‘It’s put sharks on people’s radar’: JAWS celebrates 50 years

Fifty years after its theatrical debut, Jaws is still fueling peoples' fascination with sharks.

Even after 50 years, the theme song for the movie JAWS can still strike fear in those who have seen the film.

“To have a genius like John Williams writing the score, that is going to enhance the film in a way that certainly I don’t think anyone could have expected that those two notes… would become a cultural touchstone,” explained film critic, Richard Crouse.

“And the thing about it that is so beautiful is that it’s simple, but it’s menacing. Those two notes became synonymous with danger coming your way.”

On June 20, 1975, Steven Spielberg released JAWS across America, forever changing the film landscape. By releasing the film beyond just New York and Los Angeles, Spielberg created a blockbuster summer movie that would change the film industry forever.

He also changed how people perceive sharks.

“The beauty of JAWS in terms of, making the shark the villain of the piece, is that they don’t really show the shark very much,” said Crouse.

“Had we seen the shark from the opening frames and every couple of scenes, seeing more and more of it, it wouldn’t have been as effective. Our imaginations always overreact to what we’re seeing or not seen on screen.”

Neil Hammerschlag – a marine ecologist and founder of Atlantic Shark Expeditions (ASE) in Nova Scotia, Canada’s only shark cage diving operation – says JAWS has been monumental for sharks in a couple of different ways.

“Either people have been completely terrified by sharks, and it is kind of ruined their reputation, or it’s had the opposite effect,” said Hammerschlag

“It has created this, like, complete interest and fascination with sharks. But either way, it’s put sharks on people’s radar.”

Atlantic Shark Expeditions is focused on increasing knowledge, improving public perceptions, and promoting the conservation of sharks through research and education. They take people out to sea and teach them that sharks in the water are actually a good thing.

“So, one big thing is some people come for the thrill, but then they leave with finding more knowledge and an appreciation for sharks,” explained Hammerschlag.

“We want to create shark advocates, because people only protect the things they love. So it’s really important to us, if we want to conserve sharks, want to demystify them and also take away that stigma of them as dangerous, mindless killers where in fact they are smart, curious and incredible animals that benefit the health of our oceans.”

As for attacking humans the way Bruce did in JAWS, Hammerschlag says sharks are the exact opposite.

“They rarely interact with people. They prefer to have nothing to do with people and a shark bite is extremely rare and, if anything, we shouldn’t be afraid of sharks, we should be afraid for sharks,” he said.

“Shark populations are declining because of humans.”

Hammerschlag opened ASE last year and, while people get to go out on a seven-hour expedition to see the sharks, they also help fund research around them. As for the cages, the tops stay above water so guides are in constant communication with those in the cage.

People also get the opportunity to live out that childhood dream of becoming a scientist.

“Certainly, a lot of my colleagues who are shark researchers say that their favorite movie was JAWS and it helped inspire them to want to be a marine biologist like Matt Hooper in the movie,” said Hammerschlag.

“So, it has had a positive effect on a lot of people. But I also think just the idea of being out on the ocean and being able to be a part of exploration and discovery is kind of exciting.”

Exciting. Fascinating. Terrifying.

JAWS, even five decades later, is still inspiring dreams, or nightmares, about the ocean’s greatest predators.

“But had he (Spielberg) showed it to us more, we would have gotten familiar with it,” said Crouse about the menacing shark.

“As it is, it remains the great kind of unknowable evil in that film. And so, when it does make an appearance, it’s truly shocking.”

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