Delivering on both fronts with Schindler’s List and Jurassic Park in the same year is arguably one of the biggest feats in cinema. And it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Steven Spielberg helming these movies, which have stood the test of time.
Although these two classics couldn’t be more different from each other, apart from sharing Spielberg and John Williams’s knack for delivering on all fronts, had it not been for Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List might not have seen the light of day.
The Jurassic Park deal paved the way for Steven Spielberg’s passion project
Having already witnessed a bidding war for film rights to his then-upcoming novel Congo, for Jurassic Park, author Michael Crichton was fixated on avoiding a similar ordeal, which prompted him to set a fixed price of $1.5M.
His agent, Robert Bookman, recalled (via Los Angeles Times):
There were a large number of studios and directors interested. But we wanted to put Michael in a situation where he could choose from among competing directors rather than competing studios. And a bidding war means you have to take the highest bid.
While several studios chimed in with their own preferred director to nab the movie rights to the IP, Steven Spielberg, who was well-versed in everything Dinosaurs, opted to entertain this discussion after learning of Crichton’s offer.
Moreover, given Spielberg’s credentials in the blockbuster landscape, as he was one of the pioneering forces for the rise of blockbusters in the first place, for Crichton, there was no better fit than Spielberg. While Crichton’s deal with Universal guaranteed Spielberg’s participation, for the Oscar winner, it also paved the way for a story that he had been eying to adapt for years.
However, his deal with Universal required him to helm Jurassic Park before emotionally investing in one of the most important movies in his filmography. And in order to successfully navigate between both releases, he sought help from George Lucas.
George Lucas aided Steven Spielberg in Jurassic Park‘s post-production
Given the enormous burden that came with helming Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List in the same year, Steven Spielberg, who was adamant about embarking on bringing Schindler’s story to the big screen, sought help from Lucas.
Considering their friendship and working history dates back to their initial days in the showbiz, the Jurassic Park director relied on George Lucas for JP’s post-production, essentially “Sound mixing, color correction, and sound effects”.
Spielberg recalled (via THR):
I called George. I said, ‘George, I’m in trouble. The studio’s really upset with me that I’m going to not mix Jurassic Park and go off to Europe and make Schindler’s List. Would you mix Jurassic Park?’ I already had his mixers working on the film, so George said he’d take over.
Unsurprisingly, Spielberg swept through the entire Award season that year and the following year’s Oscars, and his feat of delivering two drastically different experiences within the same year is something that might not be replicated.
Jurassic Park is currently available to stream on Peacock (USA), and Schindler’s List can be rented on Apple TV.
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