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From: reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Re: GOONIES
Message-ID: <6098@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Sat, 22-Jun-85 21:30:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.6098
Posted: Sat Jun 22 21:30:03 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 24-Jun-85 20:26:21 EDT
References: <829@mtgzz.UUCP> <477@leadsv.UUCP> <860@mtgzz.UUCP>
Reply-To: reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP (Peter Reiher)
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 44
Summary: 

In article <860@mtgzz.UUCP> leeper@mtgzz.UUCP (m.r.leeper) writes:
>
>For most producers this would be true and, in fact, Spielberg probably
>should be given more of the benefit of the doubt in my review,
>particularly.  I will point out that when Spielberg produces he doesn't
>leave it at just producing.  The case in point was POLTERGEIST.
>Nominally he was the producer and screenwriter.  Tobe Hooper was
>nominally the director.  There is a persistant rumor that Spielberg
>threw out everything Hooper did and directed the film himself.  Later
>he implied to reporters that he had done that, Hooper complained and
>for the record Spielberg retracted the statement.  It is widely assumed
>that the rumor is true, however.  Even when Spielberg only produces, he
>retains a very tight control and the film is more a product of the
>producer's vision than of the director's.

The way I heard it, Hooper really was the director, but Speilberg hung around
the set almost constantly, offering "advice" which was not quite instructions
on how things should be done, but came close.  Hooper apparently isn't the
most assertive of men, so lots of what Speilberg suggested was done.  I also
heard that Speilberg alone actually shot some, but far from all, of 
"Poltergeist".

It's not always true that Speilberg production credits are actually his
films.  Consider "Used Cars" and "Fandango".  Other than the rumor that
Speilberg helped out with the kids, because Richard Donner wasn't very good
at directing children, I haven't heard of substantive Speilberg influence
on "The Goonies" (well, his original story credit, too).  Donner is an
established director who has one of the biggest box office hits of all time
to his credit ("Superman"), so I doubt if he'd let even Steven Speilberg
boss him around.  Chris Columbus, the screenwriter for "The Goonies", has
stated that, beyond the story, the screenplay is his, without any substantial
interference/contributions from Speilberg.

My own assessment of Speilberg's major influence on "The Goonies" is that he
contributed the original idea and the whole project was made with an eye
towards falling into line with the Speilberg way of doing things.  Since the
idea is good (the execution, alas, is poor), I'd say that the lion's share of
the blame goes to Donner and Columbus, with Speilberg getting the bulk of
whatever remains.
-- 
        			Peter Reiher
        			reiher@ucla-cs.arpa
				soon to be reiher@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU
        			{...ihnp4,ucbvax,sdcrdcf}!ucla-cs!reiher