother to his own children, and as a resident slave. She meets Shug (played by Margaret Avery), who helps her to learn about life's truths and to love herself enough to change from a downtrodden woman to a self-sufficient and strong one. Oprah Winfrey played the part of Sofia.
Always. The tagline for the movie 'Always' (1989) was 'They couldn't hear him. They couldn't see him. But he was there when they needed him...Even after he was gone.' Pete Sandich (Dreyfuss) was an ariel firefighting pilot, and Dorinda (Holly Hunter) was the girl he planned to marry. However, he was killed in a plane crash, leaving her heartbroken. He then found that he had returned to offer advice to his successor, a man who was also falling in love with Dorinda.
Tom Cruise. 'Minority Report' is set in the future, in a time when crimes are foretold and a pre-crime division are sent to stop them from happening. John Anderton (Tom Cruise) is a member of this division, and is horrified when his name is put forward as someone who is going ot commit a murder. He sets out to prove his innocence, pursued by his former colleagues.
Amistad. 'Amistad' is based on a revolt by Africans on the slave ship Amistad in 1839. The slaves take control of the ship, but the American navy captures them and takes them to America. The story then goes on to describe the trial of the slaves on their arrival in America. Morgan Freeman and Matthew McConaughey play characters defending the slaves. Anthony Hopkins is John Quincy Adams.
Sam Neill. Some scientists managed to bring dinosaurs to life, using DNA taken from dinosaur blood that had been obtained from insects trapped in amber. A theme park was built to show off the dinosaurs, but someone plans to steal dinosaur embryos. When the security system of the park is disabled, the dinosaurs are able to escape from their enclosures and a group of visitors to the park are left to run for their lives. Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Samuel L. Jackson and Richard Attenborough also starred in this great Spielberg movie.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Elliott discovered an alien in his family's garden, where he was looking for food. His colleagues, some alien botanists, accidentally left him behind, because they had been disturbed by humans as they were collecting samples. Elliott and E.T. became friendly, but E.T. really wishes to return home. He built a device to communicate with his kind, but the task force are equally busy, trying to track down the alien. The movie was released in 1982, and is one of the highest grossing movies of all time.
1941. '1941' is set in the days after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour. The people of California are all in a state of panic, fearing an invasion by the Japanese. When a Japanese submarine is discovered sailing up and down the coast, the nervous public are finally able to see the enemy and to defend their homes from attack.
| While continuing to churn out the blockbusters ('Jurassic Park', for example), Spielberg also pressed on with his love for historical dramas. In 1997, he made a film recounting an 1839 revolt of Africans aboard an illegal slave ship and the aftermath of said insurrection. What was the name of the slave ship and the film? | The Film History of Steven Spielberg
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Amistad. The Amistad was a merchant ship that illegally carried slaves from the Caribbean to North America. When the ship is seized by the Africans it illegally carries, and is then captured by U.S. naval forces, a row begins over who has ownership over the craft and its 'cargo'. The circumstances of the Amistad became a national issue in the United States, even reaching the Supreme Court where the case of the Africans was eloquently taken up by John Quincy Adams himself (played marvelously by Anthony Hopkins).
An underrated film by Spielberg, in my view. Aside from Hopkins' performance, look for excellent acting work by Morgan Freeman, Djimon Hounsou and Pete Postlethwaite.
| Now comfortable in the dramatic film arena, Spielberg decided to take on another challenge with the critically-acclaimed 1987 war drama 'Empire of the Sun'. In which country did the story for this film take place? | The Film History of Steven Spielberg
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China. Specifically, the film was based in Shanghai, China during World War II. Based on the novel by J. G. Ballard, 'Empire of the Sun' chronicles the story of a young British ex-pat who manages to survive the Japanese occupation, even while interned in a concentration camp. This film features the acting of Miranda Richardson, John Malkovich, Ben Stiller, Joe Pantoliano and a young Christian Bale.
| In 1985, Spielberg took a turn away from the action/adventure/sci-fi genres and decided to try his hand at drama. The result of this venture is the film 'The Color Purple'. Upon whose novel was this very humanistic tale based? | The Film History of Steven Spielberg
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Alice Walker. Spielberg took a big chance with this film, and it paid off with great critical success. Not only was 'The Color Purple' nominated for 11 Academy Awards (though, stunningly, it won zero Oscars), but it also managed to introduce the world to both Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey. Both of them were nominated for actress Oscars in this, their collective acting debuts. Spielberg was not nominated for Best Director, but he was up for a Best Picture nomination.
| In 1982, Spielberg produced and directed one of the biggest box-office smashes of all time, namely 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' (redundant name, hmm?). This film was the first to have a budget of over 100-million dollars. | The Film History of Steven Spielberg
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f. Surprisingly, the total filmmaking budget for 'E.T.' came in around 10-million dollars. The first film to cost 100-million dollars to produce was 'Terminator II' from 1991.
The script for 'E.T.' was written by Melissa Mathison, who took dictation from co-developer Spielberg during the filming of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'. Melissa Mathison is the ex-wife of Harrison Ford.
| In 1977, Spielberg hit box-office paydirt once again with his otherworldly 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'. In addition to casting Richard Dreyfuss in the lead role as Roy Neary, Spielberg made a very interesting casting selection for the French UFO expert Claude Lacombe. Which famed French director played this role? | The Film History of Steven Spielberg
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François Truffaut. You may have heard of Truffaut for his directing work in 'The 400 Blows' (Les Quatre Cents Coups) or 'Breathless' (À bout de souffle), but in the case of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind', Truffaut chose the route of acting. Truffaut does well alongside the manic Dreyfuss, the latter playing a suddenly UFO obsessed civilian while the latter portrays a film version of the French UFO expert Jacques Vallée.
'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' garnered Spielberg his first of several Academy Award nominations for Best Director. He failed to win an Oscar for this film.
| Since Spielberg is known for his Hollywood blockbusters, why not start with the 1975 film 'Jaws'? More to the point, is it true that 'Jaws' was the first film to achieve over $100 million in box office rentals? | The Film History of Steven Spielberg
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Yes. Indeed, before Spielberg started creating his big, money grossing films, the term 'blockbuster' hardly had developed its modern day definition. Spielberg essentially developed the idea of the 'summer blockbuster', and 'Jaws' did not disappoint in this regard. The highest grossing film up to the summer of 1975 and the release of 'Jaws' was the 1972 film 'The Godfather' (over 85-million dollars). Of course, adjusted for inflation, movies like 'Gone with the Wind' and 'The Sound of Music' achieved the equivalent of the 'Jaws' box-office take, but in real-dollar terms they did not exceed the 100-million mark.
| What Steven Spielberg movie features the following quote?
"And there's no doubt, our attractions will drive kids out of their minds."
"And what are those?"
"Small versions of adults, honey."
| Movie Library: Steven Spielberg
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Jurassic Park. In "Jurassic Park", John Hammond has found a way to clone dinosaurs by taking million year old Dino DNA from fossilized mosquitoes, and pairing it with the DNA of frogs. Hammond has turned his discovery into a theme park. Before the park opens for business, Hammond's investors want outside opinions, like those of paleontologists, Dr. Allan Grant and Ellie Sattler. John Hammond goes to the dig site where Grant and Sattler are working and proceeds to persuade them to visit his park and give their testimony of approval. At that point this dialogue is spoken among the three. Ellie's joke is brought on by the fact that she and Allan are a couple and have differing opinions about having kids.
Henry. Henry Walton Jones Jr. is better known as Indiana Jones. The character was first introduced in 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark". That was followed by "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". It is never revealed how Henry attained his Indy nickname, but in the third installment of the series Indiana's father, Henry Sr., mentions they once had a dog named Indiana.
David. In "A.I. Artificial Intelligence", the company Cybertronics has created human-like robots known as mechas. Haley Joel Osment's character David is a prototype for the child mechas. Cybertronics employee Henry Swinton is chosen to take David home as a sort of field test. Swinton and his wife Monica begin to raise David as their own son; Monica even develops a motherly bond with him. When the couple's real son, Martin, finds it difficult to get along with David, Henry tells his wife to return the mecha to the company. Monica fears that if David is returned he will be destroyed, so she abandons him in the woods. David then sets out on a Pinocchio-like journey to find the Blue Fairy and make his wish to become a real boy.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park. In 1993, Steven Spielberg directed the hit movie "Jurassic Park". The sequel, "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" came four years after the success of the original and is also directed by Spielberg.
"Jaws" is one of many Steven Spielberg hits; though some characters are carried on in its several sequels, neither the direction nor success of Spielberg are included.
Steven Spielberg did not direct "Gremlins" or its sequel "Gremlins 2: The New Batch", but he did serve as executive producer for both movies and he had a cameo role in part one as the man in the electric wheelchair.
Though the story and screenplay for "Poltergeist" are written by Steven Spielberg, neither it nor its sequels are directed by him.
| In "Poltergeist" when Carol Anne's pet bird Tweety dies, he is replaced by two goldfish. What names does Carol Anne give her new pets? | Movie Library: Steven Spielberg
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Tweety 2 and Tweety 3. Tweety the bird is the first and only death in the movie. After his demise, Carol Anne grieves briefly before asking her Mom for a goldfish. By bedtime, Carol Anne is feeding her two new goldfish, claiming, "Tweety 2 and Tweety 3 want seconds."
The Sugarland Express. 1974's "The Sugarland Express" is Steven Spielberg's first theatrical feature and the first time the director worked with composer John Williams. The two teamed again the following year when John Williams composed the score for "Jaws". Other Spielberg-Williams collaborations include "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Jurassic Park" and "Saving Private Ryan".
Devil's Tower. A worldwide phenomenon takes place, one in which people are experiencing close encounters with alien aircraft. All the contactees are then haunted by a familiar, yet unknown, image. Roy Neary is one of the people experiencing this strange occurrence; he tries to recreate the image using everything from mashed potatoes to shaving cream. Another contactee, artist Jillian Guiler, attempts to capture the image on canvas. Soon, Roy, Jillian, and hundreds around the world discover the image they are seeing is a monument in Wyoming known as Devil's Tower. Many of the contactees flock to this spot, but most are defeated by the government's barricade.
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