Amblin'

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.

Two hitchhikers cross paths and travel together.

The filmmaking craft on display is excellent, as the camera and editing tells the story perfectly. It has a great use of landscapes, body language, tracking shots, lighting, shadows, music, and some especially effective transitions. I love how everything you see tells you what you need to know about the characters.

As for the story, it is depends how interested you are in the characters for how much you are likely to take out of it. I liked the portrayal of the characters that builds up to a fairly good reveal, but other than for the technical aspects it is not something I would personally choose to rewatch. It works well if you like sixties nostalgia.

For aspiring filmmakers it is worth watching to see what can be achieved with minimal resources.

A young hitchhiker carrying a guitar case (which he jealously guards) and a bedroll, heading to a beach in the coast, is accompanied in his journey by a beautiful and free spirited female traveler he meets on the road. A love story in the Hippie Era.

Interesting work from one of the most famous directors of this time (whether you like it or not). A very simple plot, followed by the constant camera of Spielberg, and a careful (though not totally) direction makes it for something that should be watched at least once.

The film has its visual merits: the cinematography is quite good and the viewer gets to see some great shots of the desert landscape the protagonists travel through. Some other takes, framings and the use of close-ups are neat, while some others need a few improvements. There's some effective use of tracking shots. The editing is also well managed. The weird part is the use of a couple of jump cuts and freeze frames that give a feeling of being watching some 60's hippie sitcom credits (sorry, I'm not a big fan of these techniques in films). The soundtrack by Michael Lloyd goes well with the scenes.

For a movie without dialogue, where expressions are important, both Richard Levin and Pamela McMyler put a great effort in their respective acting, where they "say" a lot without speaking a single word. Their roles are not so memorable or special, but they give their best without disappointing.

Symbolism is also present. And it is important to understand some of the context in which this was filmed: the late 60's, where hippie movement and free love were often found here and there. The personality of the girl (who represents the free spirit and slovenliness of hippies) has an impact on the boy (who represents something more reserved and quiet), who during his journey to the beach (who could be also seen as a personal journey to an ideal of the society he lives in), he "learns" from her, but at the same time she appears to project some thoughts and ideals of him. This is the strongest point of Amblin': their interaction and how it affects to each other.

It's not a perfect film (it gets very amateurish at some points), but it has some interesting messages and great production values. Recommended for those who want to discover the beginnings of one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood.

If you've heard the name Amblin, you may recognize it as Steven Spielberg's production company. As it turns out, the name comes from a surreal short that the director made in the late '60s. "Amblin'" focuses on a young man and young woman wordlessly roaming through the California desert. The movie looks like a product of the '60s, complete with a theme song that sounds a bit like Simon and Garfunkle's "Scarborough Fair". One might interpret the end of the movie as a representation of the lost dreams of the '60s.

In relation to most of Spielberg's work, "Amblin'" looks like a standalone movie. There's none of the themes that pervaded his later movies. Of course, he was just getting started, so it doesn't lessen the movie. I thought that it was a good movie. Definitely something that could function as an inspiration to aspiring directors.

Y'all can expect a lot of Spielberg reviews for a while, because one of my modules, one of my last ever uni modules (christ time goes fast), is about him.

And this is the earliest thing we're watching by him. And sure, he was inexperienced here, and sure, the version of this you're most likely to see looks and sounds like absolute rubbish. But if we can ignore that...which I did manage to do, I really do think this showcases a hell of a lot of talent early on in his career.

Like, there are a lot of really memorable shots in this, the two lead performances are pretty great, and it's a really good example of how to tell a story with no dialogue. Admittedly, it is a pretty simple story, and it wouldn't win any screenplay awards, but I do think these two characters are surprisingly well defined for the limited time spent with them.

And the soundtrack is really good at setting the atmosphere, so if you don't mind looking at aged film prints that ended up making this look like a hippie fever dream, then check it out if you want to see the origins of one of the masters.