In his decades-long directing career, Steven Spielberg has given audiences unforgettable moments and stories that make cinema shine. On Tuesday evening in the Berlinale-Palast, he himself shone as the leading actor in a production that visibly got under the audience’s skin: The 76-year-old received the Golden Bear for his life’s work and enjoyed every single moment, the encounter with fans and with ET plush figures out on the red carpet, Bono’s eulogy, the ovations. Yes, this man is a born storyteller and in his new film The Fabelmans he returns to his childhood, to the losses, fears and dreams that still inspire him to this day. Incidentally, in a kind of meet-your-master performance, Spielberg showed how to give an acceptance speech: with a bow to film legends like Ernst Lubitsch and Fritz Lang, a declaration of love to his wife Kate and an appreciation of the Shoah Foundation, which he founded. “I’m not finished,” he promised – and boldly dream-walked into his own future: his father had turned 103 years old, he himself wanted to make his last film at 106. As a true Hollywood professional, he saved the best punch line for last. He’s actually afraid of bears, much more than sharks – but this golden specimen? Irresistible.
Bears and Sharks – Society
