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2013 SESSION

13103744D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 760
Offered January 18, 2013
Commending Steven Allan Spielberg.
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Patron-- McClellan
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WHEREAS, Steven Allan Spielberg was born on December 18, 1946, in Cincinnati and spent his early childhood in Haddon Township, New Jersey; later, his family moved to California, where he attended Saratoga High School and earned his bachelor of arts degree in film production and electronic arts with an option in film/video production in 2002 from California State University at Long Beach; he obtained his first job in the film industry as an unpaid intern in the editing department of Universal Studios; and

WHEREAS, as a youth, Steven Allan Spielberg showed indications of creative genius and future greatness with the production of Firelight, his first feature-length film, and Amblin, his first professional film, for which his production company is named; and

WHEREAS, Steven Allan Spielberg has a long and distinguished career as a director, producer, video game designer, and entrepreneur; his work in television production includes such shows as Marcus Welby, M.D., Columbo, and Night Gallery; he has worked in theatrical productions; Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Saving Private Ryan, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., The Color Purple, Jurassic Park, Empire of the Sun, Schindler’s List, Munich, Amistad, and War Horse are merely a few of the blockbuster films to his credit; and

WHEREAS, his many achievements and honors include numerous Academy and Golden Globe awards and nominations, the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award, and awards from many other national and international theatrical and film industry associations; and

WHEREAS, in 2011 Steven Allan Spielberg undertook the daunting task of bringing Lincoln, a film about the last months of the 16th President of the United States, to the big screen to tell the story of the enactment of the Thirteenth Amendment, and the film was shot in its entirety on location in Virginia, particularly Richmond, Petersburg, and Hanover County; and

WHEREAS, Lincoln, based on Tony Kushner’s screenplay of Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin, is Steven Allan Spielberg’s third feature film shot in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, Lincoln has received critical acclaim for its director, writers, and cast; the film has achieved popular success with audiences; Steven Allan Spielberg and the production team honored Virginia’s history and heritage and chronicled with historic integrity the story of the enactment of the Thirteenth Amendment; and

WHEREAS, the nation and the Commonwealth are commemorating the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War and the Sesquicentennial of the Emancipation Proclamation until 2015, and the film profiles President Abraham Lincoln as a great and visionary national leader as he managed one of the most difficult and divisive chapters during his administration and in American history; and

WHEREAS, Steven Allan Spielberg’s selection of Virginia for the film’s location was extremely profitable for the Commonwealth; the film added $64.1 million to Virginia’s economy and $3.2 million to state and local tax revenues; 310 Virginia crew members and staff and 1,199 actors and extras were hired by the film; $1.85 million was spent on accommodations in Virginia, the equivalent of 23,580 room nights; and training and employment opportunities were provided to students from Virginia colleges and universities; and

WHEREAS, finding Virginia an exceptional location for film production due to its rich history and authentic film locations, supportive state and local officials, and experienced film office staff, the filmmakers exhibited great respect for the Virginia communities and locations where the film was shot; and

WHEREAS, maximizing the immense popularity of Lincoln, the Virginia Tourism Corporation, Inc., has established the Lincoln Movie Trail, a successful tourism campaign that allows tourists to retrace the film’s locations and tour Virginia’s historical sites, including the treasured Lincoln Homestead and Cemetery in Rockingham County which was settled by Lincoln’s paternal grandfather before the 1800s; and

WHEREAS, Lincoln, a cinematic masterpiece, led the 2013 Golden Globe nominations and has received 12 nominations for the 85th annual Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Director (Steven Spielberg), Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones), Supporting Actress (Sally Field), and Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner); and

WHEREAS, Steven Allan Spielberg has brought great honor to the Commonwealth through his creative genius and outstanding artistry in Lincoln; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Steven Allan Spielberg; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Steven Allan Spielberg as an expression of the General Assembly's tremendous respect and admiration for his illustrious career in filmmaking and for the public service rendered Virginia by the filming of Lincoln in the Commonwealth.