Director Debuts: Steven Spielberg's First Film

By: Keith Mitchell w/ Chestpoundfilms

Director Debuts is a series that examines the very first works of top filmmakers today.

We kick off the first entry with one of the greatest director’s of all time, Steven Spielberg- forty six years ago.

All the way back in 1968, during a time of 8-track tapes, tie dye shirts, free spirits and LSD.

A time when Spielberg was just 21.

He was somewhat experienced in filmmaking, with previous movies like Escape to Nowhere 1962 and Firelight 1964 under his belt.

But he realized that carrying around a projector and a briefcase of childhood films into the offices of producers just wouldn’t cut it.

Spielberg needed a serious movie, a professional movie, a man named Denise C. Hoffman.

He was later introduced to Hoffman, who agreed to loan him $10,000 to make a film.

However, there were a few conditions:

• Spielberg needed to feature music from a band Hoffman was managing called October Country.

• He could not accept compensation for the film.

• He must be bound by contract for ten years to direct whatever ingeniously, creative whim Hoffman conceived in exchange for $25,000 and 5% of the profits of that film.

Now looking through the eyes of hindsight- ten years is a long time. It’s no wonder, things turned sour between the two in a mess of lawsuits.

But despite the conditions, Spielberg agreed and wrote the script for Amblin’ in one day.

The film was set to be a short, silent film running 26 minutes long.

Richard Levin was casted for the male lead after being discovered in a library. While Pamela McMyler, the female lead, was an upcoming actress.

Here is a link to the film: Amblin'

SPOILERS

The film starts, following a young boy defensively carrying a guitar case.

He’s hitching a ride to the pacific coast- the days when hitchhikers had a little more credibility.

After many failed attempts, the boy meets a girl who happens to be a wanderer herself. She's everything he wants to be, daring, lively, carefree.

She joins the boy on his epic road trip- bohemian style. Together the two share several amusing experiences such as olive spitting and marijuana smoking, the best ways to form a bond.

During their journey, the girl’s curiosity in the boy grows as she finds herself leading him along the way. She questions his protective behavior over his guitar case.

Eventually, the two develop the kind of feelings for one another that can only be described as a fling, engaging in an awkward moment of sex in a sleeping bag. But the boy emerges a new spirit, one that is free and confident.

They finally reach the coast. Elated, the boy with his new found confidence, speeds off to frolic in the water leaving his guitar case behind- vulnerable.

The girl secretly opens the case, only to find everything but a guitar.

Her ideas of him were wrong- he wasn’t the free flowing man she thought, but a confused boy in love.

Realizing this, she silently sneaks off. Abandoning the boy in his moment of ecstasy...

The film touches the topic of being caught between freedom and security. The ability to risk leaving a secure life in replacement of a free one.

It covers all of this silently.

Spielberg definitely proved his innate skills of transitions and storytelling with this film.

Without any words, it was very easy to follow along, showing that dialogue isn’t necessary to create character.

In the words of Alfred Hitchcock, “we should resort to dialogue only when it's impossible to do otherwise.” - Amblin' does this remarkably.

For any aspiring filmmaker, I highly suggest this film. Even for those who aren't interested in filmmaking, it's always interesting to see where one of the biggest directors of today came from.

Amblin' has a way of appealing to the inner hippie in all of us.