Jaws the movie celebrates the big 5-0!
In 1916, five shark attacks along the New Jersey coast left four people dead and one injured.The rare inland attacks sparked panic, beach closures, and widespread media coverage.The events helped shape the story behind the novel "Jaws" and its blockbuster film adaptation.
On June 20, 1975, Jaws opened in hundreds of theaters around the country — and everything changed.Directed by a young Steven Spielberg, Jaws became an instant smash hit. Within weeks, it was a cultural phenomenon. In months, it was the highest-grossing film of all time.
To this day, it is still the seventh-highest-grossing movie in history .When John Williams first played the “Jaws” theme for Steven Spielberg on a piano, the young director thought it was a joke.Da-dunt? That’s it? An E and an F?
Neither had any way of knowing theirs would be one of the most fruitful artistic ventures.But without that theme built around those two ominous notes that signaled the lurking terror of the shark, “Jaws” is scarcely conceivable.
“The score was clearly responsible for half the success of the movie,” Mr. Spielberg acknowledged in the 1995 documentary “The Making of ‘Jaws.’The special effects had to be welded, hammered and bolted together in the pre CGI era.
The mechanical shark used in the film malfunctioned so much that it appeared in the final edit for a mere four minutes.Undaunted, Spielberg focused on fear and threat, and the audience's imagination provided a far more fearsome shark than Spielberg could have.
It is the fear of the unknown that made it so captivating.The film turned fear into frenzy, and that fear translated into decades of persecution of sharks.
While "Jaws" is a fictional story about a shark attacking humans, it had a real-world impact on shark populations.The concept of a rogue shark that has a taste for human flesh — people believed it.
His relentless attacks on humans are a product of cinematic storytelling, not a reflection of real shark behavior but unfortunately people thought otherwise.
Discovery Channel's annual "Shark Week" and the "Sharknado" TV movies attest to the increased focus on sharks.The "Jaws" author Peter Benchley, an amateur oceanographer, came to regret his share in the vilification of the great white shark, an animal now on the endangered species list.
Around 100 million sharks are killed each year. This is due to the public's perception of sharks as dangerous creatures, leading to increased hunting and fishing pressure. The movie contributed to a decline in shark populations, with some species experiencing a 79-89% decrease, according to Jeevoka.
Jaws won three Academy Awards for Best Film Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score, and Best Sound. It was also nominated for Best Picture, losing to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.2025 will mark the 50th anniversary of director Steven Spielberg's classic Jaws and the anniversary celebrations will include a theatrical re-release and a screening in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, where the film was made!An assortment of big-name brands are also partnering on official fashion, toys, merch and collectibles.
The movie has often been cited as the pioneer "summer blockbuster," the first major film to have a "wide" opening and the film that established Steven Spielberg as one of the twin peaks of the new Hollywood (George Lucas' "Star Wars" would come out two years later).So go ahead and enjoy the movie and its sequels all over again with a tub of popcorn.
Comments (11)
