First & Last 022
Monday, July 17, 2023 at 9:00AM Can you guess the movie from its first and last shot?
the answer and a few comments are after the jump...
(Scroll down for the answer)
Yes, that might have been an easy one. It's Steven Spielberg's breakout classic Jaws (1975) which is currently streaming on Peacock. It was nominated for four Oscars that year (Best Picture, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Sound) losing only Best Picture. But Spielberg didn't snag a Directing nod. That nomination went instead to the directing branch's all time favourite international auteur* Italy's Federico Fellini for Amarcord. The directing branch doesn't have a particular habit of turning their noses up at "new" directors, per se, but if they're immensely popular with audiences with startling speed, there's sometimes more resistance (see also Chris Nolan and David Fincher in more recent times).
If you love Jaws and haven't watched Sasha Stone's episode of Voir on Netflix called "Summer of the Shark" you must. It's a beautiful nostalgia piece about childhood in the 1970s.
* Fellini received 4 directing nominations (La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2, Fellini Satyricon, Amarcord) for non-English language films (and several other nods, too) during his storied career. The only other auteur with multiple directing nominations for non-English language films is Ingmar Bergman who received three (Cries and Whispers, Face to Face, Fanny & Alexander).
first and last
Reader Comments (6)
Jaws! :-)
Yup, it's Jaws.
One of my all-time favorite movies.
For its 40th anniversary, I took my dad to see it, and as we were sitting we overheard a couple where the girl had never seen the movie before. I wish I had been able to experience it for the first time on the big screen, and my dad even said she was in for a treat because of it.
It was a good time.
I don't want to be flippant about Spielberg's lack of a nod which he should have had,Jaws seemed classic even back in the 70's but where was Robert Shaw's Oscar nomination,he's the definitive type for a nomination,steals the film acting wise no-one can out do Bruce.
Spielberg hasn’t been releasing decent content for a long time, partly because of his name and the bar he set earlier, partly because the year is already taking its toll and in the current world it’s difficult to get money and a script out of producers, they are all interested in releasing some kind of garbage that would pay off now and be immediately forgotten https://epiccarry.com
Thank you for sharing these interesting insights about "Jaws" and its director, Steven Spielberg, as well as the comparison with Federico Fellini's "Amarcord." "Jaws" is indeed a classic film that had a significant impact on both the horror foodle and thriller genres and marked a turning point in Spielberg's career.