Published in 1974, 'Jaws' tells the story of a great white shark that preys upon the fictional town of Amity, a small seaside resort on Long Island. The novel follows the efforts of Police Chief Martin Brody, marine biologist Matt Hooper, and shark hunter Quint as they try to stop the shark. The book explores themes of public safety versus economic survival, marital strife, and the primal fear of nature's brutality. Despite mixed critical reviews, the novel was a huge commercial success and led to a iconic film adaptation by Steven Spielberg[1][3][5].
It’s 50 years since the original Jaws film was released in cinemas across America. The movie premiered on 20 June 1975.
Directed by a young Steven Spielberg, who was relatively unknown at the time, it was considered Hollywood’s pioneering summer blockbuster.
The thriller broke records by becoming the first movie to gross over $100 million at the US box office and made millions of people afraid to go into the water.
Carl Gottlieb, who co-wrote the screenplay looks back, in a 2015 Witness History interview, at guiding the chaotic production into cinematic history. Produced and presented by Megan Jones.
With movie excerpts from the 1975 film which was a Universal Picture, a Zanuck/Brown production and directed by Steven Spielberg.
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(Photo: A scene from the movie. Credit: Screen Archives/Getty Images)
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