Jurassic World is set to blaze through the box office this weekend — buoyed by our collective love of Chris Pratt and 1993’s Jurassic Park. While Jurassic World promises to be a pulpy action adventure that plucks at our nostalgia, Jurassic Park was more than just an exciting summer movie. Under the stewardship of Steven Spielberg, Jurassic Park transcended popcorn entertainment and became both a technical and artistic masterpiece. You could say that Jurassic Park was Steven Spielberg at the top of his game, but then he topped himself THAT SAME YEAR with 1993’s Schindler’s List.

Yes. Steven Spielberg churned out not one, but two cinematic masterpieces in the same year. All right, film buffs, get ready for some behind-the-scenes lore that will reinvigorate your passion for all things Spielberg.

The story goes that Spielberg was set to finally film his passion project, Schindler’s List, right after 1991’s Hook. However, MCA/Universal head Sid Sheinberg wouldn’t green light the somber Holocaust drama unless the director signed on for the summer dinosaur thriller. Spielberg took the challenge in his stride; he had first heard of Crichton’s concept for the book in 1989 when the two were working together on the earliest versions of E.R.

So, Spielberg shot Jurassic Park in Hawaii in the autumn of 1992. They completed filming twelve days early and Spielberg’s editor delivered a super fast rough cut. While Spielberg worked on Schindler’s List in early 1993 in Europe, he found time to edit Jurassic Park during the night. Yes, Spielberg almost had a nervous breakdown, but he got both projects done.

And so, Jurassic Park premiered on June 11, 1993 and Schindler’s List debuted on November 30, 1993. Boom! Even if Spielberg hadn’t done anything else in his life, that double header would have secured his place in film history for good.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJlmYh27MHg]

[Where to Stream Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List]

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