Doctoral Thesis on Steven Spielberg

Motivated by your continued questions about what's going on my dissertation, I thought to publish some of the most important points, especially if they are of interest also from other scholars and fans

“Humanism and cinema: the implementation of the treatment of human dignity in the creative work of Steven Spielberg” by Beatriz Peña Acuña. February 2010, University of Alicante. Extraordinary award of thesis dissertation (2012).
Thesis Director: Professor Pedro Aullón de Haro, Dr. en Philology, Departament of Philology, University of Alicante.


The hypothesis of work asserts that Steven Spielberg has intentionality about the transmission of a value: human dignity. He deals to transmit it with the elements that he chooses from the cinematic language, as it is to build identification with the protagonist.

About the object of study, we study from a practical point of view the films directed by Steven Spielberg. He is a well-known film director who is born in 1946. His filmography extends from Duel, (1971) to Munich (2006). Other films that marked a landmark are: E.T., the extraterrestrial (1982), The color purple (1985), Empire of the sun (1987), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and Jurassic Park (1997).
On this film director it is described systematically, from his constants in the intervention in each one of the parts of the cinematographic process, to his own style in the use of each one of the expressive codes, to descend finally to details as it is the verification of stilemas, or the attention to other techniques as the use of the emotion in the mechanism of the identification.
The value of the dignity is described in all the films of Steven Spielberg, and especially in four sequences of these four films: A.I. Artificial intelligence (sequence 24), Minority Report (sequence 18), Catch me if you can (sequence 15) and The Terminal (sequence 24). These sequences have been chosen with two criteria: the value of the dignity appears clear in the hero, is a sequence of the end of the development where either we know enough about the hero, and where a transformation is made that wins in dignity or gives relief on the subject.
The films that contain the sequences were shooted in a short period of separation that last just three years. In these films the subject of the dignity treats in broad strokes the hero of the following way. In A.I. Artificial intelligence is experienced of irresponsible form in a robot, David, with a human quality, the capacity to love, to cover a human necessity. In Minority Report the dignity of the person is praised through the defence of the free will in Anderton. He experiences as a person that he decides his actions until the last one hundredth of minute, and it is not possible to be accused by a police or judicial system before executing nothing. In addition, the person is free and can rectify and regret her actions. In Catch me if you can the dignity personifies the hero, Frank Abagnale, a minor who is able to change and take a honest life after having swindled four million dollars. In The Terminal the dignity is considered from the main character, Victor Naborski, who conserves his personal dignity before difficult circumstances, and he develops solidarity towards others, thanks to which soon in the end he is awarded by them.
Finally, the reaction of the receiver (viewer) is observed on this film director in the sample of the critic that we have compiled in written bibliography. It is observed in the position of the critic, academic as much journalistic, as far as his films and to the value of the dignity. Secondly, we will expose the intentionality discovered in the elaboration of incident elements in the process of identification of the receiver in the analysis of the sequences.
The methodology we have used has varied according to what chapter it was and its content. We started with a wide theoretical frame of the phenomenon of communication to a concrete analysis of thematic and formal filmatic elements in the practical research application. For example, more theoretical aspects are approached in the first chapter, and for that reason, we looked for a theory (the interactionist theory) that it connected with our hypothesis, and allowed us to understand the process between the elements of the communication process.
However in the second part, we were interested to limit Spielberg profile of filmic performance being emphasized certain biographical elements that strength our hypothesis, and, simultaneously, this study frames and familiarizes us more with tangible elements on the use of expressive elements, and with the transmission consciousness of value as constants.
In the third part, we used multiple methodology that tries to approach the analysis of the filmic text from three different levels in such a way that the study is detailed to the maximum to contribute with concrete reflections on elements of the process: film director, sequence of a filmic fragment, and spectator as far as the transmission of the value.
We will now develop more after form detailed the methodological use of each chapter.
It is exposed now the methodology used for the first part. On the basic theoretical body with respect to the process of communication, or to the concrete elements like emitter, means and receiver, we make a revision of the theories that appear in Theory of the Communication, and we make a selection of theories that seemed more interesting to us about the theme of values transmission.
The speculation developed in the theoretical body with respect to the individual and social person to understand the process of emission and reception, takes place from a primarily psycho-social point of view, based on the interpretative formulation of the symbolic interactionism. This formulation arises in years 30, especially according to the conception of G.M. Mead and Herbert Blumer. We will consider as well to Erving Goffman that appears in the intellectual panorama in years 70. He interests to us as soon, as that their dramaturgical analysis for the social learning seems to us that can reveal how it is social behaviour, as far as the learning of the rolls, and also because his formulation is developed in consonance with interactionist theory; his contribution allows us to think that the social learning facilitates the same dramaturgical situation that reproduces the cinema.
In addition to the route by the Theory of the Communication theories, we have considered the methodological resource of other disciplines in which the fact of the transmission of the value was clearer. For that reason data have been added that support the affirmations of other disciplines (for example, other sociological data, psycho-social, anthropological, pedagogical, psychological, philosophical, historic theories (of the cinema). We decided to do it so, because the study of the communication becomes rich from its origin from others disciplines, and we thought the study will be richer with other points of view. We also discovered that in certain disciplines, for example, psychology had reached greater knowledge of the emotion phenomenon, and we took advantage of it to go deep later in our analysis. We contributed in addition testimonies to directors, critical, investigators who try to corroborate the sense of social responsibility.
In the case of the study of the Cinema as means we already introduce more in the audio-visual discipline of the cinematographic language.
The methodology of both following chapters tries to apply the theoretical exhibition of the first chapter to support in a concrete and practical way the hypothesis with respect to the filmmaker, to the film and the receiver, so that we find a way between these three elements that lightens on some of the considered variants. On the part of the emitter his intentionality declared and expressed cinematographically of the chosen value from which we could observe constants; on the part of the message, expressive selection of formal elements and emotional manipulation, and finally appreciation of the academics and critics about thematic constants (and values), the identification of the receiver in four sequences.
It is explained now the methodology for the second part. In this second part a study near and detailed of the filmography of a Hollywood filmmaker will take place from a biographical and sociologic-historical point of view. We will study as film director which are his strong points in the use of the cinematographic resources from an audio-visual point of view. We will know the film director consciousness of his values transmission through the declarations that we have found written. Also we expose a panorama of the values that appear in his films, as well as the commentary of the academic ones, like critics of cinema, in order to obtain a valuation of the critics.
The theoretical exposition interactionist that affirms the intentionality, we set out to apply it in a practical way to a contemporary film director so that we can obtain a near experience. In particular, we chose Steven Spielberg, a director who combines prestige and the commercial success. We chose him because he is a commercial and popular director. In the ranking of the history of the cinema four of his films appear between the 25 top box films. Also we selected him because he is not a film director with especially intellectual preparation, but vocational. He studied in a modest faculty (Long Beach State University), but has a precocious vocation since he has filmed his own films from 12 years old.
Another factor that we like from him is his Jewish formation and the recovery of his faith from the shooting of the Schindler´s List. A fourth factor is the skilful use that he has of the emotion, because we try to go deep in the importance of the emotion. A fifth factor is that he is film lover, that he admires cinema like a means, and he doesn’t doubt in applying the technology to give still more visual and effective possibilities to the cinema, as well as he loves classic cinema through the films of mythical film directors who admires. A sixth factor is our affection towards him, because he has made us often dream.
We stopped in studying his biography, the sociological and historical variables to observe how they influence in his films. We compiled all the declarations in relation to his conscience of transmission of values and social responsibility like film director. We gathered the testimony of the critical on the values that exposes in his films. This way we were prepared to analyze one of the values that he treats the human dignity. We stated that this value is transmitted throughout all his films. We will crumble more in the four chosen films. And in addition we also analyzed the two following ones (the War of Worlds, 2005, and Munich, 2006) to discover the thematic continuity.
The films that we have chosen to analyze with thoroughness their content with respect to the dignity value of the person are the last six films that belong to the stage of maturity of the director. As a previous study we give a context of the formal and content constants of these six films. We analyzed in four of them by far detail four sequences as far as the content and forms of the dignity value. The sequences belong to A.I. Artificial intelligence (2001), Minority Report (2002), Catch me if you can (2002) and The Terminal (2004).
We have used an ample and sufficient bibliography on the chosen film director, Steven Spielberg, as much of monographs in English, Italian, French and Spanish, like of academic magazines. Many biographical studies and of thematic analysis have been made between which we can emphasize a total of the nine theses, the most recent is the one from Ernest Timchia Tubuo (2003), and two Spanish researchers, Antonio Sanchez Escalonilla (1995) and David Caldevilla Dominguez (2000) as we indicated later in the bibliography. We also appreciate the formal analysis of Spielberg’s films by Warren Buckland (2006). In none of them their study is centred in neither the value of human person, nor that they have investigated this subject especially in his films and, in particular, in these six films of the stage of maturity of the famous director.
Now it is finally exposed the methodology of the third chapter. The methodology that we have decided to apply, we have thought that it is adapted for the objects of study that we have in this case. One is the intentionality of the emitter at the time of giving expressive form and looking for the identification, the form and content of the value (message), and the reaction of the receiver through the identification and the success of box office in audience.
The methodological application of analysis will be multiple on a sequence very introduced and thematically framed by a previous commentary of the film. In particular it will be a descriptive, a narrative and a cognitive analysis. We will raise the analysis of the same sequence in three different levels with the purpose of analyzing and deepening on the dignity value of person. With this triple application we try to illuminate the intentional process of transmission of the value of the dignity on the three actors of the communication: the emitter, the message and the receiver.

1. The intentional configuration of the hero who incarnates the value, and the narrative and emotional identification that the spectator obtains.
2. Elements of the intentional narrative point of view of the film director in favour of the value.
3. Concrete own iconological forms of the film director in favour of the value.
4. Expressive resources of the cinematographic language that the film director puts in favour of the value.
The objectives of the research are:
To determine intentionality of the filmmaker through the content constants about human dignity’s value, and formal constants, especially the ones that form the protagonist in four sequences of four films from Spielberg in his maturity production.
To discover how the filmmaker deals with mechanism of the identification through the hero that carries human dignity’s value in the sequences described above.

This thesis dissertation contributes with an original approaching research towards Steven Spielberg, because we study neutrally for the first time how he intervenes in the process, how were his ideas about values and the films by the declarations he has made. And then, we study, as the usual approach, the films just done, the academic and specialized critics point of view about them. We offer a wide and a complete vision of the treatment of the value of human dignity in his films. We also approach the study of emotion through use of concrete cinematic elements.
Let us think that our work contributes to ideas and concrete data for basic investigation to approach the subject of the cinematographic process as mean of communication considering all its complexity, but affecting aspects of three elements: the film director, the cinematographic product and the spectator because he can illuminate this process, specially the approach to the process of identification through emotion.