Log in Sign up
Back to Discover
🎨

Jaws (film)

arts Maturity 7-9 war conflict
This article covers sensitive topics: war_conflict. Parents can manage visibility in Parental Controls.

Jaws is a famous movie.

Mechashark.JPG
Mechashark.JPG
It is about a big shark. The shark swims in the ocean. Some men try to catch it. This movie was very big and popular. Do you like movies about the sea?
UniversalStudiosJawsSharkCloseup.JPG
UniversalStudiosJawsSharkCloseup.JPG

39 words

Jaws is a very famous movie.

Mechashark.JPG
Mechashark.JPG
It tells a story about a large shark. The shark swims in the ocean near a beach town. Three men go out on a boat to find it.
UniversalStudiosJawsSharkCloseup.JPG
UniversalStudiosJawsSharkCloseup.JPG
Making the movie was hard work. The mechanical shark did not work well. The director used music to show the shark was near. This movie became a huge hit in theaters. It changed how many people watch movies in the summer.
Jaws on marquee of Latchis Theater, Brattleboro, VT (August 2025).jpg
Jaws on marquee of Latchis Theater, Brattleboro, VT (August 2025).jpg
People still love this story today.

93 words

Jaws is a famous thriller movie from 1975.

Jaws on marquee of Latchis Theater, Brattleboro, VT (August 2025).jpg
Jaws on marquee of Latchis Theater, Brattleboro, VT (August 2025).jpg
It was directed by Steven Spielberg. The story is based on a book by Peter Benchley. It follows a police chief named Martin Brody. He tries to protect a beach town from a large shark.

Brody teams up with two other men. One is a scientist named Matt Hooper. The other is a shark hunter named Quint. They go out on a boat called the Orca.

Mechashark.JPG
Mechashark.JPG
Making the film was very hard. The mechanical shark often broke down. Because of this, Spielberg used music to show the shark was near. John Williams wrote this scary music.

This movie changed how Hollywood works. It was a huge hit in the summer.

Jaws (1974) back cover featuring a portrait photograph of Peter Benchley by Alex Gotfryd, first edition.jpg
Jaws (1974) back cover featuring a portrait photograph of Peter Benchley by Alex Gotfryd, first edition.jpg
It was the highest-grossing film for two years. It helped start the era of summer blockbusters. This means big movies released in summer with lots of ads. The Library of Congress even chose it for special care in 2001.

184 words

Jaws is a famous American thriller film from 1975.

Jaws on marquee of Latchis Theater, Brattleboro, VT (August 2025).jpg
Jaws on marquee of Latchis Theater, Brattleboro, VT (August 2025).jpg
It was directed by Steven Spielberg. The story comes from a 1974 novel by Peter Benchley. It follows a police chief named Martin Brody. He lives in a summer resort town called Amity Island. Brody must protect people from a large great white shark. The shark attacks beachgoers in the water. This movie is a very important part of film history. It is known as the first summer blockbuster.
Jaws (1974) back cover featuring a portrait photograph of Peter Benchley by Alex Gotfryd, first edition.jpg
Jaws (1974) back cover featuring a portrait photograph of Peter Benchley by Alex Gotfryd, first edition.jpg

To tell the story, three men work together to hunt the shark. Martin Brody is the local police chief. He teams up with Matt Hooper, a marine biologist. They also hire a professional shark hunter named Quint. The three men go out to sea on a boat called the Orca.

Mechashark.JPG
Mechashark.JPG
They face many dangers while hunting the creature. The shark is very large and powerful. The men must use skill and courage to survive. The movie shows how they face their fears on the ocean.

Making the movie was a very hard job. Most of the filming happened at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. This took place from May to October in 1974.

Menemsha.jpg
Menemsha.jpg
The crew had to shoot mostly on the actual ocean. This was a new challenge for a big movie. The mechanical sharks used for filming often broke down. Because of these problems, the production went over its budget. It also took much longer than the original 55-day schedule.

Steven Spielberg had to find a new way to show the shark. Since the mechanical shark did not work well, he suggested the shark's presence instead. He used music to make the audience feel scared. Composer John Williams created an ominous and minimalist theme. This music tells the viewers that the shark is coming.

UniversalStudiosJawsSharkCloseup.JPG
UniversalStudiosJawsSharkCloseup.JPG
This clever idea helped make the movie even more exciting. It turned a technical problem into a famous part of the film.

Jaws changed the way Hollywood makes and sells movies. It was released on over 450 screens at once. This was a very wide release for that time. Universal Pictures used many television ads to tell people about it. The film was the highest-grossing movie in history for two years. It stayed number one until Star Wars was released. In 2001, the Library of Congress chose it for preservation. This means it is a treasure for the United States National Film Registry.

424 words

Jaws is a landmark 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg.

Steven Spielberg Keren.jpg
Steven Spielberg Keren.jpg
The movie is based on a 1974 novel written by Peter Benchley. It tells the story of a man-eating great white shark that attacks people at a summer resort town in New England. The plot follows Martin Brody, a police chief, as he tries to protect the community. He eventually teams up with a marine biologist named Matt Hooper and a professional shark hunter named Quint. Together, they hunt the predator to save the town of Amity Island. This film is considered a turning point in motion picture history.
Jaws on marquee of Latchis Theater, Brattleboro, VT (August 2025).jpg
Jaws on marquee of Latchis Theater, Brattleboro, VT (August 2025).jpg

The story begins when a young woman is attacked while swimming in the ocean at night. After her remains are found, the coroner determines a shark was responsible. Police chief Brody wants to close the beaches, but the mayor, Larry Vaughn, refuses. The mayor fears that closing the beaches will hurt the town's summer economy. This conflict continues until another attack occurs, killing a young boy named Alex Kintner. To catch the shark, a $3,000 bounty is offered, which leads to many amateur hunters. Eventually, the professional Quint is hired for $10,000 to help Brody and Hooper.

Jaws (1974) back cover featuring a portrait photograph of Peter Benchley by Alex Gotfryd, first edition.jpg
Jaws (1974) back cover featuring a portrait photograph of Peter Benchley by Alex Gotfryd, first edition.jpg

The hunt takes place on a boat called the Orca. The three men face several dangerous stages during their journey at sea. First, they encounter the shark's incredible power as it rams the boat and disables the engine. During the night, the men share stories, including Quint's survival of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis during World War II. As the shark attacks again, it drags the boat backward and causes the deck to flood. The climax involves a high-stakes attempt to kill the shark. Hooper tries to use a shark-proof cage and a hypodermic spear containing strychnine. Finally, Brody uses a rifle to shoot a scuba tank inside the shark's mouth, causing an explosion.

Producing the film was a massive and difficult undertaking. Most of the principal photography took place on location at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts.

Menemsha.jpg
Menemsha.jpg
Filming lasted from May to October 1974, which was much longer than the planned 55-day schedule. Because it was one of the first major films shot on the actual ocean, the production faced many problems. The mechanical sharks used by the art department frequently malfunctioned. To solve this, Spielberg used a minimalist approach to suggest the shark's presence. He relied on an ominous musical theme composed by John Williams to signal the shark's approach. This technique was inspired by the work of director Alfred Hitchcock.

The development of the script involved many different writers. Peter Benchley wrote the first three drafts of the screenplay. Spielberg wanted to keep the shark hunt from the end of the novel but changed the first two acts. He also removed a subplot involving an affair to keep the focus on the men's camaraderie. After Benchley's drafts were deemed unsatisfactory, other writers like Howard Sackler provided uncredited rewrites. Eventually, Carl Gottlieb became the primary screenwriter. Gottlieb also acted in the film as Harry Meadows, a newspaper editor. He provided a "dialogue polish" that helped add humor to the intense thriller.

Jaws had a massive impact on the film industry and the economy of Hollywood. Universal Pictures released the movie to over 450 screens at once. This was an exceptionally wide release for a major studio at that time. The film was supported by an extensive marketing campaign featuring television spots and merchandise. It became the highest-grossing film in history until Star Wars was released two years later.

UniversalStudiosJawsSharkCloseup.JPG
UniversalStudiosJawsSharkCloseup.JPG
The success of Jaws helped establish the modern "summer blockbuster" business model. This model focuses on high-concept action films released in the summer with heavy advertising. It proved that large-scale, high-return movies could be a massive commercial success.

Beyond its box office numbers, Jaws is recognized for its lasting cultural and artistic value. The film won several awards for its music and its editing. Because of its importance to American cinema, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in 2001. It is now part of the United States National Film Registry. The film's legacy continues through three sequels and many other imitative thrillers. Even though the mechanical sharks were difficult to use,

Mechashark.JPG
Mechashark.JPG
the creative solutions found during production changed how movies are made forever.

745 words
🖼️ Images & Media (7)
File:Steven Spielberg Keren.jpg
Steven Spielberg Keren.jpg
File:Jaws (1974) back cover featuring a portrait photograph of Peter Benchley by Alex Gotfryd, first edition.jpg
Jaws (1974) back cover featuring a...
File:Menemsha.jpg
Menemsha.jpg
File:Mechashark.JPG
Mechashark.JPG
File:'Jaws' Pulls Them In - Star-Herald (1975).jpg
'Jaws' Pulls Them In - Star-Herald (1975).jpg
File:Jaws on marquee of Latchis Theater, Brattleboro, VT (August 2025).jpg
Jaws on marquee of Latchis Theater,...
File:UniversalStudiosJawsSharkCloseup.JPG
UniversalStudiosJawsSharkCloseup.JPG
Up Next
🎨
Jurassic Park
Arts
More to explore

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.