Jaws: The 40th Anniversary of the Movie That Changed Hollywood

Time ^ | June 20, 2015 | Daniel D’Addario

[beaversmom]

Steven Spielberg's breakout film brought on an era of big spectacle

Forty years ago Saturday saw the release of Jaws, an adaptation of a beach-read made by a promising but relatively untested young director, Steven Spielberg. Forty years later, Jaws‘ impact can be felt across moviegoing.

The shark tale is perhaps most notable for its box-office success; Jaws became the top-grossing film of all time after its release (and did so more quickly than had its predecessors, with a marketing plan based on blanket advertising rather than a slow rollout). Jaws, with its technical mastery and ability to manipulate the audience into fearing something that for so much of the film’s running time they could not see, was a movie that demanded to be seen as soon as one could, just like later blockbusters including Star Wars (which, two years after Jaws, replaced it at the top of the all-time box office list).

Jaws established Spielberg as an economic force, which means more than one might think; he has proven, in the intervening years, to know exactly what the public wants, from ultimately vanquishable scares (Jurassic Park) to charismatic heroes (Indiana Jones) to sweet sentiment (E.T.). Jaws gave him the capital to do whatever he wanted; his next film was the more adventurous Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Directors less technically adept than Spielberg, though, took from Jaws the lesson that bigger is better. This summer’s biggest movies so far (Furious 7, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Jurassic World) are all heavy on chases, fights and/or explosions. Jaws had a mechanical shark, yes, but its impact as the first true blockbuster in Hollywood history...

[Texas Songwriter]

You forgot the man found by Hooper and Brodey after they opened the alimentary canal of the tiger shark. remember he found the tooth the size of a shot glass?

[beaversmom]

I was mistaken. I was going from memory. Jonathan Scott-Taylor is a lawyer in the UK.

I looked him up. I think I did see Omen II now that I see pics from when he was younger. Looks like an older little Damien!

[beaversmom]

No, no man was found in the tiger shark. Just a few fish and a license plate from Louisiana...lol. :)

[RandallFlagg]

Yep!
And they want to talk about graphic depictions of death scenes in movies?
That doctor getting sliced in half at the waist by the elevator cable.
That lady getting obliterated by the semi truck.
*shudder*

[Texas Songwriter]

Yes, that is true, but Hooper and the sheriff went out looking for the night feeder. He came across a submerged boat, and Hooper went into the water and found a tooth of Carcarious carrion “the size of a shot glass”, That tooth was not found in the alimentary canal of the tiger shark. Hooper lost the tooth as he came up to his own boat. They towed the boat in and the old man, with his eye avulse, was found inside his submerged boat. Remember?

[RandallFlagg]

Actually, it was a carcaradon carcharias.

[beaversmom]

Yes, I do remember that part. I misunderstood. I thought you were talking about the remains being found in the tiger shark.

[beaversmom]

There were some pretty gruesome deaths in the first Omen, too. And that nanny with the mean dog still creeps me out.

[Talisker]

Jaws was Duel, with a shark replacing the truck.

Not that I minded - both are masterfully terrifying. But very much the same masterpiece underneath.

[beaversmom]

I think it was in the Duel documentary upthread or the Jaws documentary (also upthread) that they mention that. In the shark death scene, Spielberg even uses some of the sounds of the dying truck.

[RandallFlagg]

The third Omen movie was pretty creepy, too.
Don’t bother with the made-for-TV Omen 4. It’s complete crap.

[beaversmom]

Was the third one with him as an adult politician?

[RandallFlagg]

Yep.
Damien was played by Sam Neil, too.
When I was in the Navy, I found all six Omen books. Read them all.
I wish I knew what happened to them. They might be worth some money someday.

[beaversmom]

Damien was played by Sam Neil, too.

Sounds familiar. I like Sam Neil. Very good actor.

When I was in the Navy, I found all six Omen books. Read them all. I wish I knew what happened to them. They might be worth some money someday.

I remember that you were in the Navy. Ever see a Carcharodon carcharias? :)

[RandallFlagg]

No, but by ship did shove a large tiger shark out of the way one Friday afternoon when we were heading to San Diego harbor.
Our cool Texan captain was anxious to get us all home for the weekend, and floored it.

[Stand Watch Listen]

A bit of trivia regarding the scene...

Robert Shaw liked to drink. Indeed, the actor, author and playwright liked to drink a lot. It could sometimes lead to near disastrous results.

During the making of Jaws, Robert Shaw had an alcohol-induced blackout during the filming of that famous S.S. Indianapolis speech. Shaw had convinced director Steven Spielberg that as the three characters in the scene (played by Shaw, Roy Scheider, and Richard Dreyfuss) had been drinking, it might be an idea to have a wee chaser before filming, just to get him in the mood. Spielberg agreed. It was an unwise decision as Shaw drank so much he had to be carried back onto the set. Hardly any filming took place that day, and Spielberg wrapped the crew at eleven in the morning.

Later that night, in the wee small hours, a panicked Shaw ‘phoned Spielberg to ask if he had done anything embarrassing as he could not remember what had happened. And would the director let him film the scene again?

The next day, a sober and contrite Shaw turned-up early for work, and delivered one of cinema’s most memorable speeches within four takes.

[beaversmom]

I think remember hearing about that in the Jaws’ documentary. He is SO convincing in that scene. I think I have only ever seen him in Jaws, but great actor.

[beaversmom]

lol.

I like that...”floored it”. :)

[RandallFlagg]

Shaw was also in the 2nd James Bond movie, “From Russia With Love.”

[beaversmom]

Was he a goodie or a baddie?