Amblin'

All masters achieve greatness at once and Spielberg illustrates it. His 1st professional work is a terrific short love story in the hippies world. It prefigures in a way his future Duel because it's also a silent movie (no dialogs) set in really sunny California! In spite of the minimalist plot (reaching the waves), Spielberg gives us a dynamic movie with great casting, cool soundtrack and amazing camera work. Even today, he still does the same things and he always reaches his audience because he is a true storyteller! So he's different from David Lynch, another favorite director of mine because Lynch prefers feelings over story and from Tim Burton who stays in fairy world. Spielberg knows how to tell different stories and is always in touch with the moment. So that's why Amblin is finally very moving because it's Spielberg in the 60s, the hippie generation, the rebellious and dreaming youth and for sure, movies like that can't be done today, even by Spielberg! A true gem to discover quickly!

I think anyone who can finish a movie is a winner. It is one thing to sit around talking about making movies; it takes a lot to actually do it. Flicks killer (who ever he is) probably is an angry man who will never amount to anything in his life, but sits back and criticizes everything everyone else does, especially with an alias name. I've scene this flick and it was decent, very good job. No I don't worship the ground Steven walks on but I do identify and connect with his movies. That is why he is a winner. If Jaws failed or any of his other movies failed, he wouldn't be where he is. So for the "long Pepsi commercial" it still had good intentions. How is that for wanting Names, how about yours (FK)?

Look this isn't a horrible film. Someone who commented on this said it was the worst thing ever, and I think he's got to take a few steps backwards. I watched this and films like it to understand where the great directors started. Frankly their were many issues with this film, but it's a terrific learning tool. I myself just finished filming my own short film called Night Falls. I'm the same age that Spielberg was when he directed this film, 21. I have aspirations to one day become a great director but I find myself having many problems. So to watch this makes me feel like I'm not alone. Spielberg was once worried that he would never make it. He had to learn over the years and refine his skills.

In short watch this film if your an aspiring director.

Too see Spielberg in his early years has always been a thrill for me. I'm always looking for a film that he made in the days before "Jaws" and such. This particular film is no exception. It's about two hitchhikers who become friends in the end as they hitchhike.

The scenery was great, the story was good, the acting (despite no dialog) was good. I really liked this movie. It's a shame that Spielberg calls it a "Long Pepsi Commericial," because I see it as something more. I see it as a film about being separated from everyone else and then finding a friend along the way and being able to open up to others.

Amblin' is a film of a kid that's in love with the movies. Whoever judges this little diamond by its execution will commit a mistake. A mistake that it won't allow you to see the true nature of the film. Spielberg is a storyteller and here you have the first sample of his career. You can clearly see that he (at such young age) is able to capture the emotion of his subject and project it to the viewer's eye. That is truly amazing and I think that this is what caught mister Sidney Sheinberg's eye about Spielberg. It takes charisma to be able to direct and he proved he had it.

Although not intended when filmed, it serves as a small piece of 60's youthful hippie nostalgia.