Conclusion: Style by Stealth

Abstract

If we return to my initial proposition that the early and continued popularity of Spielberg’s films is in part due to his unique control of style and how he deploys it to construct narrative, we can now bring together all considered areas to determine the likely significance of style. At the same time, it is also important to bear in mind that the specific or unequivocal significance accorded style in contributing to the popularity of Spielberg’s films in comparison to other factors is impossible to determine in and of itself. For example, Jaws was chosen by Spielberg as a film project because of its conceptual appeal. He found the story intriguing and believed it would make a good film. The subject matter was a key contributor to the film’s success as evidenced by its popularity as a novel. Whether another director could have as successfully or even more successfully transitioned the subject matter from novel to film narrative is impossible to determine. We can point to the two inferior Jaws sequels as a partial indicator of how other directors fared in realising the concept as filmic narratives. Another evolving gauge may be glimpsed in the future remaking of some of Spielberg’s most popular films. The 2015 critical and popular failure of the Poltergeist remake is one such example.