Steven Spielberg's Cinematic Influences: From Elvis to Lawrence of Arabia

Steven Spielberg's Cinematic Influences: From Elvis to Lawrence of Arabia

Steven Spielberg, born in 1946, likely has childhood memories of Elvis Presley's rise to fame, despite being more of a Beatles fan. Growing up in Ohio and Arizona, he would have been surrounded by the Elvis frenzy that swept the world. While Spielberg's early directorial career coincided with Elvis's passing, there are some indirect connections between the two, such as Colonel Tom Parker declining an offer for Elvis to star in a film Spielberg later remade.

One of Spielberg's collaborators, Chris Columbus, directed a film featuring Elvis, but Spielberg's personal favorite Elvis movie is "Viva Las Vegas." The revelation that actress Teri Garr, who starred in Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," was also in "Viva Las Vegas" surprised him. Garr shared that she last saw Elvis while filming "Close Encounters," and Spielberg was taken aback by the coincidence.

Despite his fondness for "Viva Las Vegas," Spielberg's true cinematic influences lie elsewhere. His admiration for films like "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Searchers" has shaped his career and creative vision.