Spielberg's reaction on not being nominated "Best Director" for JAWS

[baumer]

The thing about JAWS is that it was the Titanic of the 70's before SW. Nothing even came close to it before JAWS and nothing came close to it after (not including SW of course)JAWS until Raiders of the Lost Ark, 6 years later. To have that kind of success and get snubbed, it would be a massive shock. Jaws changed everything. It scared the shit out of everyone and this was supposed to get flooded with oscar nods. It didn't so his reaction is a lot better than mine would have been.

[Gopher]

People hate movies like Twilight and Transformers for making so much money and beating so called mind challengers.

Transformers is Speilberg, remember?

[tawasal]

Transformers is Speilberg, remember?

I know, but it's Bay's name written all over the movie action and story. Spielberg can do better than that.It's just one the many reason's the movies are trainwreck story wise.

[pinocchio]

Yeah, since when he was a womanizer? Even in physicality, he's not good looking.

Okay, I checked it. According to Andrew Yules biography Spielberg indeed had some Hollywood affairs back then. Victoria Principal, Sarah Miles and a few others. However, that hardly qualifies to be a womanizer.One of my favourite Spielberg anecdotes says he was still a virgin when he made Jaws and the crew organized a woman who changed that situation.This guy was always focused on his work and hardly anything else.

[pinocchio]

Transformers is Speilberg, remember?

He had a certain impact but the tonality of the movie was mostly defined by Bay. All that military stuff and so on.

[baumer]

Spielberg is Executive Producer of Transformers. That means he was responsible for hiring people to hire people. He may have pitched the idea to the other members of Dreaworks but creatively he didn't have a hell of a lot to do with it. This is Bay's and pretty much his alone.

[pinocchio]

Oh, I just realized Spielberg just got 50'000 dollars for directing and just 5% profit participation with Jaws.No wonder that he kind of angry and frustrated anyway.

[vc2002]

5% profit still means 20m right? That's still a truck load of money. Adjusted for inflation it's like today's 100m.

Edited March 8, 2012 by vc2002

[baumer]

Oh, I just realized Spielberg just got 50'000 dollars for directing and just 5% profit participation with Jaws. No wonder that he kind of angry and frustrated anyway.

He also got 1% of the profit from Star Wars and George got 1% of Close Encounters. Good deal for Spielberg.

[pinocchio]

He also got 1% of the profit from Star Wars and George got 1% of Close Encounters. Good deal for Spielberg.

Really? I didn't know that. In the end both of them made their first killer deals with Raiders, I guess.Do you know anything regarding Spielbergs Close Encounters deal?

[pinocchio]

5% profit still means 20m right? That's still a truck load of money. Adjusted for inflation it's like today's 100m.

Well, it wasn't profit but participation. Zanuck/Brown got 41% and Spielberg 5%. From rentals I guess? So adjusted for inflation Spielberg might have just made 50 mio adjusted with Jaws theatrical run?Whatever he made, it's nothing compared to Zanuck/Brown. But he learned to play the game quickly as it seems.

[baumer]

Really? I didn't know that. In the end both of them made their first killer deals with Raiders, I guess.Do you know anything regarding Spielbergs Close Encounters deal?

I have a book at home from the 80's about George and Steven. It details their friendship and how in the early days, they swapped "points" on each others films. After JAWS and American Graffiti both men were allowed to negotiate a part of the % of the film as part of their salary. Spielberg and Lucas both got 5% of the gross (it didn't specify if it was WW or domestic) for Close Encounters and SW respectively. They each took 1% of that and used them as "points" and gave them to each other. I think this still goes on today but it is not talked about much.

[egoplant]

The arrogance .... He doesn't deserve any nominations, that's up to the academy to decide.

[baumer]

The arrogance .... He doesn't deserve any nominations, that's up to the academy to decide.

The academy had it out for him for the first 20 years of his career. and besides, JAWS broke every record imaginable and it was hailed by critics as one of the best films of the year. It had also won many other awards before oscar time. So he had every right to think he would get a nomination.

[fishstick]

Yeah, since when he was a womanizer? Even in physicality, he's not good looking.

Dude, you are forgetting that 70s had different criteria of hotness. That was the year of unconventional hottie - Hoffman, Pacchino, Sly, Spielberg. None of them your averige Gay Gay Lautner and the likes. The hottest Canadian was:

That`s young David Cronenberg. He was fliming in itsy-bitsy jeans shorts and women were fainting in the Toronto sun becasue they swooned for hours.He was that hot.

And Spielberg was a womanizer. Google it and you`ll find out. His cheating on his first wife Amy Irving with Kate Capshow (his current wife) on the set of Temple of Doom was a huge scandal in its time and their divorce the costliest ever.

Edited March 9, 2012 by fishnets

[vc2002]

Well, it wasn't profit but participation. Zanuck/Brown got 41% and Spielberg 5%. From rentals I guess? So adjusted for inflation Spielberg might have just made 50 mio adjusted with Jaws theatrical run?Whatever he made, it's nothing compared to Zanuck/Brown. But he learned to play the game quickly as it seems.

Holy crap Zanuck/Brown got 41%??? The studio was that stupid to that kind of deal?

[pinocchio]

Let's see. US rentals were 130 mio USD. Zanuck/Brown owned the movie rights because they had bought them for 150'000 and participation. From the USA they got 41% = 52 million, and Spielberg something like 6.55 mio? Rest for the studio/distributor. Since p&a was not too much I guess it was a very good deal for Universal, too.

Edited March 9, 2012 by pinocchio

[pinocchio]

And Spielberg was a womanizer. Google it and you`ll find out. His cheating on his first wife Amy Irving with Kate Capshow (his current wife) on the set of Temple of Doom was a huge scandal in its time and their divorce the costliest ever.

I think it really depends or your definition of "womanizer". For me, some affairs don't make you a womanizer. I mean if Spielberg is a womanizer, what it Warren Beatty? A super-hyper-mega womanizer?

[baumer]

I think it really depends or your definition of "womanizer". For me, some affairs don't make you a womanizer. I mean if Spielberg is a womanizer, what it Warren Beatty? A super-hyper-mega womanizer?

Warren Beatty has a prosthetic penis now. His fell off in the 80's sometime due to all of his womanizing days in the 60's and 70's.But yes, Amy Irving's divorce from Spielberg was epic. She made something like 125 million dollars, and that was 1986 I think. That's epic.

[pinocchio]

Warren Beatty has a prosthetic penis now. His fell off in the 80's sometime due to all of his womanizing days in the 60's and 70's.But yes, Amy Irving's divorce from Spielberg was epic. She made something like 125 million dollars, and that was 1986 I think. That's epic.

Okay -- the best prosthetic penis guy anecdote is still Milton Berle... And since there is nothing like a "prosthetic" penis out there anyway -- just implants -- I guess the story is bogus as well.Spielbergs divorce WAS a huge event, but that still doesn't make him a womanizer. Just a guy who didn't have a solid prenup.You love that kind of s*** and rumors as much as I do, it seems...