Jaws
Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) is a significant cultural landmark in the Hollywood cinema of the late twentieth-century. In addition to the unprecedented box-office gross, which made it the first film in history to top $100 million on its initial release, it established its relatively unknown 27-year-old director as a powerful creative force. Spielberg went on to achieve major financial and critical success in the "new Hollywood" with a string of memorable films that confirmed him as Hollywood's pre-eminent storyteller. This supreme gift was unveiled in Jaws, a fundamentally very simple tale that seamlessly combined elements from the action adventure, thriller, and horror genres. Exciting, engrossing, and scary, Jaws is also, in the final analysis, fun, as were the then fashionable "disaster" movies such as The Towering Inferno (1974), which it far outstripped in providing well-characterized protagonists in a setting designed to strike a chord with Americans of all ages.
One of the earliest examples of the now familiar Hollywood staple, the "summer blockbuster," Jaws was released to an eager public in June of 1975. The film's plot centered on a series of fatal shark attacks at the beaches of a New England resort town, and the efforts of an ill-matched trio of men to kill the 25-foot great white shark responsible for the deaths. Promoted through a massive advertising campaign and given unprecedentedly widespread distribution by Universal studios, Jaws lived up to the expectation it generated. With its rousing adventure and horror elements and its crowd-pleasing finale, it became a worldwide phenomenon, and for at least one summer made millions of people very nervous about swimming in the ocean.
If the success of the film was nothing short of remarkable, the novel upon which it was based had proved a commercial phenomenon in its own right. In January 1973, author Peter Benchley submitted to the New York publishing house of Doubleday the final draft of a novel inspired by his memory of a monstrous great white shark caught off the coast of Montauk in 1964. In a documentary accompanying the laser-disc release of the film, Benchley recalls how several titles (such as "Stillness in the Water" for example) were considered and rejected for the novel before the simple, visceral Jaws was chosen. Very quickly, Bantam paid for paperback rights to the novel, and Hollywood producers David Brown and Richard Zanuck bought not only the film rights, but also the services of author Benchley for a first-draft screenplay. This early interest in the novel, combined with book-club deals and an aggressive promotional strategy by Doubleday and Bantam, ensured the novel's climb to the top of the New York Times bestseller list, where it stayed for months.
Benchley's book is divided into three sections. The first opens with a nighttime shark attack upon a skinny-dipping young woman, whose mutilated body is discovered on the Amity town beach the next morning, leading the chief of police to urge the mayor to close the beaches for a few days. The request is refused, and the shark strikes again, killing a six-year-old boy and an elderly man in two separate attacks in full view of horrified onlookers. Now forced to close the beaches, the authorities hire Ben Gardner, a local fisherman, to catch the shark, but he disappears at sea, another victim. Part one ends with the arrival of Matt Hooper, an ichthyologist there at the invitation of the editor of Amity's newspaper.
Part Two focuses on the domestic tensions between chief of police Brody and his wife Ellen, whose discontent with her marriage leads her into a brief affair with the handsome and rich Hooper. Brody suspects the affair just as his battle to keep the beaches closed during the lucrative Fourth of July weekend reaches its highest pitch, and he learns that the mayor is fighting so hard to re-open the beaches because he is in debt to the New England Mafia. Brody reluctantly opens the beaches again, the shark almost kills a teenage boy, and the town hires another shark fisherman named Quint to tackle the problem. Out of duty and a sense of guilt, Brody accompanies Quint and Hooper on Quint's boat, the Orca, to search for the man-eating fish.
The shark hunt occupies the final third of the novel. Blue-collar fisherman Quint takes an immediate dislike to the collegial Hooper, and the hostility between Hooper and Quint and Hooper and Brody acts as a human counterpoint to the ensuing struggle between man and fish. The shark proves to be larger and fiercer than anticipated, and Quint's repeated failure to harpoon their quarry compels Hooper to descend beneath the surface, in a shark cage, in an effort to kill it. The shark tears the cage apart and devours Hooper. On the last day of the hunt, Quint manages to harpoon the shark, but the weight of the fish sinks the boat and Quint is drowned. Brody is unexpectedly saved when the shark succumbs to the harpoon wounds and dies.
The Academy Award-nominated film that grew out of this narrative kept the main characters and the basic three-act structure but radically changed the characterizations and deleted the Hooper/Ellen subplot. Also gone were the mayor's links to the Mafia, while Brody was transformed from a local man to a New York outsider, facing his first summer as police chief of Amity where, ironically, he has come in order to escape urban violence. Hooper became a much more humorous and sympathetic character, to the extent that later drafts of the script spared him from the fatal jaws of the shark. While retaining Quint as a blue-collar antagonist for the preppie Hooper, thus providing an extra focus for tension aboard the somewhat ramshackle Orca, the fisherman's mania for shark hunting was explained as a result of his having survived a shark feeding frenzy following the sinking of a cruiser during World War II. Instead of drowning as in the novel, Quint is eaten during the shark's final wild assault upon the Orca.
All of these changes were beneficial to the screenplay, giving it a more straightforward line and lending it veracity. Spielberg and Benchley reportedly argued over many of the changes, including Spielberg's suggested new ending. Spielberg wanted a much more cathartic resolution and came up with the idea that one of Hooper's oxygen cylinders should explode in the shark's mouth. Benchley scoffed at the idea, insisting that no one would believe it. Spielberg's vision prevailed, and the author subsequently admitted that the filmmaker was right. Aside from Benchley, and Spielberg himself, screenwriters John Milius, Howard Sackler, (both uncredited) and Carl Gottlieb (credited) contributed to the script at different stages in its development and throughout the location shooting. By all accounts, the actors and/or crew improvised much of the dialogue and many of the most memorable moments, but unlike countless other films where too many cooks invariably spoil the broth, Jaws finally achieved a convincing coherency of plot and character.
Production difficulties were foreshadowed by the early script problems and initial casting choices that fell through before the three crucial leading roles went to Roy Scheider (Brody), Robert Shaw (Quint) and Richard Dreyfuss (Hooper), all three of whom turned in convincing and compelling performances. After an extensive scouting expedition, production designer Joe Alves selected Martha's Vineyard as the location for the fictional Amity and Robert Mattey built three full-size mechanical sharks at a cost of $150,000 each. The producers hoped that the mechanical sharks, when inter-cut with second-unit footage of real great white sharks shot off the coast of Australia by famed underwater team Ron and Valerie Taylor, would prove convincing enough to scare audiences, which they triumphantly did. During the production, however, the mechanical sharks caused much anguish (one sank during a test, and the complex hydraulic system exploded during another test run). The recalcitrance of the models prevented Spielberg from showing them on screen as completely as he had intended, and may actually have helped the film's suspense by keeping the killer shark's appearances brief and startling. Other troubles, such as changing weather conditions, shifting ocean currents, and labor disputes were serious impediments, and worried studio executives even considered abandoning the production. All of these combined difficulties extended the original 52-day shooting schedule into over 150 days, and the $3.5 million initial budget quickly ballooned into $12 million.
In the end, what saved Jaws from anticipated disaster was the brilliance of Spielberg's unifying vision, which somehow managed to impose order on the chaotic shoot, John Williams' Oscar-winning score with its now famous four-note motif for the shark scenes, and the director's close collaboration with film editor Verna Fields. In post-production, the two managed the near impossible by matching several scenes that had been shot months apart in completely different weather and ocean conditions. Fields won the editing Oscar, yet screenings of the rough cut had brought a lukewarm response from studio executives. Finally, in March of 1975, a sneak preview for the public was scheduled in Dallas. By all accounts, the audience loved the film, screaming loudest when the shark surprises Brody as he ladles chum off the stern of the Orca. Eager to get one more terrified shriek out of future audiences, Spielberg re-shot the scene where Hooper discovers the body of fisherman Ben Gardner in a swimming pool, and the film was ready for more sneak previews and exhibitor screenings. Stars Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss were mobbed as heroes after one New York preview and favorable word of mouth spread rapidly. By the time Jaws was released to 490 theaters in June, the stage was set for it to become the most financially successful motion picture of all time until the summer of 1977, when George Lucas's Star Wars broke its record. Nearly every summer since 1975 has seen the major Hollywood studios competing to gross as many hundreds of millions of dollars as possible. Though many films have since surpassed Jaws ' box-office success and three inferior sequels have somewhat diluted the impact of the original, the movie about a man-eating shark is often praised (or blamed) as the beginning of a Hollywood revival. By 1999, it was still holding its own in Hollywood history as the eleventh highest grossing film of the twentieth century.
Great white sharks
COMMON NAME: Great White Shark
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Carcharodon carcharias
TYPE: Fish
DIET: Carnivore
GROUP NAME: School, shoal
SIZE: 15 feet to more than 20 feet
WEIGHT: 2.5 tons or more
While the shark in Jaws was inspired by a great white shark in New Jersey, the legendary fish is far less fearsome in reality. As scientific research on these elusive predators increases, their image as mindless killing machines is beginning to fade.
Found in cool, coastal waters around the world, great whites are the largest predatory fish on Earth. They grow to an average of 15 feet in length, though specimens exceeding 20 feet and weighing up to 5,000 pounds have been recorded.
They have slate-gray upper bodies to blend in with the rocky coastal sea floor, but they get their name from their white underbellies. They're streamlined, torpedo-shaped swimmers with powerful tails that can propel them through the water at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour. They can even leave the water completely, breaching like whales when attacking prey from underneath.
Hunting and diet
Highly adapted predators, their mouths are lined with up to 300 serrated, triangular teeth arranged in several rows, and they have an exceptional sense of smell to detect prey. They even have organs that can sense the tiny electromagnetic fields generated by animals. Their prey includes other sharks, crustaceans, molluscs, and sea birds. Larger whtie sharks will also prey on sea lions, seals, and small toothed whales like orcas. The species has even been seen feeding on dead whales.
Shark attacks
Of the 100-plus annual shark attacks worldwide, a third to a half are attributed to great white sharks. Most of these, however, are not fatal. Research finds that great whites, which are naturally curious, often "sample bite" then release their human target. It's not a terribly comforting distinction, but it does indicate that humans are not actually on the great white's menu. Fatal attacks, experts say, are typically cases of mistaken identity: Swimmers and surfers can look a lot like their favorite prey—seals—when seen from below.
Population and conservation
There is no reliable population data for the great white shark, but scientists agree that their number are decreasing precipitously. Overfishing and getting accidentally caught in fishing nets are their two biggest threats. The species is classified as vulnerable—one step away from endangered—by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
In recent years great white sharks have been showing up annually in the waters off the Cape Cod seashore, and unlike the great whites of Australia or South Africa, these sharks don't respond to the usual underwater photographers' techniques. They're not...Read More
Admit it: most of us are at least a little scared of swimming in the ocean, and that's probably because we've been traumatized by all those ocean disaster films and shark attack movies (why my 5th-grade teacher thought Jaws would be a fun field trip watch is a mystery to me—I am scarred for life). Also, why are there so many of them?!?
Anyway, anyone who’s seen even 10 minutes of Shark Week knows that sharks don’t just start attacking humans randomly, unless attacked or provoked. Also, lots of sharks are endangered, and the actual number of people who died by shark attack in 2021 is, I'm not kidding, 11. So take all these films with a big cup of salt, because Hollywood loves to scare us with mostly made-up things. There’s always going to be some bikini-clad A-lister who lives somewhere near the water, and then bam! Their legs are bit off by a shark. C'mon, that’s like 80 percent of the movies on this list.
But that doesn’t mean they have to be bad (or, at the very least, boring). There's the "scary movie inspired by a true story that you spend hours researching afterward" (hey, Deep Water, you terrify me). There's the obvious classics (Jaws and Jaws 2, although that second one is debatable), and the movie inspired by the classics that ended up being a hilarrible farce (aww, Deep Blue Sea, we still love ya).We've also got a full serving of the ridiculous: the sharks in the tornadoes (Sharnado, ze classic) and fossils-come-to-life (The Meg-like).
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There’s a shark movie for every person. And here are some of the most exciting, inane, and bone-chilling shark flicks that’ll make you feel like you're 10 again and cowering on the beach.
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1. The Shallows
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The premise of this movie is ridiculous—a beautiful girl goes surfing alone in a secluded cove and ends up on a rock fighting for survival before the tide comes in—but the execution is flawless. Every single piece of Blake Lively’s wardrobe becomes useful in her fight against the murderous great white that wants to eat her for dessert (a whale carcass is dinner), and Blake’s costar, Steven Seagull, truly deserved an Oscar.
2. Jaws
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Jaws has the fine distinction of being not only the greatest shark movie ever made but also one of the greatest horror movies ever made. No matter that fake-shark technology has advanced about a million percent over the past 40 years—Jaws is still terrifying enough that you wouldn’t want to watch it during a beach vacation. And it definitely helps that John Williams’s score is so iconic that it conjures doom no matter where you are when you hear it.
3. Open Water
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This horror show is based partially on the true story of a couple left to fend for themselves in the open ocean after the rest of their scuba-diving expedition forgets them. What happened to the real people remains a mystery, but Open Water’s characters meet a very, um, definitive end.
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4. 3-Headed Shark Attack
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This movie will not only make you terrified of the water, but also cruise ships (lol). Danny Trejo, Karrueche Train, and Rob Van Dam must try and protect the cruise ship they're on that gets attacked by a mutated shark. Mind you, this shark has already eaten one end of the ship and they must stop it from—eating the whole damn thing, ofc.
5. Jaws 2
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Horror *legend* Jaws had no business becoming a franchise. That said, Jaws 2 isn’t...that bad. Another shark starts attacking the beach and now there are kids and teens involved. Say what you want, it’s still better than the computer animated horror-inducing mess that the other Jaws sequels were.
6. Sharkwater
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This is dedicated to my fellow Planet Earth stans. The documentary filmmaker takes us through the waters of some of the most beautiful places on Earth, while busting myths about sharks and helping us realize how important for the ecosystem they really are. At the mo, you can watch it for free on Vimeo.
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7. Deep Blue Sea
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In this 1999 treasure, scientists accidentally engineer shark brains so that sharks are smarter and more dangerous, thus making it problematic when they start escaping from the research pens and attacking people. This movie is recommended for those of you who saw Snakes on a Plane and thought, Hmm, I wonder what it’s like to watch Samuel L. Jackson fight sharks instead?
8. Sharknado
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Say what you will about the quality of this cult favorite, but there’s no question it revived the public’s interest in intentionally bad made-for-TV movies. The title says it all, but just to make it super clear: Los Angeles gets hit by a cyclone that causes shark-filled water spouts all over the city. You’ll laugh until you remember the movie was such a hit that it spawned a zillion sequels.
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9. The Reef
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After their boat capsizes, a group of friends attempt to rescue themselves by swimming through open water to get to the nearest land. Unfortunately, that water turns out to be home to a shark who’s not that willing to share his territory with these human swimmers, and chaos ensues. And that’s why you never agree to get on a boat!
10. Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus
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Is this movie bad? *Yes*. But does it feature a humongous shark fighting a humongous octopus? Yes, so I fail to see the problem. Also, it's free on YouTube at the moment, so you have no reason not to watch it. But, like, if you wanna buy the DVD because you love it that much, follow your bliss.
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11. Blue Water, White Death
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Finally, something a *little* bit less sensational. This 1971 documentary follows the quest to film a great white shark underwater for the first time. The doc doesn’t exactly diminish the shark’s reputation as a killer, but it’s an interesting tale nonetheless.
12. 47 Meters Down
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In this 2017 gem, two sisters (hi, Mandy Moore!!) are on vacation in Mexico when they decide to go shark diving with some sketchy dudes they meet in a bar. Naturally, the chain holding their shark cage breaks, so they get stuck—wait for it—47 meters down and must fight off the bends, faulty air tanks, and, yes, a giant shark.
13. The Meg
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This movie features Jason Statham fighting a 2-million-year-old megalodon! (which you will hear him say, in that accent, approximately a thousand times.) It is literally perfect. Also, it’s based on a book that has sequels, which means this could end up being a franchise. God bless.
14. Bait
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First of all, this movie was released in 3-D, which, yes please. But also, the plot is so extra: A bunch of hot people are chilling in a grocery store when a tsunami hits and floods the building. Unfortunately, a great white shark is washed into the store—ugh, hate when that happens—and proceeds to murder everyone.
15. 47 Meters Down: Uncaged
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One of the characters in this sequel to 47 Meters Down, Catherine, stays on the boat while the rest of her friends dive into the water and explore an ancient submerged city and—sing along if you know the words—are attacked by sharks. Catherine might just be the smartest person in all these movies.