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).