This Oscar-winning film managed to blow Steven Spielberg away, leaving him “stunned” and “speechless”

News culture This Oscar-winning film managed to blow Steven Spielberg away, leaving him “stunned” and “speechless”

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The film that managed to bluff Spielberg

Whether you are a huge movie fan or just like to go to the cinema every now and then (or just watch movies from the comfort of your couch), you will definitely know Steven Spielberg. Between his first and his last film, almost 60 years of career lie behind this great man of cinema, and suffice it to say that the latter is very rich. Jaw

, ET the Extra-Terrestrialto the saga Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Schindlers List, war of the Worlds, Ready Player One, West Side Story…Steven Spielberg has probably made the most memorable films of the last few decades, and he hasn’t even announced his retirement yet.

But while one might think that the American director never needed advice from anyone, In an interview he revealed that there was a film that simply blew him away. It must be said that this is not just any feature film, as it has received nothing less than awards 7 Oscars the year of its release, including the awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Cinematography. This film is nothing other than Lawrence of Arabia

leaded by David Lean. As a reminder, the feature film is inspired by the life of the British officer and writer Thomas Edward Lawrence, also known as Lawrence of Arabia. This character, played by Peter O’Toole in Lean’s film, is known for having managed to unite several tribes of Arabia, including the Howeitat of Aouda Abou Tayi, to create an independent and modern Arab nation.

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Personal and artistic reasons

When Lawrence of Arabia was released, Steven Spielberg was only 16 years old.But a few years later, the American director realized: It was this film that changed him forever and inspired him to make his own films. Video interviewSpielberg’s story:

I didn’t really manage to digest it all at once. I left the theater stunned and speechless and it wasn’t until several months later that I understood the impact this film had on me.

After seeing the film for the first time during his school days, a young Steven Spielberg bought the soundtrack to Lawrence of Arabia and listened to it countless times to better understand the cinematic experience he had just had. In addition to all its technical qualities, it must be said that David Lean’s film had everything to please a young Spielberg, who was already familiar with desert terrain:

Having grown up in the desert, I had a certain affinity for Lawrence’s love of the desert and understood his obsession with the “cleanliness” of the desert.

As a reminder, Steven Spielberg grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. Although it is obviously not the same kind of desert as the one Lawrence of Arabia traveled through, it seems that the future director was able to put himself in the shoes of this character. This love for this type of geography also returned to the screen when he made his autobiographical film “The Fabelmans”, which is currently available on Netflix. Later, Spielberg finally had the opportunity to meet David Lean, an experience that the American director compared to “meeting your guru.” Even the greatest have their idols.