Amblin'
Encyclopedia
Amblin' is a short film
released in 1968. It is the first completed film shot by Steven Spielberg
on 35mm. The film is a short love story set during the hippie
era of the late '60s, about a young couple making their way through the desert to a paradisical beach. The film is silent but is accompanied by an acoustic guitar-led soundtrack from beginning to end.
en route to the Pacific coast
. Along the way, the man engaged the girl in an olive
spitting contest and the girl initiates the guy into the joys of cannabis
smoking and sex
in a sleeping bag
. Following the scene alluding to sexual intercourse, the young man is seen walking on the median of a road, which is perhaps symbolic. As the pair reach the beach, the guy frolics in the surf and the girl checks out the contents of his guitar case: a suit and tie, toothpaste, mouthwash, a roll of toilet paper and a copy of Arthur C. Clarke
's The City and the Stars
. The girl smiles in bemusement, perhaps sensing all along that her companion was not the quintessential hippie that he appeared to be. She then proceeds to stand up and leave the beach, leaving the man behind.
.
) after Sid Sheinberg, then the vice-president of production for Universal's TV arm saw the film. The movie had a $15,000 budget. In 1968, his friend Dennis Hoffman provided financing of approximately $10,000 for the production of the film. At the time, Hoffman had no experience in producing, writing or developing projects for motion pictures. At Hoffman's request, the music of a band he was managing at the time was used for the film.
In exchange for the financing provided by Hoffman, Hoffman exacted from Spielberg the young filmmaker's agreement to (a) direct "Amblin'" for no compensation whatsoever and (b) be bound for ten years to direct any script selected by Hoffman if such a script was brought to Spielberg by Hoffman. As compensation for this second film, Spielberg was to receive the payment of $25,000 plus 5% of the profits after expenses (the so called "1968 Amblin Contract").
could control the lighting. After Cinefx and the filming of the final sequence outside Jack Palance
's beach house in Malibu, the crew moved on to various desert locations around Pearblossom
, California, for the remaining eight days of filming. On rough terrain and under a punishing 105-degree sun, many of Spielberg's unpaid crew left before the shoot was completed. Spielberg confessed to one crew member that he had vomited every day before he went to the set. Anne Spielberg
(Steven's sister) who wrote Big
also worked with him on this first effort which started his career and won him his contract at Universal.
,Amblin' shared a double bill with Otto Preminger
's Skidoo
.Amblin' won several film festival awards including a showing at the Atlanta film Festival in 1969. Spielberg was then signed to a 7-year contract under the Television division of Universal. In later years Spielberg named his successful company after his first movie — Amblin Entertainment
.
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
released in 1968. It is the first completed film shot by Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
on 35mm. The film is a short love story set during the hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
era of the late '60s, about a young couple making their way through the desert to a paradisical beach. The film is silent but is accompanied by an acoustic guitar-led soundtrack from beginning to end.
Plot
A young guy, carrying a closely guarded guitar case, hooks up with a free spirited girl when hitchhiking across the desert in southern CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
en route to the Pacific coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
. Along the way, the man engaged the girl in an olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
spitting contest and the girl initiates the guy into the joys of cannabis
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
smoking and sex
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
in a sleeping bag
Sleeping bag
A sleeping bag is a protective "bag" for a person to sleep in, essentially a blanket that can be closed with a zipper or similar means, and functions as a bed in situations where a bed is unavailable . Its primary purpose is to provide warmth and thermal insulation...
. Following the scene alluding to sexual intercourse, the young man is seen walking on the median of a road, which is perhaps symbolic. As the pair reach the beach, the guy frolics in the surf and the girl checks out the contents of his guitar case: a suit and tie, toothpaste, mouthwash, a roll of toilet paper and a copy of Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
's The City and the Stars
The City and the Stars
The City and the Stars is a science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke. It is a complete rewrite of his earlier novella, Against the Fall of Night.-Overview:...
. The girl smiles in bemusement, perhaps sensing all along that her companion was not the quintessential hippie that he appeared to be. She then proceeds to stand up and leave the beach, leaving the man behind.
Casting
Spielberg found his lead actor Richard Levin working as a librarian in the Beverly Hills library. For the mysterious redhead in the film, Spielberg discovered Pamela McMyler from the Academy Players directory. She had previously been a member of the Pasadena playhouse and had a small role in The Boston StranglerThe Boston Strangler (film)
The Boston Strangler is a 1968 film based on the true story of the Boston Strangler and the book by Gerold Frank. It was directed by Richard Fleischer, and stars Tony Curtis as Albert DeSalvo, the strangler, and Henry Fonda as John S...
.
Steven Spielberg as writer and director
Amblin became a reality after Spielberg was introduced to aspiring producer Dennis Hoffman. This movie, only 26 minutes long, led to his becoming the youngest director ever to be signed to a long-term deal with a major Hollywood studio (UniversalUniversal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
) after Sid Sheinberg, then the vice-president of production for Universal's TV arm saw the film. The movie had a $15,000 budget. In 1968, his friend Dennis Hoffman provided financing of approximately $10,000 for the production of the film. At the time, Hoffman had no experience in producing, writing or developing projects for motion pictures. At Hoffman's request, the music of a band he was managing at the time was used for the film.
In exchange for the financing provided by Hoffman, Hoffman exacted from Spielberg the young filmmaker's agreement to (a) direct "Amblin'" for no compensation whatsoever and (b) be bound for ten years to direct any script selected by Hoffman if such a script was brought to Spielberg by Hoffman. As compensation for this second film, Spielberg was to receive the payment of $25,000 plus 5% of the profits after expenses (the so called "1968 Amblin Contract").
Production
Amblin started shooting on 6 July 1968 at Dennis Hoffman's Cinefx soundstage. The filming commenced with a complicated tracking shot following a trail of matches leading to a bonfire which was shot in the studio in order that cinematographer Allen DaviauAllen Daviau
Allen Daviau, A.S.C. is an American cinematographer.-Selected filmography:*Amblin *Close Encounters of the Third Kind *E.T...
could control the lighting. After Cinefx and the filming of the final sequence outside Jack Palance
Jack Palance
Jack Palance , was an American actor. During half a century of film and television appearances, Palance was nominated for three Academy Awards, all as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, winning in 1991 for his role in City Slickers.-Early life:Palance, one of five children, was born Volodymyr...
's beach house in Malibu, the crew moved on to various desert locations around Pearblossom
Pearblossom, California
Pearblossom is an unincorporated town located in Los Angeles County, California. The town has a population of 2,435. The ZIP Code is 93553 and the community is inside area code 661.-Geography:...
, California, for the remaining eight days of filming. On rough terrain and under a punishing 105-degree sun, many of Spielberg's unpaid crew left before the shoot was completed. Spielberg confessed to one crew member that he had vomited every day before he went to the set. Anne Spielberg
Anne Spielberg
Anne Spielberg is a screenwriter and the sister of film director Steven Spielberg.-Early life and career:Spielberg was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1949...
(Steven's sister) who wrote Big
Big
Big is a 1988 romantic comedy film directed by Penny Marshall and stars Tom Hanks as Josh Baskin, a young boy who makes a wish "to be big" to a magical fortune-telling machine and is then aged to adulthood overnight...
also worked with him on this first effort which started his career and won him his contract at Universal.
Release and impacts
Opening on December 18, 1968 at Loews Crest Theater in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
,
Otto Preminger
Otto Ludwig Preminger was an Austro–Hungarian-American theatre and film director.After moving from the theatre to Hollywood, he directed over 35 feature films in a five-decade career. He rose to prominence for stylish film noir mysteries such as Laura and Fallen Angel...
's Skidoo
Skidoo (film)
Skidoo is an American comedy film directed by Otto Preminger, starring Jackie Gleason and Carol Channing, written by Doran William Cannon and released by Paramount Pictures on December 19, 1968...
.
Amblin Entertainment
Amblin Entertainment is an American film and television production company founded by director and producer Steven Spielberg and film producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall in 1981. Amblin is only a production company, and has never distributed its own movies, nor has it fully financed its...
.