A filmmaker’s versatility is proved by the fact that he or she can never be boxed into any specific genre. In this regard, Steven Spielberg is the pioneer. From war dramas to sci-fi thrillers to intense biopics, the prolific director has shown that he is adept at creating magic and bringing any type of narrative to life.
But even Spielberg can have a bad outing, and his 1979 comedy 1941 proved to be a small dent in his filmography despite gaining moderate box office success. But the film was salvaged by its extended version, which is now popularly called the director’s cut, that gave audiences a glimpse into what it could have been originally.
This Film By Steven Spielberg Found a New Life Thanks To Its Director’s Cut
Steven Spielberg’s film 1941 had the unique and incongruous premise of humor in the times of war. The story which is set in the backdrop of the Pearl Harbor attacks, follows the panic of people in Los Angeles who fear that they might be the next targets. The movie had prominent stars like Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, John Candy, and Christopher Lee, among others.
Despite a decent box office collection, 1941 did not quite excite fans and critics across the country. The film’s screenwriter Bob Gale spoke to Yahoo Entertainment back in 2014 and elaborated on the reasons why the comedy failed to land with audiences. One of the key factors involved the paucity of time for the director to create a perfect final product.
It had been promoted and advertized to come out at Christmas 1979. I think if Steven had had another three or four more weeks in the editing room to work with the film, he might have gotten it into better shape. As it was, he was so focused on getting the movie out, making the date, worrying about whether scenes work. He felt when in doubt cut it out.
Thankfully for the film, an extended theatrical cut that did not make it on screen, was released later as part of a Blu-Ray movie compilation called The Steven Spielberg Director’s Collection. This proved to be a game changer for the movie in how it was able to join a lot of dots through the inclusion of more details. Gale spoke about this aspect and said,
I understand why the theatrical version [of ‘1941’] was misunderstood, because there’s a lot of material missing from the theatrical version that Bob [Zemeckis] and I always thought should be in the movie.
Today, the extended version of a film is termed the director’s cut, which has now become a pretty popular trend after it was pioneered by Zack Snyder with most of his films.
Steven Spielberg’s Long Road To Making Schindler’s List
While 1941 will not go down as one of Steven Spielberg’s best works, the opposite can be said about Schindler’s List which is considered one of his greatest films. Many a time, creating an iconic piece of art requires time and patience. This Oscar-winning film began its journey to the big screen as far back as 1982 when the director’s cult film E.T. had just released.
Basking in the glory of a second successful week at the box office, the Jaws filmmaker got an all-important call from Universal Pictures president Sid Sheinberg who was also his mentor. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, The Fablemans director elaborated on the details of his conversation with Sheinberg.
He was advised by him to read Schindler’s Ark by Thomas Keneally after he had heard great reviews about it. Soon after, Spielberg was hit with a bigger piece of news from Universal Pictures.
Universal just bought the book for you. Sir, this must be your next picture. This is a mission you must assign yourself. This story has to be told.
Faced with the daunting task of adapting this intense and inspiring World War 2 story, the director revealed that he fell ill-equipped to achieve this feat at this point in his career when he was just finding his feet. In addition, he was also unsure about his ability to jump into a mature script after making the family-friendly E.T.
I hadn’t made what I’d call my first ‘adult’ film, and I was terrified of Schindler’s List being my first, because what if I wasn’t mature enough? I was certain I wasn’t ready to deal with the gravitas of that subject matter, morally or cinematically, and I felt I lacked the wisdom to be able to discuss the story in the inevitable conversations that all of us have after our films are ready to be released.
But Spielberg saw amazing potential in this narrative despite his own personal doubts, and proceeded to find a competent scriptwriter who would do full justice to the novel’s ethos. As it turned out, many accomplished writers stepped down from adapting it before Martin Scorsese directed the filmmaker toward Steve Zaillian, who created magic with the script.
1941 can be streamed on Apple TV.
