Steven Spielberg has become synonymous with blockbuster cinema, pioneering the phenomenon with his creature feature, Jaws. At just 29 years old, the director managed to earn himself 4 Oscar nominations, which would have left anyone excited. However, Spielberg overestimated his film, expecting Jaws to get at least 11.
However, not only did Spielberg receive only 4 nominations at the Academy Awards, but he was also snubbed for Best Director. He was so excited that he decided to document the entire ordeal, having a video crew capture the announcement of the nominations. The only silver lining was that Jaws was at least in the running for Best Picture.
Steven Spielberg Lost Out to Federico Fellini
After 4 of the 5 slots were filled up by various directors, Spielberg was devastated to learn that the last slot for the year for the category of Best Director ended up going to Federico Fellini for Amarcord. Amarcord was a semi-autobiographical Italian language film about a boy who grew up with a cast of eccentric characters in his small Italian village.
In a twist of faith that can only be described as irony, Spielberg would get his own Best Director nomination with The Fabelmans, a look back at his adolescence and first years as a filmmaker.
Spielberg would see this nomination in 2022, but the sting of not being nominated for as big a game-changer as Jaws is something that the director would not forget soon. Jaws set up the stage for the summer blockbuster, ushering in an age of Hollywood that is yet to start its decay. While the oversaturation of superhero films might point towards some sort of shift in the paradigm, it is safe to say that the summer blockbuster is still very much alive and will thrive as the industry comes out of the post-pandemic, post-strike environment.
Quentin Tarantino called Jaws the ‘greatest film ever made’
Tarantino is one of those directors whose film recommendations you take seriously. Despite being snubbed at the Academy Awards for Best Director, Spielberg is credited with inspiring future generations with his art of storytelling, in films like E.T., Jaws, and Jurassic Park. Tarantino is of a similar thought, saying:
“I think Jaws is the greatest movie ever made. Maybe not the greatest film. But it’s the greatest movie ever made. And then there are other movies that can get in its rarefied air. But as far as a movie, there’s no making it better than Jaws. There’s no ‘better’ than Jaws. It is the best movie ever made. And it shows how badly timed most movies made before Jaws were.”
Tarantino’s praise for Jaws is echoed by many a filmmaker, many of whom have loved the work that was put forward by Spielberg, along with fans who credit him greatly for the classics that he has enshrined in the history of cinema.
