Children in the Films of Steven Spielberg [Paperback]

A stimulating and original collection. A range of distinguished scholars have been assembled to reflect on the representation of childhood in Spielberg's work, and collectively they challenge the frequent critical accusations of sentimentality, illuminating instead the sensibility of a director whose work has always shown an unusual sensitivity to the traumas and dangers of childhood and how children (and adults) cope with this sense of anxiety and loss. An important contribution to Spielberg studies.Adrian Schober and Debbie Olsons collection Children in the Films of Steven Spielberg testifies to the potency of the child figure in Spielbergs films. The essays in this collection reveal that Spielbergs depictions of childhood are shaped by social anxieties about the safety of children, their complicated relations with adults, and the pressures that affect modern families. The collection will generate lively discussions of Spielbergs films across studies of childrens literature, childhood and popular cinema.This collection, representing the work of scholars from a range of theoretical frameworks and disciplines, examines aspects of the preoccupation with children and childhood in Steven Spielbergs films. It includes essays on such films as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Empire of the Sun, and more.To say that children matter in Steven Spielberg's films is an understatement. Think of the possessed Stevie in Something Evil (TV), Baby Langston in The Sugarland Express, the alien-abducted Barry in Close Encounters, Elliott and his unearthly alter-ego in E.T, the war-damaged Jim in Empire of the Sun, the little girl in the red coat in Schindlers List, the mecha child in A.I., the kidnapped boy in Minority Report, and the eponymous boy hero of The Adventures of Tintin. (There are many other instances across his oeuvre). Contradicting his reputation as a purveyor of popcorn entertainment, Spielbergs vision of children/childhood is lã-