A fairly pacey look through the cinema output of Steven Allan Spielberg, the thinking popcorn eater's cinema director of choice. We get a page or two about his influences and his productions, which is able to list over 20 that might be in his top 10, he's that prolific, but this generally sticks to the stories of the movies, and how they fit in with what this author takes as his recurring themes.

It's a daft book that says all of his films have been successes, and that all are good – 1941, Amistad and Hook are forgotten about and never rewatched for a reason. Even when they show actorly proficiency and directing smarts, like Bridge of Spies, they're never raking in a mahoosive profit. There's a quote here about how lavishly Mark Kermode likes AI – but he famously hated it before a Damascene, if not Spielbergian, conversion. But of course the man has provided for images – involving bicycles, red coats or beach invasions – that would make cinema a much poorer experience were they to be taken away.

This is not quite deep enough to really get to the core of the man, as you'd expect from an unofficial, unlicensed survey. It is a retread of things that have gone before, from an author who likes to include a grammatically incomplete sentence about every five pages. Just to trip the reader up. It is also highly pictorial – I don't recall a page without some imagery on it somewhere. And the message seems to be both that Spielberg can turn his hand to anything, which we ought to watch at least once indiscriminately, and that Spielberg has A Type (or in the language of the auteurs, Un Type) – when I would say that's demonstrably not true. His type, as in his productions and decisions, is to look at the financial figures, where super-hits have allowed him many years of fallower times. And bravo him for that.

This, then, is part film studies, part biography, pretty much hagiography. I don't recall a bad word said against the subject – even the political and religious divides shown in and caused by Munich are given the thumbs up. So could this have been more serious, discerning and critical? Yes, but that would deny the kind of book it is. It's a message about how scrumdiddlyumptious the Spielberg experience can be, and on the whole it's not completely wrong about that. Let's face it, there is more written about Star Wars each year than will ever be written about THX-1138, and populist should not be thought a bad thing. This is a perfectly fine recap of one of the world's great populists.

An epitome of sheer pleasure for Steven Spielberg movie lovers. Ian Nathan one of the UK's best film writers has produced a beautiful, compact book, with high quality pictures and pithy words, titled “Steven Spielberg, The Iconic Filmmaker and His Work”. It will make a wonderful Christmas (or otherwise) gift for someone who is interested in learning more of Spielberg's life and magical movies.

Movie lovers, especially the older ones are highly likely aware of the numerous good and great movies Spielberg has produced, ranging from ET to Schindler's List.

Unlikely they will know of every movie he has produced.
I really enjoyed page 161 THAT SPIELBURG TOUCH on spotting a Spielberg touch without the credit. Of course because it is that touch will not necessarily mean it is the iconic master maker himself, as it could be any other filmmaker that copies and flatters out of imitation, the Spielberg stylistic devices.

Throughout the book Ian Nathan points out instances of happenings in Spielberg's life, as inspiration for happenings in the movies he made. You may buy into all of them or just the majority of them like myself. Most importantly buy this book at a very reasonable price, for what it does give.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC (Advanced Reading Copy).

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. This was an interesting read about Spielberg’ film history and a bit of history. If one is a film buff, this is a must read.

A great book that delves into Spielberg, his early life, influences into his work, and his movies as a prolific director and producer of some of the most well known and loved movies of all time.

Beautiful high quality photos gives a entertaining look at this famous figure. This is relatively short and the txt is quite limited. This is a good captivating overview of the work of a legend Could have done wirh being longer and more photos . Highly recommended for ang film lovers who just want to feast on the basics.
Thank you netgallery and publisher and author.

An amazing look into the career of one of my favorite filmmaker's through his entire career. I've always been a huge fan, but it's great to learn new things and I learned quite a bit from this one. I really think that I will have to buy my very own copy to peruse whenever I get in a Spielberg mood.

Special Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group/White Lion Publishing and Netgalley for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.

A nice overview of Steven Spielberg’s work. There’s an opening chapter about his background and then the book covers his career movie by movie. The author offers nice recaps, highlights recurring themes and points out how experiences inform his work.

You should know this is not an exhaustive bio. Some movies only get a page or two. More attention is paid to the notable films like Jaws and Schindler’s List. There are also many photos throughout. Perhaps not enough detail for a Spielberg aficionado, but if you’re looking for a nice overview of his career, this book is recommended.

NetGalley provided me with an e-galley of the book in return for this review.

A compelling compendium of the work of a maestro in which Nathan has clearly poured not only a lot of research but a lot of love into the project.

As someone who grew up with the films of Spielberg, it was refreshing to learn some new facts and to see some unfamiliar behind the scene photos from his various productions. This book is pitched perfectly for the long term geeks and the recent converts who are lucky enough to discover this movie genius for the first time.

A terrific biography about one of my favorite directors, Steven Spielberg, whose films I've loved. Reading this biography was a trip into memory lane, and I remember when each movie from Jaws to E.T. released and how I couldn't wait to see them in theaters. I was always amazed how much work went into a films especially special effect, back then it was all manual labor that created the effects and that to me look better then effects now. I also liked learning about how involved Spielberg was in other great movies that I've like, BFG, War Horse, The Terminal etc. Plus, being involved in other movies as producer. which made this book more important as a source of film history.
This is an excellent story about Steven Spielberg as director and producer, with the right amount of story, the right amount of pictures that will leave you satisfied after you read this book and it's not a big thick book like sometime you read but a perfect size for an enjoyable read.

I want to thank Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion | White Lion Publishing and NetGalley for an advance copy about an amazing talent.

Ian Nathan, the former editor of Empire magazine, has written a series of well received books about some of Hollywood’s greatest directors, so it seems a little strange that it has taken him this long to get to one of the best known, Steven Spielberg. He explains this delay well though – Spielberg’s films are deceptively simple and often mistaken as purely feel good despite covering a wide range of often difficult subjects, so there is actually an awful lot to unpack in terms of the personality of the director, the subject matters covered and the technical brilliance of many of his films. Nathan admits that the sheer impact Spielberg has had on him personally and on film as a whole makes this a very difficult subject to cover but he does it brilliantly.

Each film is covered in depth on its own merits and as part of his development as a director and it’s fascinating to go back and realise just how many of our iconic films have been his, and to understand just what makes them work so well. The author goes into what is done technically to make this so but the human part of Spielberg’s work is also brought forward, and the reflection of the man himself in so many of these works. There are an enormous amount of photos from the films and plenty behind the scenes information of the making, with each film having essentially a chapter.

I will confess to being a huge fan of Steven Spielberg and knowing a fair amount already but there is so much detail in this book, I learned a lot more and it’s lovely to have a book that is so up to date, running all the way to The Fabelmans in 2022. This is a must buy for fans of Spielberg (and film generally) and a beautiful book to have on the shelf and return to over and over. I will certainly be adding it to my shelf!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

A detailed overview of Spielberg from early life and career to date, lots of background information on the genesis and making of the films accompanied by full-colour photography and other archive material throughout. We have had others from this series in store, and will certainly be getting this title to add to our film collection.

This visually engaging book offers a fascinating exploration of Spielberg’s films in the context of their making. For me, the strength of this book lies in its vivid illustrations—stills from his films, behind-the-scenes photos, historical movie posters, and more—that bring his cinematic world and visual culture reference points to life. The corresponding text weaves together notes about Spielberg's influences, such as the themes and childhood stories that most held his imagination, plus practical details about each project's resources and timing, and discusses how these affected his decision-making and process for the final result. Altogether, the book succeeds in providing valuable context that enhances our understanding of his storytelling methods. An essential read for those wanting to grasp the nuances of this iconic filmmaker’s oeuvre.

Steven Spielberg is the world's most famous living film director with very good reason. His phenomenal fifty year career has included many of the greatest movies ever made amongst them Jaws, Close Encounters..., the first four Indiana Jones films, E.T, not to mention Schindler's List and Jurassic Park, the last two both in the year 1993. The second half of his career has perhaps been slightly less dazzling than the first but has nevertheless still featured many highs including Minority Report, Ready Player One and War Horse. This nicely illustrated book from the experienced British film writer Ian Nathan covers all of these plus the filmmaker's less celebrated moments such as 1941, Always, Hook and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls.

As a filmmaker and filmmaking teacher, I can speak for hours about Spielberg, although personally he is not my most favourite film director, he is a master of cinema and storytelling. I am moderately informed about Spielberg’s personal life and how it informs his storytelling. These being said, I learned new facts about his career from this book, and I would happily recommend it to Spielberg fans, film students, film buffs, critics, and sharks. Sharks and dinosaurs, read this book.

From the very first pages, I was immediately captivated by the life and legacy of Steven Spielberg. I've always seen him as a monumental figure, almost larger than Hollywood itself. Yet, this book offers a fresh perspective, portraying a side of Spielberg that feels darker and more complex than he's often credited for. After finishing it, I completely agree—there’s so much more to him. He embodies creativity, depth, and thoughtfulness. His art is both intricate and descriptive.

The book is thoughtfully divided into sections, each focusing on different aspects of Spielberg's life and his groundbreaking creations. It dives into how he transformed the film industry and the hurdles he overcame to bring his visions to life. Fans of Spielberg or cinema in general will find this an absolutely fascinating read.