Amblin'

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.

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.

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)?

This is Spielberg at his most natural and fluid, loving every minute of being behind the camera. A short, sharp, comedy - road movie. This has a bittersweet quirkiness and some genuine touches of genius. Witness the opening credits, to see the influence of Saul Bass. Spielberg is toying around, being inventive and inquisitive, and his cast serve him well. Those who have been brought up on a diet of Shooting Gallery shorts, should really check this out, to see where it is at!!! Excellent!!!

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.