A Look Back At “Jaws” - The First Summer Blockbuster That Just Turned 50

Fifty years ago, Steven Spielberg brought us one of the best films of his career and this particular film is widely considered to be the first summer blockbuster - “Jaws.” This highly entertaining 1975 film also spawned its own franchise which ended up being a mixed bag.

So, since it's the summer season and the Fourth of July weekend is coming up (which “Jaws” takes place during the summer holiday), I can’t really go through the summer months without giving “Jaws” another look!

When a young woman is killed by a shark while skinny-dipping near the New England town of Amity Island, police chief Martin Brody wants to close the beaches, but mayor Larry Vaughn overrules him, fearing that the loss of tourist revenue will cripple the town.

Ichthyologist Matt Hooper and grizzled ship captain Quint offer to help Brody capture the killer beast, and the trio engage in an epic battle of man vs. nature.

The 1975 classic “Jaws” is, without a doubt, one of the most memorable films in cinematic history. It’s also one of those films that will keep you highly entertained and in awe right to the very end no matter how many times you see it.

The film’s story can give you a nice little taste of suspense as the shark begins to terrorize the town’s beaches. The opening minutes are one of the most iconic film openings ever. Its opening sequence effectively establishes the threat of the shark without showing much of the shark at all.

One aspect of the opening that makes this film’s opening truly memorable is not only showing very little of the shark, but the sound design. Throughout the opening, we hear a blend of the girls screams and the splashing of water mixed in with the infamous “Jaws” theme. The mix of these sounds together makes this scene fairly tense. Also seeing how isolated the soon to be shark victim is in the water gives the opening a great intense feel of dread.

“Jaws” also delivers some memorable moments that fans of the film will likely still enjoy today. Surely, a lot of people will remember moments such as the first full appearance of the shark, the infamous “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” scene and the still exhilarating final confrontation with the shark. Also, one moment that’s a great scene that actually doesn’t involve the shark they’re chasing - Quint’s USS Indianapolis monologue - is one of the best acted scenes in the film.

In between the tense shark moments, there are a few bits of humor and wit that does a great job breaking the tension. Some of the humor comes into play during the second half of the film when we see the three men interacting with each other and seeing their personalities clash while chasing after the shark.

There are also a few moments where see Hooper and Quint not get along that can give you a couple good chuckles. It;s also said that neither Richard Dreyfuss or Robert Shaw couldn’t stand each other, which actually makes those scenes they have together better.

So, during the summer season, make sure to give this beloved 1975 classic a watch!

Trivia: Over 67 million people in the US went to see this film when it was initially released in 1975, making it the first summer “blockbuster.” Martha’s Vineyard was used as Amity Island primarily because even 12 miles out to sea, the sandy bottom was only 30 feet down, allowing the mechanical shark to function. Residents were also paid $64 to scream and run across the beach as extras.

Most of the film was shot handheld to best counter the ocean’s swell. It spent 14 consecutive weeks as the No. 1 in the US. The initial release ultimately brought in $123 million. Throughout the numerous theatrical re-issues the film had over the years, “Jaws” altogether has brought in $265.8 million domestically.

MPA: Rated PG   (runtime 124 minutes)    (“Jaws” and the entire series can be found on Peacock through mid-July)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1fu_sA7XhE

• Several decades after the film's release, Lee Fierro (Mrs. Kintner) walked into a seafood restaurant and noticed an "Alex Kintner Sandwich" on the menu. She commented that she had played his mother many years ago. Jeffrey Voorhees, the manager of the restaurant who had played Alex, ran out to meet her. They hadn't seen each other since the original movie shoot.

• When composer John Williams originally played the score for director Steven Spielberg, Spielberg laughed and said, "That's funny, John, really; but what did you really have in mind for the theme of Jaws?" Spielberg later stated that without Williams's score, the movie would only have been half as successful and according to Williams, it jump-started his career.

• According to director Steven Spielberg, the prop arm looked too fake in the scene where Chrissie's remains are discovered, so instead, they buried a female crew member in the sand with only her arm exposed.

• Over 67 million people in the U.S. went to see this film when it was initially released in 1975 (just under a third of the country's total population at the time), making it the first summer "blockbuster."

• Jaws opened on June 20, 1975. It was supposed to be released in theaters for Christmas 1974, but because filming ran way over the shooting schedule, its release was pushed back to summer the following year. Back in 1975, summer was traditionally when the worst movies were dumped into theatres as Americans typically enjoyed the outdoors instead. But the film was so good, beachgoers actually flocked to see it, and the movie became the highest grossing film of all time up to that point. It became the first film to gross over $100 million in theatrical rentals (which is the figure the studio nets from the North American box office after the movie theaters take their cut; roughly half the box office gross) and thus the summer blockbuster was born.

• Bruce (The shark) has 4 minutes of screen time.

• Most of the film was shot handheld to best counter the ocean's swell.

• Director Steven Spielberg shot roughly 25% of the film from water level to provide the viewers the perspective as if they were treading water.

• Jaws (1975) opened on only 490 screens. Within seventy-eight days, it had become the highest-grossing film of all time. Even then, however, it was still showing in fewer than a thousand screens.

• This was the first movie to reach the coveted $100 million mark in "theatrical rentals," which is about 45% of the "box-office gross." It was the highest-grossing of all-time in the U.S. until Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977).