A Reel 50: JAWS

You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

This month marks the 50th anniversary of JAWS. 

 

Directed by Steven Spielberg and considered to be one of the greatest films of all time, JAWS was based on the best-selling novel by Peter Benchley, and told the (fish) tale of a killer shark that terrorized a summer resort town. With the summer revenue at risk, the town’s police chief enlists the help of a young marine biologist and seasoned shark hunter to head out to sea and kill the beast. 

 

The beast that would become JAWS began in 1973, when the rights to Benchley’s novel was picked up by famed producers Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown at Universal Pictures. Steven Spielberg, who was 26 at the time, had just finished shooting his first theatrical film, THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS for Zanuck and Brown…and would be chosen to direct. The first pass at the script would be done by Benchley himself, with further rewrites by Howard Sackler. Carl Gottlieb would come on board to do further rewrites during production. 

 

Veteran actor Roy Scheider would land the part of Chief Brody, with another veteran actor, Robert Shaw, taking on the role of the shark hunter Quint. Richard Dreyfuss would play the part of Hooper, the young marine biologist. The rest of the cast would include Lorraine Gray, Murray Hamilton, and Susan Backlinie. Carl Gottlieb would pull double-duty; revising the script on location and playing the part of the town’s newspaper editor. Shooting would take place across various locations on Martha’s Vineyard. Production problems would plague filming, ranging from bad weather to technical difficulties with the three mechanical sharks. John Williams would provide the score. 

 

Upon release, JAWS was an instant sensation with critics and audiences. It would spend 14 weeks as the top box office earner, swimming its way to the biggest selling film of all time; a position it would hold until STAR WARS arrived in 1977. At the 48th Academy Awards, it would be nominated for four Oscars and would win three: Best Editing, Sound, and Score for John Williams. Today, JAWS is considered to be one of the most influential films of all time, inspiring generations of filmmakers while holding the title of the first summer blockbuster. 

 

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When Alfred Hitchcock delivered his psychological terror PSYCHO in 1960, the famous shower scene scared people so well that they were hesitant to enter their own bathrooms alone. Fifteen years later, Spielberg would pull the same cinematic miracle; bringing so much terror to the beach, vacationers avoided the water. Such was the impact JAWS had in 1975 and into today. 

 

Impacting culture and filmmaking is what JAWS has bitten into the most. The movie is endlessly quotable, with Scheider’s famous line of the bigger boat becoming a permanent part of our lexicon when facing an insurmountable problem. John Williams’ score is probably the most recognizable piece in cinema music, and to call the poster iconic would be an understatement. 

 

There is no understating the impact JAWS has had on the world, and in film. It inspired at least two generations of filmmakers, resulting in movies such as PREDATOR and even indie directors like Wes Anderson. The simple themes in JAWS, exploring fear and man vs. nature, hits our natural, primal nerves. The classic storytelling elements of three main characters representing science, order, and chaos, are ground zero for all stories. And scenes such as Robert Shaw’s chilling monologue about the doomed U.S.S. Indianapolis have set a template and a standard for blockbuster and action films. 

 

Today, action films are dominated by franchises and caped and masked crusaders. They keep the lights on for the big screens, and it was JAWS that primed our appetites for fun and adventure…with a little bit of scares along the way. When the fun of the Summer Movie Season begins, there is thanks to be made…and it wasn’t a Jedi, it wasn’t a superhero, and it wasn’t a Transformer…

 

“…It was a shark.”