Apart from being one of Hollywood’s most prolific directors, Steven Spielberg has also been a role model and a source of inspiration for many filmmakers who have dreamt of a career in Hollywood. One of them include Matt Shakman who is known for helming pivotal episodes in the blockbuster fantasy drama Game of Thrones, Fargo, and others.
In 2019, when Game of Thrones reached its finale, Shakman was given the task of directing the penultimate episode which saw an intense battle involving Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen. The filmmaker revealed that he took inspiration from a pivotal battle scene in Spielberg’s World War 2 drama Saving Private Ryan to create this sequence. This scene though, was heavily criticized by fans for the narrative path it took.
Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-Winning Film Inspired This Game Of Thrones Scene
The penultimate episode of the Game Of Thrones finale titled The Bells, saw a violent battle featuring the show’s protagonist Daenerys Targaryen played by Emilia Clarke brutally destroying King’s Landing with dragon fire. Her actions lead to many innocent civilians becoming collateral damage and losing their lives in violent fashion as the commander of the Lannister armies Jamie Lannister looks on helplessly.
The scene though, was ripped apart by viewers who believed that this moment was sprung on them without a proper lead-up. Many fans felt that the character’s motive behind her immense wrath that led to her inflicting this violence, was not explained clearly.
But there was no denying the fact that the orchestration of the sequence was of the highest technical quality, the credit for which goes to Steven Spielberg, according to Shakman. The Fargo director revealed in an interview with The New York Times that this battle scene took shape thanks to an intense study of the Jurassic Park filmmaker’s critically acclaimed drama, Saving Private Ryan.
Comparing the helplessness of Tom Hanks in the opening battle in the beach to that of Jamie Lannister in the King’s Landing episode, Shakman elaborated on how he drew inspiration from Spielberg’s film.
I looked at Saving Private Ryan, the opening battle on the beach, where the sound drops out and Tom Hanks is watching men being burned alive and shot to death. That to me was very much what it should feel like for Jaime, watching men die left and right around him.
Criticisms aside, Game Of Thrones continues to hold its place as one of the most popular series of all time thanks to George R.R. Martin’s narrative that was expertly brought to life on screen. All eyes will now be on Shakman as he steps into the MCU for his big directorial, The Fantastic Four.
The Genius Of Steven Spielberg And Tom Hanks Brought This Spin-Off Series Alive
It is no surprise that Steven Spielberg is looked up to by many of his colleagues in Hollywood. The director’s unique ability to make any challenge look easy, is evident abundantly through his body of work. In 2001, Spielberg and Tom Hanks joined forces to become executive producers on the miniseries Band of Brothers which was based on historian Stephen E. Ambrose’s 1992 book of the same name.
Band of Brothers further proved Spielberg’s technical prowess and skill for grand visualizations, and became the most expensive television series ever made at that time with its total cost of production being $125 million (via Screen Rant). But the two Oscar-winning producers beat their own record with 2010’s spin-off series, The Pacific which cost HBO over $200 million to make.
Speaking to EW in 2010, the Philadelphia star and the Jaws director spoke about their vision for the series and why an extensive budget was required to bring it to life. While it did not look like the production details were as elaborate as in the Band of Brothers, Spielberg revealed that one of the key factors included creating the whole jungle in the show from scratch.
When you see Band of Brothers, you say, ‘oh, I understand, that was a backlot, that was a village in Holland, grey sky and mud’. When you see all the episodes in The Pacific, you see a lot of jungle, you see a lot of palm trees, and you say, ‘Well, what did they build?’ Yeah. We had to terraform, to be able to match the historic topography of where they were fighting.
Part of the reason, according to Hanks, was due to preserving the rain forests in Port Douglas, Australia, where the filming was done, to ensure that the production did not hamper the natural surroundings. He also lauded HBO for stepping in to take on this huge monetary task to ensure that the series saw the light of day.
All seasons of Game Of Thrones can be streamed on Max.
Saving Private Ryan can be streamed on Amazon Prime.
