SPIELBERG'S NAPOLEON?
By Jerry Saravia
Steven Spielberg is one of the most phenomenally entertaining and wondrous directors of our time. His films speaks for themselves: he did extraordinary popcorn pictures like the "Indiana Jones" series and "Minority Report", and historical pictures like "Lincoln" and "Saving Private Ryan." He also managed to sneak in a delicious caper comedy-drama like "Catch Me If You Can" and the hilarious and sweet comedy "The Terminal." Spielberg also made something truly unnerving in his career - he picked up the pieces left over by Stanley Kubrick and made the film, "A.I." "A.I" was Kubrick's long-planned adaptation of
Brian Aldiss's short story "Supertoys Last All Summer Long," a project Kubrick put behind for many years so as to catch up with the revolutionary CGI effects that were just being put on the map (cue Spielberg's own revolutionary dinosaur effects in 1993's "Jurassic Park"). According to Spielberg, Kubrick decided to produce "A.I." only and have Spielberg direct it since Kube felt Spielman's sensibility matched the sad story of a robot who thinks he is Pinocchio. I admire "A.I." - it is a terrific film - and it has Kubrick's icy physical presence (which generally was not as emotionally distancing as critics might lead you to believe). It is a towering achievement in Spielberg's career and one of the best films of the 2000 decade.
But would Kubrick want Spielberg to direct his long-abandoned "Napoleon" script? I think not and I am not sure Kube would give his blessing on the matter either. Spielberg has just announced he is considering developing the 1961 script that had gone through revision after revision for more than a decade. In the early 1970's, Kube was ready to make the film with Jack Nicholson as Napoleon but historical battle epics were financial losers at the box-office (cue "Waterloo" with Rod Steiger). I have a feeling that if Kubrick had lived past 1999, he would have made it his next directorial effort after "Eyes Wide Shut." Spielberg said it would develop into a TV miniseries (it is not clear yet if Spielberg will direct). Television, however, can be a great disservice to a grand tale like Napoleon - this screams for a big-screen treatment (cue Abel Gance's incredible 1927 film of "Napoleon").
I'll just pose the question - should Spielberg helm this "Napoleon" tale or should he leave Kubrick's script alone? I won't say no because at least it is a more worthwhile endeavor than producing yet another "Transformers" or "Jurassic Park" sequel.
