Steven Spielberg is a veteran director who has directed a plethora of movies ever since he joined Hollywood all those years ago. Being a director who needs no form of introduction, Spielberg has been in the hearts of millions of people (and dinosaurs) with his iconic and visionary films.
With blockbuster hits like Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List, Steven Spielberg has had his fair share of failures as well. Despite the story being great, the films did not manage to earn that well at the box office. However, Spielberg’s statements about the test of time show that the director has remained undeterred despite the failures!
Some Movies Stand The Test of Time!
It was the year 1997 when Steven Spielberg worked alongside veteran actors Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, and, Matthew McConaughey in a film that most people might not even remember. Having an ensemble cast by his side wasn’t enough for the veteran director’s film to draw money at the box office.
The film, titled Amistad, was considered a failure not because of its story (which is truly iconic) but because of its earnings. As per the reports on IMDB, the film had a budget of $36 million. Despite having an incredible story, it only managed to earn $58.3 million at the global box office in 1997.
The movie was considered a failure but it didn’t deter Steven Spielberg’s spirits at all. In an interview with Time Magazine, Spielberg talked about how some movies tend to withstand the test of time.
I just love making movies so much that none of this ever deters me. I also believe that certain movies can stand the test of time.
Well, despite the ratings and box office collections, Amistad was an altogether different tale entirely. The film was quite brutal and graphic in nature, which earned it an R-rating.
According to the veteran director, his entire family had come to watch the 1997 film. Due to Spielberg’s restrictions on his kids, the director revealed that they got bored by all the legal stuff and walked out of the theater!
When Steven Spielberg’s Family Walked Out!
Inspired by true events, Amistad tells the fictional story of Joseph Cinque (Djimon Hounsou) who leads a revolution aboard a slave ship. Things turn for the worse, however, as the ship loses its way (see, an intriguing story).
However, since the movie was graphic in nature, Spielberg did not allow his kids to watch the middle or the beginning of the film. Since all that was remaining was some legal stuff, Spielberg’s family did the unthinkable!
In an interview with Robert Ebert, the actor revealed that his family walked out of the theater because they got bored!
They walked out of Amistad. I lost my whole family. All my young kids, you know. I wouldn’t ever show them the middle passage and I didn’t let them see the very beginning and they were bored by the legal stuff. They left.
Despite the terrible things that people wrote about Amistad, the film received a rating of 7.3/10 on IMDB and a whopping 78% on Rotten Tomatoes. With the film being called an underrated classic, Amistad is available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
