Jaws, released in 1975, fit right into the “disaster film” genre helping it to gain an immediate audience. Though it has been argued that Jaws was based on the 1916 shark attacks along the Jersey Shore, the modern setting and the release date follow along with the long list of disaster films that were popular in the early to mid-1970s that began with Airport, released in 1970 amid the growing number of airline hijackings including the 1968 Pan Am flight from John F Kennedy airport that was forced to land in Cuba and the 82 similar hijacking the following year. Other disaster films followed Airport, including The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and The Towering Inferno (1974) along with a rise in horror films such as Psycho (1960), The Exorcist (1973) and Texas Chain-Saw Massacre (1974). With Jaws, the terror comes from a shark, but Jaws can be considered a combination of the disaster film and the horror film, making it unique but also springing from the popularity of both styles of film, explaining the box office success of the film in its time period.
Jaws was a reflection of its time as a disaster and horror film, but it also speaks to the economic situation at that time. Films often can tell us about the social, political, and economic realities of the time in which it was created. The small Cape Cod town that is the setting of Jaws relies on tourism to survive, specifically the summer beachgoers. This is clear when the town’s mayor refuses to close the beaches on the July 4th holiday, understanding the economic impact would be devastating, regardless of the threat to life, revealing that Jaws can be considered a statement about the economy. We have seen a resurgence of the mayor in the memes comparing the opening of the beaches on July 4th in Jaws to the debate about opening New York, New Jersey, and Florida beaches amid the COVID pandemic. The film’s messages, thus, are timeless, particularly when debating the balance between health and safety and economic stability.
Understanding the director also gives light to how well a film is received. Steven Spielberg, who directed Jaws, is often considered a directing genius, and it is important to know he built upon his predecessors for his own success. With the idea of building on the past while also creating something new, Spielberg has credited Alfred Hitchcock as a model referencing “Vertigo’s famous reverse dolly zoom in Jaws.” Surprisingly, Spielberg was also influenced by Walt Disney: “I was probably more influenced by Walt Disney than by anybody else,” he has recalled. “I loved cartoons as a kid, and I remember that I was more frightened by the 'Night on Bald Mountain' sequence in Fantasia than by anything I ever saw in a movie before or since.” 'Bald Mountain' effectively uses the music with the visuals to bring the audience on the edge of its seat, with the music building while the mountain opens into a demon in the style of the Devil. Jaws uses its theme music to build suspense in the audience while the swimmers are splashing around the water, while the audience waits on edge for the next attack. Instantly recognizable, we all know the shark is coming when we hear those musical notes, and the score has become a symbol of building fear even outside of that particular film.
Lastly, box office success of Jaws cannot be denied as it was the first real summer blockbuster. Kate Erbland wrote in “How ‘Jaws’ Forever Changed the Modern Day Blockbuster — And What Today’s Examples Could Learn From It,” in a 2017 Indie Wire article that Jaws established “the blueprint for modern-day blockbusters... Jaws was made for less than $9 million, Jaws went on to make over $470 million in global returns, including a $260 million domestic take that earned it the top spot at the box office in 1975.” In fact, Jaws established the idea of a summer blockbuster that many current film studios have tried to copy. For these reasons, Jaws can be considered a great film by any standards. And we can’t wait until we can go “back in the water again.”
