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Jaws

Hollywood and English-Language Studio Cinema

Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Universal Pictures, adapted from Peter Benchley's 1974 novel of the same name about a great white shark terrorizing a New England beach town. Its wide release across thousands of theaters, backed by heavy television advertising timed to the summer season, is widely credited with establishing the modern Hollywood summer blockbuster as a business model, in which a studio bets a large marketing budget on a broad, fast opening rather than a slow platform release. Jaws became the highest-grossing film of its time, a record it held until Star Wars surpassed it two years later, and the pair of films together reshaped how major studios approached distribution and scheduling.

Facts
Classification
Original Language
English 1
Award
Academy Award for Best Film Editing 1
Award
Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score 1
Award
Academy Award for Best Sound 1
Release Year
1975 1
Country
United States 2
FAQs

Why does Jaws mostly suggest the shark instead of showing it?

The mechanical sharks often malfunctioned during a troubled ocean shoot.

The film was shot mostly on location at Martha's Vineyard from May to October 1974 and was the first major motion picture shot on the ocean, which made for a troubled production that went over budget and schedule. The art department's mechanical sharks often malfunctioned, so Steven Spielberg decided mostly to suggest the shark's presence. He used an ominous, minimalist theme by composer John Williams to signal each approach. Spielberg and others have compared this suggestive approach to that of Alfred Hitchcock.
Connections

Created By

Source Jaws (film) (Wikipedia)

In Medium

Film, Media Forms
Source Jaws (film) (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Original Language

Also in Language Atlas: the original language of this subject.

Originated In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Sources
1. Wikidata: Jaws
Wikidata Q189505, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
2. Wikipedia
Wikimedia Foundation
  • en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(film), lead paragraph, opening sentence (nationality)
    Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the 1974 novel by Peter Benchley.
  • en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(film), lead paragraph, opening sentence (release year)
    Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the 1974 novel by Peter Benchley.
  • Jaws, Description, original language
    Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Universal Pictures, adapted from Peter Benchley's 1974 novel of the same name about a great white shark terrorizing a New England beach town.
View the Source
Jaws (Wikidata)
  • Wikidata P166: Academy Award for Best Film Editing
    Wikidata P166 (award received): Academy Award for Best Film Editing.
  • Wikidata P166: Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score
    Wikidata P166 (award received): Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score.
  • Wikidata P166: Academy Award for Best Sound
    Wikidata P166 (award received): Academy Award for Best Sound.
View the Source
Jaws (film) (Wikipedia)
  • In Medium: Film, Article lead sentence
    Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the 1974 novel by Peter Benchley.
  • Created By: Steven Spielberg, Article lead sentence
    Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the 1974 novel by Peter Benchley.
View the Source
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