I was not a fan of Steve Jobs. I've never owned an Apple computer ... I doubt that I will. As it seemed like the world wept after the death of Jobs, I found myself saddened by the loss of a tremendously intelligent man but, for the most part, rather indifferent about it all.

In other words, Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview isn't really targeted at someone like myself. Yet, and here's the real kicker, I'm better off having been witness to an interview that is generally regarded as the most open and in-depth of the tech guru who became increasingly known for shunning personal publicity opportunities and televised interviews. It was in 1995 and Bob Cringely was just beginning his television series Triumph of the Nerds about the development of the PC. Cringely sat down for an hour-long interview with Jobs, who was at that time leading the company NeXt, the company he founded after leaving Apple.

Only a small portion of Cringely's interview was ultimately used in the television series - the rest stored away and, ultimately, believed to be lost when it was shipped overseas. It was after the death of Jobs that Cringely found a VHS copy of the interview in his garage.

Polished up and put into context by Cringely, Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview is being presented in its entirety for a limited run in Landmark Theatres nationwide, including in my home base of Indianapolis at the Keystone Art Cinema on Wednesday, November 16th @ 7:15pm and 9pm and Thursday, November 17th @ 7:15pm and 9pm.

For fans of Jobs, and there are many, this is an opportunity to spend an hour with a man whose passion, drive and intelligence could be both inspirational and maddening. It is, of course, vital to remember that the interview itself is over 15-years-old and doesn't include Jobs's return to Apple and his subsequent saving of the company. In fact, it's Apple's time under former CEO John Sculley that seems to receive the most scathing attention by Jobs, though it's hard not to find his openness and honesty rather refreshing as he shares with remarkable candor his thoughts and ideas about Sculley, Microsoft, IBM and his longstanding reputation for being a difficult leader capable of being tremendously confrontational towards work peers and his employees.

There are times in The Lost Interview that Jobs comes off as an arrogant prick, but then there are the moments where you realize that it is this vision that guided virtually every aspect of his life for his entire life.

Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview is being shown at Landmark Theatres around the country, with a good number of them showing the film on the exact same dates as here in Indy. For more information, visit the Landmark Theatres website.


© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic