1. A Bite From Jaws
Over 35 years have passed since the movie “Jaws” was released in June of 1975.
The impression that this first summer blockbuster thriller made was amazing. In 1975,
“Jaws” director Steven Spielberg had directed no major films. (Basinger, Jeanine 266)
At the time, there were no expectations that this movie would achieve the results that it
did. “Jaws” went on to make history by becoming the first movie to gross $100 million
and remained No. 1 at the box office for 14 weeks in a row. (CNN Programs 39) The
success from this movie created the foundation in which other blockbuster films began to
rely on special effects, adventure, and suspense. (CNN Programs 40) Along with a
mechanical shark, three well chosen main actors, the perfect setting, and a two-note
musical theme, the film “Jaws” delivered a terrifying fearful effect that is well
remembered today and continues to have an impact on people. A common resort beach
town was transformed into a town terrorized by a great white killer shark. Although
“Jaws” was based on a fictional story, people were convinced that a shark attack could
happen. The components of the film were so well blended and so convincing that beach
attendance declined the summer of 1975. (Fristcher, Lisa 36) That same fear lives on in
many people today and some will not go into the ocean waters due to the film “Jaws”.
(Falcon, Gabriel 18) Classic lines and a memorable music theme from the movie have
not been forgotten and are heard and used over and over.
One of the main categories of specific phobias is animal phobias and sharks are
one of the most feared. (Fristcher, Lisa 4) Further research has pointed out some of the
misconceptions pertaining to sharks, however, in 1975, the average movie patron had
little reason to not believe what was portrayed in “Jaws” to be real. Prior to this movie,
2. rare, but occasional shark attacks were recorded, but caused no public outcry of concern.
This movie placed the fear of a shark attack in the forefront for all movie viewers.
Tourism in beach towns dramatically declined just after “Jaws” was released. (Fristcher,
Lisa 36) There were millions of beachgoers that followed the advice and tagline from the
movie “Don’t go in the water” and instead filled theaters to watch “Jaws”on the big
screen. (Lovgren, Stefan 5) The skill of the film director along with well executed
performances from the cast, transformed moviegoers into embracing the fear of sharks as
real and forfeit any plans of participating in beach activities. This work of fiction held
the power to instill fear and convince patrons that it was not safe to enter beach waters.
This was done by utilizing a common familiar setting, a beach town, and having it fall
victim to a killer shark. Audiences connected to that storyline as being plausible. In
1975, this movie abolished the thought that the dangerous sharks were located
somewhere else and established the belief that they could be found lurking out of sight
just off slightly from the local beach. A credit to the thorough and convincing job
performed by the director and the actors was best said by film critic Jeffrey Lyons when
he stated “It preys upon a fear that millions of people suppress when they go in the ocean.
I told Spielberg I have never gone in the ocean since.” (Falcon, Gabriel 17,18) The
“Jaws” stunt coordinator Ted Grossman reinforced that credibility when he stated “It is
amazing what effect it had then and now. That element is truly frightening. You are
totally unprotected when you are in the water with a shark.” (Falcon, Gabriel 24,25,26)
Ted Grossman indicates that people still tell him they will not go in the water because of
“Jaws”. Grossman stated “It really had an incredible impact on people.” (Falcon, Gabriel
54)
3. Based on a best-selling book by Peter Benchley, “Jaws” was set in the fictional
community of Amity and was shot on Martha’s Vineyard. It tells the story of a police
chief, oceanographer, and a fisherman hunting a giant great white killer shark that is
terrorizing a seaside community. Shark fear and shark phobia is called Selachophobia.
(phobia source 1) After the 1975 public release of “Jaws”, that fear became more
common. (common-phobias 1) It is thought that “Jaws” projected such a realistic
portrayal of local shark attacks not only due to the amazing directing and polished actors,
but also due to the connection “Jaws” had with the fear of the unknown. The vastness of
the ocean can host creatures never seen before. (Salisbury, Brian 34) “Jaws” exemplified
the uncertainty of what can be hidden under the ocean waves. Audiences related to and
agreed with the concept that people are vulnerable in ocean waters. From the opening
scene when a young girl joyfully goes skinny dipping in the ocean, to the introduction of
the famous two note music, to the various jerks of her body and the spread of blood, the
audience instantly knew something unknown and fearful was in that ocean water. The
timing of the music was precisely coordinated with each scene and drew audiences
further into fear and belief that this was real. The two note music score by John Williams
remains one of the most recognized themes in movie music history. (Lovgren, Stefan 25)
Even if people have never seen the movie, they know the theme song. (Keiper, Lauren 9)
Just hearing the simple piece of music that alternates between E and F notes is sufficient
to cause chills and recall images of the great white shark that terrorized a beach
community during the tourist season. The music score received the Academy Award for
Best Song from a movie in 1975. (Osborne, Robert 235) The instant connection with the
4. music along with famous lines from the movie such as “We’re gonna need a bigger boat”
is representation of the gripping memories this film created.
Due to the vivid fear of a relentless killer shark portrayed in “Jaws”, sharks
became bitterly hunted. A shark biologist at the University of Florida in Gainesville
indicates the odds of an individual being attacked at sea by a shark are extremely rare.
(Lovgren, Stefan 11) The International Shark Attack File reports that a person’s chance
of being attacked by a shark is as rare as 1 in 11.5 million. (animal.discovery 9)
Regardless of those statistics, once “Jaws” was released countless shark hunts and shark
fishing tournaments were conducted. (Choi, Charles 22) “Jaws” did such an excellent job
of portraying a shark as a man killer and audiences believed that portrayal to be accurate,
people felt perfectly justified to hunt and kill as many sharks as possible, all with the
intention of making ocean waters safer for mankind. As a result of all this hunting, the
shark population drastically declined. Some shark species were practically eliminated.
(Choi, Charles 30) Author Peter Benchley, whose novel “Jaws” led to the movie version,
has often expressed regret for writing something that resulted in the unnecessary
slaughter of countless sharks. However, there was some good news for sharks. As a
result of the exposure sharks received from the movie, careers in shark biology grew and
funding for shark research expanded. ( elasmo-research 35) Since the movie prompted
public interest in sharks, due to fear and curiosity, it was realized how little was known
about sharks making it easier to secure research funding from the government and private
sources. This helped to preserve shark species from being completely eliminated.
From the first viewing back in 1975 to today, the impact from “Jaws” remains
outstanding. A young and inexperienced director interpreted a novel and brought it to the
5. big screen. Perfect performances by three actors, a mechanical shark, and a common
familiar setting led the way for a summer movie thriller to rock audiences with fear and
terror. Plaguing a resort beach town with a killer shark and exploiting how unprotected
people are in the water was enough to cause a fearful reaction. Insert some very simple
perfectly timed music and point out the unknown that lies in the ocean and the story made
the leap from fiction to reality. Many people have not gone in the water since viewing
that movie. It was so believable to the point that shark hunts were formed in hope of
eliminating killer sharks from the ocean waters and restoring safety. The relentless music
of two notes is as frightening now as it was then. As a result of the movie, it was
discovered how little was known about sharks and therefore careers to research sharks
were pursued and funding was dedicated toward this. No one predicted the effect “Jaws”
would have and it was completely unexpected. “Jaws” went on to become one of the
most requested films to be transferred to Blu-ray disc. There is no doubt, “Jaws” took a
bite out of history.
6. Works Cited
American Cinema One Hundred Years of Film Making by Jeanine Basinger published by
Rizzoli International Publications, Inc. New York, New York Copyright 1994 300 pages
70 Years Of The Oscar The Official History Of The Academy Awards by Robert
Osborne published by Abbeville Press New York, New York Copyright 1999 384 pages
http://animal.discovery.com/tv-shows/my-extreme-animal-phobia/phobias/fear-of-sharks-
g…
http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/movies/06/29/jaws.anniversary/
Recalling the Summer of ‘Jaws’ – CNN.com by Gabriel Falcon , CNN June 30, 2010
http://cnn.worldnews.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?expire=-/&title=CNN+Programs+-
+…
CNN Programs – People in the News CNN.com 2004
http://common-phobias.com/selacho/phobia.htm
http://www.elasmo-research.org/conservation/jaws_reconsidered.htm
http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/features/jaws-35-years-later.php
Still Dangerous Waters: “Jaws” 35 Years Later by Brian Salisbury
http://www.livescience.com/8309-jaws-changed-viwe-great-white-sharks.html
How ‘Jaws” Forever Changed Our View of Great White Sharks by Charles Q. Choi June
20, 2010
7. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/pf/86317841.html
“Jaws” at 30: Film Stoked Fear, Study of Great White Sharks by Stefan Lovgren for
National Geographic News June 15, 2005
http://phobias.about.com/od/introductiontophobias/a/jawsmovie.htm?p=1
About.com Phobias
Jaws Movie Shark Phobia for the Masses by Lisa Fritscher November 22, 2011
http://www.phobiasource.com/selachopia-fear-of-sharks/
http://www.reuters.com/assets/print?aid=USTRE66639A20100707
“Jaws” still churns waters off Martha’s Vineyard by Lauren Keiper July 7, 2010
