50 Years of Jaws and the Great Legacy of Entertainment Cinema

A voracious creature who appears in less than ten scenes. A group of actors who acted without knowing where the script was going. But even more interesting was a very young director who took a risk on making a film that no one believed in. When Shark Steven Spielberg’s hit theaters in 1975, and its success was unpredictable. Not only with the public – it was the first blockbuster from the history of cinema but also for the cinematic world.

It was a production with a shoestring budget that saw the need to innovate and create its own special effects. At the same time, it dared to show horror on the big screen from an unprecedented perspective. Spielberg managed to scare with little resources and do it so powerfully that the film still amazes with its brilliant production. All this in the hands of a fundamentally young technical and creative team that took on as a challenge to overcome the many problems the film had to overcome.

The result was a film that told a seemingly simple idea – a shark lurking on any beach – from a completely new perspective. So intense, so violent, so clever that it both terrified and captivated audiences. But it also demonstrated that the cinematic world was about to undergo a revolution. That of making cheap films that would generate huge profits. Not only was the so-called summer hit born, but Hollywood also discovered all the benefits it had to offer.

A project that started with minimal resources

In times of experimentation, the most striking thing is Shark, These were all good decisions made by their young producers. At the time, Steven Spielberg had just made a couple of short films and an experimental film. Duel (1971), so an atypical horror film didn’t seem like the best decision in his career.

But the director found the script, based on a book by Peter Benchley, who also worked on the adaptation with Carl Gottlieb, fascinating. The story of a great white shark with a voracious appetite that attacks beachgoers on the fictional Amity Island called for a reimagining of physical terror. At the same time, Spielberg discovered, the idea of ​​the monster as something more than a lurking animal emerged.

In fact, the director, who was heavily involved in bringing the story to the big screen, decided to refine the original story to make it simpler. His goal was to make the attack of the water beast central. Unlike the book it is based on, the film gives all types of plot lines a preference collective animal trauma that exceeds what is considered the safety of the human world.

A unique and terrifying premise

The result is random victims who suffer because of the inability of responsible officials to confront such risks. It is a view of terror that also implies a certain sociological feature. It is the fear of a place that is usually considered safe. In this case, the calm waters of the beach are without any particular risks.

Spielberg insisted more than once that the shark was to be as unexpected and unpredictable as an earthquake. This allowed him to focus his argument on the idea of ​​a danger that could not be stopped. With this idea in mind, he introduced a creature that was not always visible. A risk that remained underwater most of the time – and away from the viewer’s life.

So Spielberg’s bet was to create a mechanical effect that was so realistic it would make the audience scream. At the same time, he became an unusual villain who had no reason, purpose or goal other than to devour. A point that left the responsibility for the atmosphere and creating the believability of horror in the hands of the rest of the characters.

Large jaws of an unusual monster

Three versions of the shark were created for the film, all life-size and showing different parts of the animal. The first was a water sled, allowing a boat to be placed inside. This applies to images in which the beast was depicted on the surface of the water or towering above it. Two other mechanisms, showing jaws and a giant fin, moved along a platform. Three copies of the creature were surrounded by mechanical hoses. which allowed for the creation of humidity and, apparently, natural movements of the product.

Art director Joe Alves and mechanical effects specialist Bob Mattey spent nearly a year coming up with the effects Spielberg wanted to show, including how the mechanism would interact with seawater. They never got the various parts of the monster perfect. However, they decided to join the crew because of scheduling issues that would have meant not having it. So once filming began, there were problems with the mechanism. At one point, one of the sharks made of leather, plastic, and plexiglass even ended up on the ocean floor. Because of this, producers had to hire a team of divers to lift it.

In the midst of this chaos, the original $4 million budget ballooned to $9 million. This made the film a risk for both Universal Pictures and Spielberg, who repeatedly feared the project would be canceled. Despite this, he went ahead and cut costs by using the trio of mechanical sharks as little as possible and spending hours crafting shots that communicated danger. without showing it at all. Which would eventually become the film’s most recognizable calling card.

A triumph that changed the history of cinema

The shoot, which was supposed to last 55 days, was extended to 159, further increasing the costs of the set. By this time, Universal was furious with the director, and Spielberg himself believed that “his career was over.” The concern extended to the technical crew, who feared that all the advances they had made on the set would ultimately be discarded. This ranged from daring underwater shots to visual assets that revolutionized the way filming was done at sea. Specifically, the technical effort that went into creating a monster that’s only in the film for four minutes.

So the bet was on box office success. What’s more, it’s so relevant that it makes you forget about the darker moments of the action-packed production. In a kind of desperate obstacle course, Universal invested $2 million in marketing, in what is today It is considered the first major modern film campaign.

Judging by the TV commercials and trailers that were shown between the films, the film was already a phenomenon before it was released. Especially since the TV spots briefly showed the main shark. So realistic that some screenings, including trailers, have reported screams and panic.

A Hollywood milestone that will set standards

But the effort was worth it. The film has grossed over $470 million worldwide, to which should be added $260 million in revenue in the United States alone. Much more, Shark It became a mass event, striking in its power.Long lines of moviegoers filled the theaters, and the company not only made its investment back in the first weekend.

It also earned the title of “the most terrifying film of the decade,” a triumph that demonstrated how cinema had adapted to new technologies and recognized and the weight of pop culture when it comes to promotion and success.

Fifty years later, Shark continues to amaze. With elegant shots, successful visual experiments, and a chilling tension that still works today, the film is part of how modern cinema is conceived. And especially how the entertainment world explores its successes.Without a doubt, this is one of his greatest legacies for the future.