Firelight (1964 film)
Encyclopedia
Firelight is a 1964
science fiction adventure film written and directed by Steven Spielberg
at the age of 16. Made on a budget of $500, the film was, in a manner of speaking, Spielberg's first commercial success, as it was shown at a local cinema and generated a profit of $1. "I counted the receipts that night", Spielberg has recalled, "And we charged a dollar a ticket. Five hundred people came to the movie and I think somebody probably paid two dollars, because we made one dollar profit that night, and that was it."
Although Firelight is Spielberg's first film made, it is not seen as his directorial debut. The film widely seen as his feature-length directorial debut is The Sugarland Express
(1974). Two reels of Firelight are now lost. Spielberg returned to its subject matter for his third major film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind
(1977).
. Spielberg's sister had a leading role.
The film was shot at weekends and evenings. Many scenes were shot at the Spielberg home and near the garage. Outside shots were filmed in scrub land near Spielberg's home and school.
. Spielberg managed to sell (through the use of advertising by friends and family) 500 tickets at one dollar each.
Later, when hunting for film work in Los Angeles, Spielberg gave two reels of Firelight to a producer as a showcase of his ability. However a week later the production company went bust and the producer vanished with his clips. The surviving clips however show a distinct Spielberg visual style and his use of tracking shots. Firelight came to form a basis of Spielberg's later hit movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind
.
1964 in film
The year 1964 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is released....
science fiction adventure film written and directed 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...
at the age of 16. Made on a budget of $500, the film was, in a manner of speaking, Spielberg's first commercial success, as it was shown at a local cinema and generated a profit of $1. "I counted the receipts that night", Spielberg has recalled, "And we charged a dollar a ticket. Five hundred people came to the movie and I think somebody probably paid two dollars, because we made one dollar profit that night, and that was it."
Although Firelight is Spielberg's first film made, it is not seen as his directorial debut. The film widely seen as his feature-length directorial debut is The Sugarland Express
The Sugarland Express
The Sugarland Express is a 1974 American drama film starring Goldie Hawn, Ben Johnson, William Atherton, and Michael Sacks. It was directed by Steven Spielberg, his first film to be intended as a theatrical release .It is about a husband and wife trying to outrun the law and was based on a...
(1974). Two reels of Firelight are now lost. Spielberg returned to its subject matter for his third major film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
(1977).
Plot
Firelight follows a group of scientists – particularly Tony Karcher and UFO believer Howard Richards - as they investigate a series of colored lights in the sky and the subsequent disappearance of people, animals and objects from the fictional American town of Freeport, Arizona. Among those kidnapped by the Aliens are a dog, a unit of soldiers and young girl named Lisa, whose abduction induces a heart attack in her mother. The film has sub-plots involving marital discord between Karcher and his wife Debbie and the obsessive quest of Richards to convince the CIA that alien life does not exist. The twist comes as the Aliens, represented by three shadows, reveal their purpose: to transport Freeport to their home planet Altaris and create a human zoo.Cast
Many of the cast for Firelight were from the Arcadia High school productions of Guys and Dolls and I Remember MamaI Remember Mama
I Remember Mama is a play by John Van Druten. Based on the fictionalized memoir Mama's Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes, it focuses on the Hanson family, a loving family of Norwegian immigrants living on Steiner Street in San Francisco in the 1910s.Produced by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein...
. Spielberg's sister had a leading role.
- Clark Lohr (Howard Richards)
- Carolyn Owen (Lisa's Mother)
- Robert Robyn (Tony Karcher)
- Nancy Spielberg (Lisa)
- Beth Weber (Debbie)
- Margaret Peyou (Helen Richards)
- Warner Marshall (Soldier)
- Dede Pisani (Lover)
- Tina Lanser (Maid)
- Chuck Case (Teenage Boy)
Production and music
Spielberg composed the music for Firelight, his first original score, on his clarinet. Spielberg's mother, a former pianist, transposed the score to piano and then to sheet music. The Arcadia High School band then performed the score for the film.The film was shot at weekends and evenings. Many scenes were shot at the Spielberg home and near the garage. Outside shots were filmed in scrub land near Spielberg's home and school.
Release and analysis
Firelight premiered on March 24, 1964, at Spielberg's local cinema, the Phoenix Little Theatre, in ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. Spielberg managed to sell (through the use of advertising by friends and family) 500 tickets at one dollar each.
Later, when hunting for film work in Los Angeles, Spielberg gave two reels of Firelight to a producer as a showcase of his ability. However a week later the production company went bust and the producer vanished with his clips. The surviving clips however show a distinct Spielberg visual style and his use of tracking shots. Firelight came to form a basis of Spielberg's later hit movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
.