It would be an indefensible lapse for a vintage blog to ignore the 50th anniversary of a film that changed how multitudes feel about swimming in the ocean. It’s time to talk about Jaws (1975).
Universal bought the rights to the novel for $175,000 before it was published, even though the author, Peter Benchley, was a relative unknown. (It went on to be a bestseller.) Steven Spielberg was not the producers first choice to direct. He had only directed two feature length films, Duel (1971) and Sugarland Express (1974). Spielberg wasn’t sure he even wanted the job. He didn’t like the riskiness of actually shooting on the ocean, the star was extremely unreliable and he was worried the final product might not be awesome because of both those things, so his career might be tanked. But he stayed on and has had a few opportunities since then. It worked out for him.
If you haven’t seen Jaws and like frolicking in the surf, we suggest you stop reading now, because here comes a (spoiler free) synopsis.
It’s the height of summer in a peaceful coastal town that relies on tourists to keep the coffers full. This season looks to be a financial blockbuster. But some deeply unsettling incidents occur off the coast, giving everyone the jitters and rocking the town’s sense of safety. And there’s a conundrum. Businesses need the tourists, but lives are potentially at risk. Stuck in the middle is the police chief, who butts heads with the town officials who side with business and want to avoid a panic. Things escalate. The police chief joins forces with an oceanographer and a crusty boat captain to stand up to the growing pressure from the town to get to the bottom of this and to eliminate the mysterious threat.
Jaws stars Roy Scheider as the police chief, Richard Dreyfuss as the oceanographer, Robert Shaw as the captain and “Bruce” as the mysterious threat. One thing that makes the movie special is the chemistry between the actors. Many scenes, including the captain’s riveting monologue and the crisp banter were improvised.
Spielberg was of the mind that to be effective the movie had to be filmed in the actual ocean, not a tank. The riskiness of doing that was one of the reasons he almost turned it down. He was not wrong. Scheduled for 55 days of filming, it took 159. Another problem was the three “Bruces,” all of which malfunctioned in the salt water. This limited their screen time and perhaps made the film more effective. And he originally thought John Williams’s legendary theme was a joke. It was two notes. Themes are not made from two notes.
Jaws was one of the first ever summer blockbusters, going into wide release from the start. It became a cultural phenomenon and earned $470 million dollars worldwide. That would be $2 billion in today money.
Get the Look
The bathing suits of the 1970s did not have the benefit of the modern fabrics used now. But what they lacked in support and durability, they made up for with fun.
Striped deadstock 100% polyester one piece from orangeintrinsicvtg on Etsy, $85.
Red white and blue boyshort bikini from SevenSistersVtg on Etsy, $64.
Catalina teal, blue and yellow swim trunks from StagVintageGoods on Etsy, $54.
The 1970s had a couple of dress codes for men. One was a polyester shirt unbuttoned to the navel, tucked into polyester pants. The other was chambray shirts, plain crewnecks and raglan sleeve sweatshirts, all with jeans. The costume designer made an excellent choice here.
Dickies chambray button down shirt from DarklandsVTG on Etsy, $24.
Wrangler marled pullover sweater from americanchronicle on Etsy, $35
Short sleeve raglan sweatshirt from 570collectibles on Etsy, $49.
Word of warning if you haven’t seen Jaws in a while. Near the beginning, a dog goes swimming and let me tell you, if you’re planning on watching it with the next generation, even if they are old enough to vote, do not be surprised if the viewing party is ended less than three seconds after the dog’s paws hit the water. I have assiduously avoided using the S word in this post on the off chance one of the four people on earth who think Jaws is about a trip to the dentist might read it, but for most humans, it doesn’t take a film scholar to figure out what’s going to happen to the dog. (I didn’t use the S word, but I did slap the movie poster in. Twice.)
