inations, he told Film Comment (Graham 530). Stanley Kaufman described the films finale as one of the most overpowering, sheerly cinematic experiences I can remember (529). Having released his second box office smash in a row, Steven also earned his first Oscar nomination as well. Unfortunately, he would lose in what would be the beginning of an Oscar losing streak. This time period would also mark his meeting and collaboration with another director whom he met at a film festival, George Lucas. Steven saw Lucas as both compadre and competition (Empire 5). The two would develop a close friendship over the years that stands to this day and would collaborate on many projects. Steven would be the executive producer on Lucass 1977 mega-hit, Star Wars. The film would even gross more money than that of Spielbergs own Jaws. It was in 1981, however, that Lucas and Spielberg would collaborate on Raiders of the Lost Ark. Aside from making the lead character Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford, the biggest action hero in American cinema next to James Bond, the film was nothing short of non-stop entertainment and suspense. Raiders puts people in the same place that made me want to make movies as a child, which wanting to enthrall, entertain, take people out of their seats to get them involved in the kind of dialogue with the picture youve made. Theyre just a lot of fun to make (Graham 530). Grossing around 300 million dollars and spawning two sequels, it earned Steven his second Oscar nomination for Best Director. While Raiders gave him the reputation as the master of action sequences, it would not be until later on that he would be taken as a serious film director. Following Raiders, Steven released what he calls his most personal film, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, in 1982. The film, starring a then young Henry Thomas and Drew Barrymore, told the story of an alien and his friendship with a young boy after being left behind by hi...
