Jaws 50th Anniversary
50 years ago, the first blockbuster film was released, terrifying, thrilling and entertaining audiences around the world and fomenting fear and misinformation about sharks into the hearts and minds of almost all who saw it.
I’ve watched Jaws more times than I could ever count, it was the go-to VHS tape of my early childhood, the film I could watch every day without boredom, because instead of terrifying me, I became fascinated by sharks. Along with Jaws, I would watch any and all shark documentaries, read anything about sharks, and draw sharks at every opportunity.
Widely considered one of the greatest films of all time, its production was fraught with problems, from a mechanical shark that kept malfunctioning, a sinking set, conflicts between the cast, and going over budget, somehow it was all rescued in the edit, and became the iconic masterpiece that it is deservedly renowned for.
Even though I was only a little child, I was allowed to watch Jaws, the carnage always explained away to me by my parents as ‘camera tricks’ and ‘ketchup’ for the blood. I loved the music, I loved the characters, I loved the shark, and still today I can watch the film with as much intrigue and joy. Although there are four Jaws films in total, the first is the best, the second is actually decent too and more faster-paced, the third and fourth less-so interesting.
The shark in Jaws is pretty fantastical in itself, at an almost unrealistic 25ft in length and characterised as a vindictive creature bearing a grudge, its modus operandi to simply incite terror and eat people made it the perfect one-dimensional villain amidst three very different men who are charged with the responsibility to kill it. The film is even better than the book, a novel penned by Peter Benchley who also makes a cameo in the film.
Most recently, a play about the making of Jaws featuring the actual son of Robert Shaw playing his own father has toured the world, and if you’re a Jaws fan and want to know more about the off-screen drama between the actors, it’s a great watch and ends with a chillingly accurate rendition of the Indianapolis speech.
If you’ve never seen Jaws, watch it now, don’t waste any time, it is a masterpiece in film with millions of fans around the world who love it as much as I do. And these days, the culture around sharks is one of respect, admiration and conservation about one of the most fascinating animals in the world.
