1975 Classic Ranked No. 1 'Best Summer Movie' Marked a 'Turning Point in Motion Picture History'
When I say the name Steven Spielberg, what comes to mind? If you're like most people, you picture him as he is now. This grand patriarch of the American blockbuster, in his older years acting as a kindly grandfather to the cinematic medium. Somebody we all revere and respect for his amazing contributions to film and culture.
He didn't start this way, obviously. There was the grind that every director faces, and the eventual big break. It takes a lot to become Steven Spielberg, and what I most often find myself picturing when I think of the legendary filmmaker is the sheer INSANITY that was the production of his breakout, medium-altering film, Jaws.
It's hard to divorce Jaws from the cultural position it holds now. It's gotten to a point of borderline collective unconscious, skyrocketing the public fear of sharks, defining the way in which films are released now, and helping to establish and make mainstream key ideas of filmmaking.
Today, we see Jaws everywhere. IMDb ranked Jaws as the greatest summer film of all time on their 50 Best Summer Movies list, and I think it is well-deserved. A Fourth of July celebration isn't truly complete to me without seeing Jaws again.
When I got to catch Jaws in time for its 50th anniversary re-release, I had a very special experience watching it at the Coolidge Corner Theater in Boston on 35mm. I got to see such a cultural landmark on actual film, and it really made me both appreciate and connect with the film even further. After walking out, I could only describe it as "the most unimpeachable a classic could be."
So it's difficult to go back and recognize how scrappy, risky, and borderline delusional Spielberg's direction on this film was. I guess pressure truly does make diamonds, as one of the most tumultuous production stories of all time lead to arguably the most important blockbuster ever. So what is the story of Jaws?
The Making of 'Jaws'
Peter Benchley's novel Jaws was a massive commercial success. Despite mixed critical opinions, the book was a sensation, and naturally was pitched for a film adaptation. A few directors came up in conversation to be attached to the project, but one came out of the woodwork who really wanted it. Twenty-six-year-old Steven Spielberg, fresh off his first theatrical release and second feature film, The Sugarland Express.
Looking to adapt the novel to a screenplay, the only part of the story that really stayed consistent was the shark hunt sequence, which takes up the entire third act of the story. Besides that, the screenplay deviated a good amount to re-contextualize the story and develop a stronger camaraderie between the three main characters.
Moving into production, Spielberg had a vision that would both immortalize the film and make production an ordeal likely never to be replicated. He wanted to shoot ON the ocean. The real, live, actual ocean. Constructing a full animatronic shark, and headed out to the coast of Martha's Vineyard with 2 fully constructed boats to be used as sets, one of the most legendary sequences in film history was created.
Becoming the first major motion picture to shoot on the ocean presented some incredible difficulties. For starters, the shark didn't work. It frequently broke down and malfunctioned, bringing production to a halt and causing the crew to pivot into some alternative ways of showing the shark, one of which becoming the iconic yellow barrels used by the crew of the Orca to keep track of the shark.
The ocean also presented its own issues, including weather delays, random boats showing up in the shot causing even more setbacks, and a 5-million dollar increase over budget, which in todays money is more like 35 million. The film's principle photography was only scheduled to take 55 days, which ballooned all the way to 159 days of production. This led to the film's crew starting to call the project "Flaws."
The Legacy of 'Jaws'
Upon release, Jaws invented the summer blockbuster. Due to a successful TV marketing campaign and a wide theatrical release, Jaws defined the summer of 1975. Its massive success ushered in a new era of Hollywood where summer was the time to release the massive budget, massive concept, and massive appeal films that we are still seeing today. Beyond its commercial revolutionization of the film industry, the film has endured a lasting legacy as a touchstone of summertime.
Standing the test of time, Jaws is emblematic of the merit of trying. No idea is too crazy to work, as long as you're crazy enough to bring it to life. Spielberg's career exploded after this, and he began to create one of the most iconic filmographies of any director out there. When you dare to try, incredible things can happen.
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This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 1:57 PM.