Cool Videos: Watch Steven Spielberg’s reaction to the 1976 Oscar nomination announcements!

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

It’s kind of hard to tell if Steven Spielberg – seen here at the smooth, beardless age of 29 – is joking or speaking with at least some bit of cockiness when referring to how many nominations he expects JAWS to walk away with. As AICN’s Mr. Beaks points out, the man’s youthfulness coupled with the fact that his film was, at the time, the biggest box office hit ever… yeah, he probably felt somewhat invincible. And who could blame him? It’s f*cking JAWS.

He did garner four Oscar nods for the film, including Best Picture, but ultimately only walked away with awards for Editing, Sound, and Score. JAWS would mark the first of many snubs for the director, though he would finally get his golden statue in 1994 for SCHINDLER’S LIST (however he got screwed over again in 1999 with SAVING PRIVATE RYAN when it lost Best Picture to SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE… ugh).

There’s just something so fascinating about seeing videos like the one below from the years before media oversaturation. Check it out and let us know what you think. (And get a load of Spielberg’s pal Joe Spinell, whom you’ll probably remember from THE GODFATHERs, the ROCKYs, and a small role in TAXI DRIVER).

If you see a cool video online you think would be perfect for this spotlight, drop us a line at [email protected].