New Books Network Lester D. Friedman, "Citizen Spielberg" (U of Illinois Press, 2022)
Nov 17, 2025
Lester D. Friedman, an Emeritus professor and film studies expert, delves into the genius of Steven Spielberg, showcasing him as a profound artist rather than merely a master of spectacle. He explores the evolution of Spielberg’s filmmaking in his updated analysis, discussing new works like 'Lincoln' and 'Ready Player One.' The conversation dives into Spielberg's adeptness at intertwining genre conventions with personal obsessions, the ethical dilemmas in films like 'Jurassic Park,' and why 'Schindler's List' remains his crowning achievement.
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Why He Wrote Citizen Spielberg
- Lester Friedman began researching Spielberg after student requests for a course and found surprisingly little scholarship on Spielberg at the time.
- He wrote Citizen Spielberg to challenge the prevailing view of Spielberg as mere spectacle and to show deeper artistic continuity.
Spielberg As A Genre Auteur
- Friedman reorganized his book by genre because Spielberg is essentially an American genre filmmaker.
- Recurring concerns like broken families and community threats thread through different genres across Spielberg's career.
Organize Film Study By Theme
- When studying a director, organize analysis by recurring genres and motifs to avoid repetitive chronology.
- Friedman recommends thematic grouping to reveal deeper continuities across a career.
