From its classic soundtrack to its astonishingly well-done practical effects, few movies have achieved as great and as lasting an impact on public consciousness as “Jaws.”
The film, which celebrated its 50th anniversary on Friday, has affected pop culture in many ways since its release. In addition to being a profound box office hit — Guinness World Records credits it with being the “first summer blockbuster film” — “Jaws” also had far-reaching effects on our collective opinion of sharks.
The film follows three men as they hunt down a killer shark responsible for multiple deaths in the small New England beach town of Amity Island. The team of Amity police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), oceanographer Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and eccentric fisherman Quint (Robert Shaw) are on a mission to rid their waters of the great white terror.
According to Time magazine, “Jaws” prompted a rise in people mimicking its plot by hunting sharks for sport. Because of its sensationalized portrayal, the film set conservation efforts back by furthering public fears about sharks.
“Environmentalists say the film led to the wide destruction of shark populations, and that it instilled fear in many about swimming in the sea, markedly setting back the cause of ocean conservation for generations and inspiring a rise in shark trophy hunters,” Time reported.
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Director Steven Spielberg said in a 2022 interview with the BBC that he regretted his representation of the great white shark and the impact his film had on the species.
“I truly and to this day regret the decimation of the shark population because of the book and the film,” Spielberg said. “I really, truly regret that.”
The film represents its antagonist as a singularly bloodthirsty monster. From its famous backing track as the shark creeps up on its victims to Quint’s extensive description of its lifeless eyes to the shockingly bloody visuals, “Jaws” portrays the shark as an irredeemable machine designed only for killing.
This depiction is simply a misrepresentation. In the movie, the great white kills five people and a dog in the span of a few days. However, in the real world, only around ten people die from shark attacks each year. In contrast, humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks every year — proving that we are much more of a threat to them than they are to us.
Ignoring its real-world consequences, cinematically, “Jaws” is a masterpiece. Roger Ebert called it “one hell of a good story, brilliantly told,” upon its 1975 release. The film is particularly impressive because it was filmed in the ocean instead of a tank — something Spielberg insisted on. However beautifully done, the film was not without its share of obstacles; feuds between actors, last-minute rewrites, budget issues and malfunctions of the mechanical shark props all played a role.
Although “Jaws” is a pop culture staple, its real-world effects on public opinion of sharks have had unfortunate impacts for the fish. But because it has been 50 years since its release, these impacts are slowly fading; fewer people now pursue copycat shark hunting, and we are more concerned for shark welfare, according to the BBC.
“The calls for their protection are getting louder and although most people find it hard to love them, sharks are garnering more respect,” the BBC reported.
Conservationists plan to use the renewed interest in the film for its 50th anniversary to further shark conservation efforts. This includes all shark species; although “Jaws” brought a lot of attention to great white sharks — both their perceived danger and their conservation — other species don’t have the same pull in pop culture.
In the 50 years since its release, “Jaws” has had a significant impact on both cinema and the real world. In the years to come, researchers and wildlife experts hope to redirect the attention away from fear toward conservation.
