Steven Spielberg’s jaws is one of the most iconic films in Hollywood’s long history. Not only is the film considered one of the best ever screened on screen, but the overall effect the legendary shark film had on the film industry cannot be underestimated. It is the film that put Spielberg on the map. It made him one of the must-watch directors of the 1970s, before going on to become one of the greatest filmmakers in the medium’s history.
Released in June 1975, jaws was a turning point for Hollywood. Although the landscape had been evolving for a while, Hollywood was still experiencing the growing pains associated with the end of the Golden Age and the era of the studio system; it was the release of jaws that really cemented the latest era of American filmmaking. It would be a time dominated by new ideas, fresh faces and creative experimentation. Much of this change would be driven by a generation of filmmakers who become known as ‘The Movie Brats’, with key figures such as Spielberg, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma forming a close friendship that changed the film landscape forever.
Although Spielberg had already released two films, it was jaws that changed everything, not only for the director, but also for the industry. Here’s how:
The first summer blockbuster
jaws is so often called “the first summer blockbuster” that the phrase has almost lost its meaning. However, that doesn’t mean the title doesn’t fit the film. Summer blockbusters are almost entirely what drives Hollywood these days, with movies like The Avengers, Top Gun: Maverick, Jurassic World, and many more that bring people to the theater in droves. They are thrilling, big budget action movies that bring in the general public to experience the spectacle of it all. While there’s no doubt that the content of the quintessential summer blockbuster has changed in the nearly 50 years since the release of jawsevery blockbuster released today should still be thankful to Spielberg’s oceanic thriller for laying the foundation on which they were built.
jaws is the grandfather of it all. It’s a brilliantly made film that also has mass appeal. It’s exciting, funny, scary, adventurous and just a hugely entertaining theatrical experience. That doesn’t mean movies from before 1975 wasn’t made to evoke this kind of reaction from their viewers, but jaws was the first to do it on such a widespread scale. When it was released, Universal Pictures gave: jaws one of the widest theatrical runs of a film to date. It was marketed and advertised thoroughly, playing in most theaters across the country at the same time. Everyone could go and see jaws, and most people did. It ended up being the highest-grossing movie of all time at the time, aghast the godfatherwho had held the title since 1972.
The film was a major milestone in the Hollywood filmmaking landscape. It proved that the crowd would turn up in droves for these kinds of fun and thrilling theatrical roller coasters. The effect it would have on the industry can still be felt today, as most major studios now produce almost nothing but blockbusters. It would only be a few more years jaws would be knocked off the throne of the highest-grossing movie of all time by another early blockbuster you may have heard of, Star Wars.
The start of a long career
It wasn’t just the amazing box office performance and ensuing cultural phenomenon of jaws which put Spielberg in the books of film history. jaws was just the beginning for the young director, as he would go on to direct many of the most successful films and franchises in cinema history. In the next decade jawsSpielberg cemented his place as one of the best-acting filmmakers of the time, with people like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET the alien, and more. During that same period, he also received his first four Oscar nominations. He became one of the biggest names in Hollywood, producing hit after hit and classic after classic.
Spielberg’s films were not only loved by the general public; they were also critical sweethearts. The director was in a good place where almost everything he made was loved by just about everyone. No one would have blamed him if he decided to take some time for himself, or if he lost some of his Midas touch over the years. But he didn’t. He was a workhorse, consistently releasing a new film every few years, and to this day still makes some truly outstanding cinematic works. His most recent film, a remake of West Side Story, was his first attempt at a musical, and the result is arguably one of his best films to date. And his next movie, the fablesis a semi-autobiographical story of his childhood that is sure to lead the way this awards season.
There is always a lot of talk about who is the best of all time in their field. Well, in the filmmaking landscape there is a very strong argument that Spielberg is the GOAT. He has branched out into so many different genres and has directed some of the best films ever brought to the screen, ranging from Jurassic Park until Schindler‘s List (in the same year!), Saving Private Ryan, Raiders of the Lost Ark and, of course, jaws. It all started with jaws. It made Spielberg a name in the industry. Without that film’s success, there wouldn’t have been so many studios lined up to work with Spielberg, and as such, many of his countless masterpieces may never have been made.
Influence and inspiration
Spielberg’s influence on the American film industry would change this forever. Over the past five decades, countless filmmakers have been directly inspired by Spielberg’s work. This trend of inspiration started quite right after the release of jaws. In the years that followed, while Spielberg continued to build his own career, he also worked to improve those of the other friends and creatives he worked with.
A significant number of the blockbuster filmmakers of the ’80s, ’90s and even today took inspiration from Spielberg and applied many of his film styles and techniques to their own films. The term “Spielbergian” was coined to describe these films that imitated the director’s signature brand of light-hearted humor mixed with awe-inspiring tone. Many of the directors who would become big names in the industry were the first Spielberg’s contemporaries and friends. Directors like Chris Columbus (Home alone, Mrs Doubtfire, Harry Potter), Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer, Jumanjic, Captain America: The First Avenger) and Robert Zemeckis (Romancing the Stone, Back to the future, Forrest Gump) all received help from Spielberg in building their careers. He often worked as a producer on their films, giving advice where he could and allowing his name to be featured on the films so that audiences would see a recognizable name and want to watch the films. He spearheaded this new generation of blockbuster filmmakers, many of whom have become Hollywood classics in their own right.
Back to jaws, however, the influence of Spielberg’s breakthrough photo can be felt in films ranging from Alien (which was famously pitched as “jaws in space”) to many different modern thrillers and action films. Many modern films adopt the same hide-and-seek approach that helped create jaws the intensely exhilarating experience that it was. Most recently, Jordan Peele’s no was praised for using this technique, along with several other key aspects of the film that were directly influenced by jaws.
At the end of the day, jaws and Steven Spielberg have had a huge impact on the film industry, both in the filmmakers they inspired and the stories they influenced. The film and the director changed the way Hollywood studios looked at how they produced their movies. jaws almost single-handedly brought about the summer movie season as we know it today, and besides, it’s still just a great movie that still holds up half a century later. jaws is about as perfect as a movie can get, so it’s no wonder why it has the long-lasting legacy it has. With only his third feature, Spielberg created one of the greatest of all time. It’s a film that deserves the accolades it’s received, and its influence will be felt in Hollywood as long as Hollywood has existed.