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1975
Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" is the first summer blockbuster. George Lucas forms
Industrial Light and Magic company to create sophisticated special effects.
1976
"All the President's Men" opens. Sylvester Stallone stars in "Rocky."
1977
"Star Wars," directed by George Lucas, establishes film tie-in merchandising precedent. Woody Allen's "Annie Hall" wins best-picture Oscar.
1978
New copyright act protects most films for 75 years.
1979
"Apocalypse Now," by Francis Ford Coppola, helps change how Americans view
the Vietnam War.
1980
Sherry Lansing is first woman to head a major studio (20th Century Fox).
1981
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" opens.
1982
"E.T., The Extra-Terrestrial" surpasses previous box-office records.
1983
Meryl Streep stars in "Silkwood."
1984
Computer technology allows transfer of black-and-white film to color. "PG-13" is added to rating system.
1986
Ted Turner buys MGM's library of film classics for $1.2 billion.
1988
CJodie
Foster wins best-actress Oscar for "The Accused."
1989
"Driving Miss Daisy" wins best-picture Oscar. Sony buys
Columbia Pictures. Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" opens.
1990
"NC-17" rating replaces "X."
1991
Oliver Stone's "JFK" opens.
1993
"Jurassic Park" becomes biggest money maker to date. "Philadelphia" with Denzel Washington is first major Hollywood film to deal with AIDS.
1994
"Schindler's List" wins best-picture Oscar.
1995
"Forrest Gump" with Tom Hanks
wins Oscar for best picture. Spielberg, Jeffrey
Katzenberg, and David Geffen form DreamWorks
SKG. Michael Eisner taps Michael Ovitz for
president of Walt Disney Company.