I had no idea what I was doing” Steven Spielberg is really not proud of this film made 33 years ago available on Disney+

News culture I had no idea what I was doing” Steven Spielberg is really not proud of this film made 33 years ago available on Disney+

If we talk about Steven Spielberg, we think of legendary films like Jaws, ET, Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan. Films that allowed Spielberg to enter the pantheon of the greatest names in cinema. However, the filmmaker is also known for a famous feature film released in 1991 that some describe as “nanar”: Hook or the Revenge of Captain Hook

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Spielberg’s “dwarfs”?

Adaptation of the literary work Peter Pan, or the boy who wouldn’t grow up written by James Matthew Barrie, he is the man who gave birth to Peter Pan, a character known to all. Hook tells us the story of an adult Peter Pan who has forgotten Neverland. While he married Moira, Wendy’s granddaughter, with whom he started a family, he unfortunately became a lawyer obsessed with his work. However, after his children are kidnapped by Captain Hook, Peter must rescue them in Neverland while reclaiming his childhood soul.

The ugly duckling of Spielberg’s career?

Hook is a project that Steven Spielberg greatly regrets. The film was very poorly received by critics and spectators who did not mince their words regarding this adaptation, despite its excellent casting. For example, we found Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Robin Williams in the role of Peter Pan, as well as the late Maggie Smith who plays Wendy. In addition to the actors, the film had excellent music composed by the illustrious John Williams, known for having composed the music for Star Wars, Indiana Jones and ET

Except that when Steven Spielberg watches Hook, he doesn’t feel comfortable. At the time, he admitted that he did not understand how to approach this project. In addition, the director also had difficulty with the settings of the time in which he felt cramped.

I felt like a fish out of water doing Hook. (…) I had no confidence in the scenario. I was confident in the first act and the epilogue. I didn’t trust others. I had no idea what I was doing and was trying to mask my insecurity with production value. The more insecure I felt, the bigger and more colorful the sets were. – Steven Spielberg

Despite Spielberg’s dislike of his film, he hopes one day to be able to appreciate it and find qualities in it, admitting that there are parts of the film that they did not dare to throw out. Additionally, despite the criticism, the film was not a commercial failure, grossing $300 million on a budget of $70 million. And then, despite its bad reputation, it is still quite appreciated for these themes like that of keeping one’s childish soul.