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Since Duel in 1971, Spielberg has directed an unparalleled run of 
record-breaking movies that include action films and sci-fi epics as 
well as serious historical themes
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Jaws, Spielberg's 
1975 shock-
horror film about 
a rogue shark, 
scared the wits
out of audiences 
and made Spielberg's 
name. It was seen 
as a mark of his 
camera technique 
and editing skills 
that he could make 
a star of a 40ft 
rubber fish
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With the 1980 
release of Raiders 
of the Lost Ark, 
Spielberg set 
aside the 
brooding menace 
of Duel and Jaws 
to demonstrate a 
lighter touch. The 
film's roaring 
success was due 
to a combination 
of breathtaking 
locations and 
special effects, 
together with a 
slick script 
perfectly played 
by Harrison Ford
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E.T - The Extra-
Terrestrial - 
Spielberg's 
sentimental 
fantasy about an 
alien stranded on 
Earth, grossed a 
staggering $350m 
worldwide. The 
cute figure of E.T 
alone cost $1.5m 
to create. 
Spielberg did not 
begrudge the 
money, joking 
that Marlon 
Brando would 
have cost three 
times the price
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By the Eighties 
Spielberg was the 
most bankable 
director in 
Hollywood and 
was free to 
pursue any 
project he chose. 
His 1985 film The 
Color Purple 
surprised 
audiences with its 
content, but was 
well received
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Compared to the 
success of Gremlins 
and Back To The 
Future, Hook was 
not a big hit. 
Spielberg's run 
of hits seemed to 
have come to an 
end. Many felt 
that his  remake 
of Peter Pan was 
in any case 
superfluous: 
Spielberg had 
already made one 
fairytale, and it's
name was ET
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Despite more than 40 films and over $4 billion in box-office
receipts, he retains a healthy perspective on his movie career:
"Failure is inevitable. Success is elusive"
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Jurassic Park 
marked a return 
to record-
breaking form for 
Spielberg. The 
computer-
generated special 
effects were 
enough to amaze 
the most jaded 
movie-goer, and 
the result was 
an epidemic of 
dinosaur fever
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Spielberg said of 
Schindler's List: "I 
have experienced 
so much success 
that I now feel 
more of a 
responsibility to 
put something 
back by talking 
through film, not 
just laughing 
through film"
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After five Oscar nominations for Best Director Spielberg finally won
the award in 1993 for Schindler's List. The film conferred on him a 
critical status equal to his financial one. "Schindler's List is the
first time I have told the truth about myself and what I believe in."
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In an age dominated by television and video, Spielberg has 
consistently stretched the imagination and the expectations of the
viewing public. "I always think of the audience when I'm directing,"
he said, "because I am the audience."
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