For a good while, it seemed as though everything Steven Spielberg touched turned to gold. Having established the very concept of the blockbuster with "Jaws" in 1975, the director went on to make hit after hit with "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977), "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), and "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (1982). Even 1984's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" was a box office success, despite shocking some viewers who weren't used to such a dark and oddly violent effort from the director. Critical response to the movie was also more mixed than it had been for its predecessor. Of course, anyone following Spielberg's career closely would have known that "Temple of Doom" was not the first time the seemingly infallible director had fallen afoul of the critics.

Sandwiched between "Close Encounters" and "Raiders" in Spielberg's filmography is "1941." Made in 1979, this war comedy featured an ensemble cast that included Dan Aykroyd,...