ISSUE DATE: July 15, 1985
ALSO APPEARED: Mar. 27, 1995; May 19, 1997
THE BUZZ:
He is, of course, the world’s most successful picturemaker. E.T. The ExtraTerrestrial (1982) has earned more money than any other movie in history. Jaws (1975) is fifth on the all-time list, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) seventh, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) eighth, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) 15th, and Gremlins (1984), which he did not direct but developed and “presented,” 17th. Only his pal George Lucas, with whom he collaborated on Raiders and Indiana Jones, approaches that patch of box-office ionosphere; and Lucas, at least since Star Wars eight years ago, has delegated the directing of his films to other hands. Spielberg is very hands-on; as Director Martin Scorsese puts it, “Lucas became so powerful that he didn’t have to direct. But directing is what Steven has to do.” Spielberg admits, “Yeah, I’m a mogul now. And I love the work the way Patton loved the stink of battle. But when I grow up, I still want to be a director.”
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