How does spielberg use his signature touch as an auteur and other techniques to explore

our future with machines?

Plan:
Quotes:
questions are asked and possible answers given, letting the viewer decide for
themselves
This is so far removed from the Hollywood-style of scripting that many would just be
bored to death by the surrealism and impressionism Kubrick uses in all of his films.
erging of genres- !lue "airy
#t raises some interesting and sometimes unsettling moral dilemmas that few films
of late have done. $an a parent love a child, even if that child is not real% &hat
might happen if that child desired to be real% How will an and achine be able to
co-e'ist%
(obots can )love*
(obots with )self motivated reasoning+
,nding is somewhat ambiguous
"irst, this is a very comple' movie. There-s a lot to take in, visually, cognitively,
philosophically.
The story is about a robot designed and programmed to be just like a little boy, who
wants to be a real little boy, and who literally spends thousands of years seeking
the return of love from his human .mother. who he was programmed to bond with
and love. That-s the basis from which all manner of questions are asked and
e'plored, about the meaning of love, humanity, and of e'istence itself.
The flesh fair-s barker, as he was getting ready to destroy /avid, has to keep
reminding the audience that /avid is only a machine, not a real boy, and he
implores the audience to not allow their emotions to be manipulated by the
machine-s child-like appearance. 0s /avid tearfully pleads for his life the audience
is swayed, giving /avid an opening to escape. The inner audience, the audience
within the story, is is being manipulated the same way we in the outer audience,
were being manipulated. This must be a conceit by intent and design.
the film successfully raises questions about the point at which a -machine- becomes
a living thing, since after all, isn-t a human being a biological machine% 0nd if
machines might be considered -alive-, can we deceive ourselves into believing that
a non-conformity to -normal- human behaviour makes the fau'-human androids any
less alive than us% #t-s an interesting question.
there is also a large contingent of people who deride the film as 1pielbergian
schmalt2. They accuse him of perverting the original intentions of 1tanley Kubrick,
and applying a sickly sweet veneer to what should have been a substantially
darker, more disturbing piece. They seem to be unaware of the fact that r. Kubrick
approached r. 1pielberg to make the movie years ago, because he felt that his
style of filmmaking would not suit this project, and that a more positive approach
would be more appropriate.
1pielberg has warm hearted optimism as a trait
&hat makes A.I. 1teven 1pielberg*s strangest, most interesting, and 3though it may sound ironic to say it4
most mature work is that, whether by accident or design, it*s the first of his movies to be both a 5children*s+
film, ingratiating and manipulative, and a film for adults6comple', ambiguous, brutal and cold. 7r, to put it
another way, both a 1teven 1pielberg film and a 1tanley Kubrick film.
0.# 0rtificial #ntelligence is a film which introduces and answers several questions relating to the future of
humankind, and in particular the relationship between humans and robotic beings. (eceiving both positive
and negative acclaim by critics, 0.# directed by 1teven 1pielberg has been referred to as a )masterpiece* for
some, and for others, nonsense. The comple' nature of the film must be taken into account, as various
viewers may interpret the film differently, hence leading them to ambiguous conclusions. The film*s comple'
nature means that viewers must take in alot8 visually, cognitively and philosophically. The film questions the
future of mankind and )mecha* 3mechanical beings4, and it is through these questions that 1pielberg e'plores
the future of man and machine. 0long with this, the film also e'plores several themes including belonging
and love, successfully conveying them using a wide variety of film techniques including different camera
shots and angles. The use of children in this film is key, as children represent innocence and purity, untainted
by the world of men. They love unconditionally and all they ask in return in the love of their parents. !ut, in
this film, the )child* is a robot, programmed to love. 1pielberg creates various moral and ethical queries and
dilemmas, all based upon the meaning of love, humanity and of e'istence itself in relation to this robotic
child.
1everal questions are presented to the audience throughout the film. These questions in turn make us
question why human nature is so flawed. &hy do people shun what is different to them%