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schleppenheimer
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 Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 1:04 pm Post subject: Jaws -- and Steven Spielberg as Aspie |
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This is a "just for fun" thread --
It's fourth of July, and my son and hubbie are at Scout Camp, and my daughter is out to lunch with friends, and I'm home alone watching "Jaws", which is something I do about once every two years. Didn't realize that they purposely air "Jaws" on the fourth, but that's the time period that the movie occurs.
I've read conflicting accounts about whether or not Steven Spielberg is Aspie, but boy, if he is, there's somebody to point to and talk about success. And I'm not necessarily talking about monetary success, either.
I am constantly amazed at how good the first "Jaws" movie is. Yeah, it's a macho film, and has all the action and suspense, but also, and this is where the intelligence of Spielberg comes in, it's just wicked SMART. There's all sorts of science in this film about sharks, and animal behavior -- then there's the history about the U.S.S. Indianapolis, which works in perfectly for the story. I guess the part I like the best is the character development part. You take an ornery working-class fisherman who has absolutely no fear, and you mix him with a wealthy marine biologist who's kind of a know-it-all, then you combine with a police chief originally from NYC who's living on an island now but is afraid to go into the water. The scene where the fisherman and the biologist show off their scars as they drink to their health is classic. Somebody really knew what they were doing with this film, and I'm guessing it's a wonderful combination of Peter Benchley (writer of the original book) and Steven Spielberg.
There's just something about this film that isn't often found in most films. So much of the time, when you watch movies from thirty or more years ago, reviewing them leaves a lot to be desired. This particular film still works, even after all of this time.
Last edited by schleppenheimer on Fri Jul 04, 2008 4:15 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Willard
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| Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:43 pm Post subject: |
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Spielberg is waaay too Hollywood social to be autistic. In fact, putting together movies or even stage plays is such a hugely social group effort, the most likely place to find an Aspie in that mix is set or costume designers (maybe an actor or two - the ones sitting off in a corner, running lines by themselves). Projects like that are all about social interaction, communication and plowing right through stress and anxiety to meet a tight schedule. Meltdown city.
Jaws is based on a novel by Peter Benchley. That's where all the smart dialogue comes from.
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ouinon
chemical reaction
Joined: Jul 11, 2007
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| Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:44 pm Post subject: |
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The Fly, and David Cronenberg as aspie.
The film is twenty two years old and still good. The 7 suits all the same in Brundle's wardrobe, etc.
PS: I agree with you, Schleppenheimer, about how good Jaws is. A real classic.
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ouinon
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| Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:48 pm Post subject: |
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"Breaking the Waves", and "Dancer in the Dark", and Lars von Trier, who won't get on a plane.
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ouinon
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| Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:50 pm Post subject: |
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"The Shining" and Stanley Kubrick the obsessive perfectionist.
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ouinon
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| Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:51 pm Post subject: |
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"Eraserhead" and David Lynch.
PS. I think that "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" is also a good example of a poss AS ness to Spielberg. Those drawings and sculptures of the mountain. I always cry when it gets to the scene where it appears on the TV.
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Hodor
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| Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 6:49 pm Post subject: |
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...Another thread debating the possibility of a famous person having AS. Time for another two shots of whisky, I think. 
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jamesohgoodie
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| Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 1:59 am Post subject: |
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| Willard wrote: | Spielberg is waaay too Hollywood social to be autistic. In fact, putting together movies or even stage plays is such a hugely social group effort, the most likely place to find an Aspie in that mix is set or costume designers (maybe an actor or two - the ones sitting off in a corner, running lines by themselves). Projects like that are all about social interaction, communication and plowing right through stress and anxiety to meet a tight schedule. Meltdown city.
Jaws is based on a novel by Peter Benchley. That's where all the smart dialogue comes from. |
Writing! Don't forget writing! I'm convinced a lot of writers are total aspies.
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Nutterbug
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Joined: Jul 05, 2008
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| Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 6:43 am Post subject: |
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| I thought aspies were supposed to be more analytical than creative, and creating good art required being able to think in tune with the average, neurotypical person and intuitively being able to entertain, impress or capture them in a way that rigid logical thinking cannot. |
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ASS-P
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| Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 7:27 am Post subject: |
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...I've wanted to talk about the movie since seeing it on USA Network about nine months ago , not having , really , seen it since seeing it in the theater in 1975 or thereabout .
Maybe later , however .
A yearsish back , too , a found a vintage paperback called " The JAWS Diaries " or something like that , a " behind the scenes in the production of the super hit JAWS " sort of book , from the Seventies .
Both Peter Benhley and Roy Schnider died relatively recently . |
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Reodor_Felgen
Counting down till Castro bites the dust
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| Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 11:34 am Post subject: |
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| Willard wrote: | Spielberg is waaay too Hollywood social to be autistic. In fact, putting together movies or even stage plays is such a hugely social group effort, the most likely place to find an Aspie in that mix is set or costume designers (maybe an actor or two - the ones sitting off in a corner, running lines by themselves). Projects like that are all about social interaction, communication and plowing right through stress and anxiety to meet a tight schedule. Meltdown city.
Jaws is based on a novel by Peter Benchley. That's where all the smart dialogue comes from. |
Having Asperger's doesn't automatically mean that you have anxiety. Unfortunately, you can't really tell who's aspie and who's not if you don't know the person well, since aspies and NTs may look the same on the surface.
Tim Burton also has Asperger's, according to his wife.
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Anemone
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| Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 6:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Reodor_Felgen wrote: | | Tim Burton also has Asperger's, according to his wife. |
I didn't know she was a qualified diagnostician.
I can't see Spielberg as autistic either.
I saw Jaws for the first time this last year, on DVD. The first thing that struck me was all the cellulite. You don't see beach scenes like that in movies these days much!
It was a good movie. Spielberg is usually very good at what he does, and I've seen another Benchley adaptation that was pretty good, too. Benchley knows the sea. Spielberg knows movies.
I could say something snarky about how Jaws is about man's deep unconscious fear of xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx . . .
[Edit: sorry, I forgot there are kids on board.]
Last edited by Anemone on Sat Jul 05, 2008 11:51 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Reodor_Felgen
Counting down till Castro bites the dust
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| Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 7:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Anemone wrote: |
I didn't know she was a qualified diagnostician. |
She played in a BBC drama about autism, and have previously worked with autistic people.
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I can't see Spielberg as autistic either.
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So you personally know him? Cool! 
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DJRnold
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Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 7:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Willard wrote: | Spielberg is waaay too Hollywood social to be autistic. In fact, putting together movies or even stage plays is such a hugely social group effort, the most likely place to find an Aspie in that mix is set or costume designers (maybe an actor or two - the ones sitting off in a corner, running lines by themselves). Projects like that are all about social interaction, communication and plowing right through stress and anxiety to meet a tight schedule. Meltdown city.
Jaws is based on a novel by Peter Benchley. That's where all the smart dialogue comes from. |
I want to be a director, so don't scare me like that!
| jamesohgoodie wrote: | | Writing! Don't forget writing! I'm convinced a lot of writers are total aspies. |
I want to do that too. |
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