Jaws 1975: How Spielberg Created One of the Most Iconic Films of All Time

The making of Jaws began in 1974, with the hiring of director Steven Spielberg, who was relatively unknown at the time but had impressed the producers with his previous work. The film’s script was written by Carl Gottlieb and was based on Peter Benchley’s bestselling novel of the same name.

The film’s cast included Roy Scheider as police chief Martin Brody, Richard Dreyfuss as oceanographer Matt Hooper, and Robert Shaw as shark hunter Quint. The casting process was relatively straightforward, with the producers quickly settling on these actors for the lead roles.

Filming began in May 1974 on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, with the majority of the shoot taking place on location. The production encountered several difficulties, including the mechanical failure of the shark, nicknamed “Bruce,” which was used for most of the shark scenes. The filmmakers were forced to devise creative solutions, such as using a smaller shark for close-up shots and a miniature shark for long shots.

The film was edited by Verna Fields, who had to work on the film’s pacing and suspenseful atmosphere, using John Williams’s score to achieve this. The film was also cut down to a manageable length, with about a third of the footage shot for the film being left on the cutting room floor.

Jaws was a huge box office success, grossing $470 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of all time at the time of its release. The film received widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest films ever made, and it also spawned several sequels.

#1 Crowds line up outside movie house to see, ‘Jaws’

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#2 Crowds line up outside movie house for ‘Jaws, 1975’

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#3 Martha’s Vineyard with Director Steven Spielberg, camera operator Michael Chapman and cinematographer Bill Butler on the set of ‘Jaws’ in 1975 in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#4 British actor Robert Shaw on the set of Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#5 On the set of Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#6 American director Steven Spielberg on the set of his movie, Jaws.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#7 Roy Scheider on the set of Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#8 Police chief Martin Brody, played by Roy Scheider (1932 – 2008) holds a torch while marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) cuts open the stomach of a recently caught tiger shark, in ‘Jaws’, 1975

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#9 The Triestine boxer Tiberio Mitri, the Italian and European middleweight champion, Jaws, 1975

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#10 English actor Robert Shaw as Quint, viewed through a set of shark jaws, in a publicity still for ‘Jaws’, 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#11 Boys attempt to escape the shark in a scene from the film ‘Jaws’, 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#12 Murray Hamilton, Roy Scheider, and Richard Dreyfuss standing in front of defaced billboard in a scene from the film ‘Jaws’, 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#13 Steven Spielberg watching crew filming scene in ‘Jaws’, 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#14 Steven Spielberg watching crew filming scene in ‘Jaws’, 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#15 Roy Scheider on top deck as crew set up to film a scene from the film ‘Jaws’, 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#16 Roy Scheider (2nd left) on beach as crew films in a scene from ‘Jaws’, 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#17 Great White Shark attacks swimmers (above), Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss on boat in serious contemplation in a scene from the film ‘Jaws’, 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#18 Harpooned many times by a fisherman bent on its destruction, a great white shark surfaces in an attempt to wreck a fishing boat in a scene from the film ‘Jaws’, 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#19 Richard Dreyfuss is lowered into the water in a diving cage in a scene from the film ‘Jaws’, 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#20 A group of actors are running out of the ocean in a panick in a scene from the film ‘Jaws’, 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#21 Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss prepare to do battle with a mammoth man eating Great White Shark in a scene from the film ‘Jaws’, 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#22 Roy Scheider and Lorraine Gary huddle anxiously over their son Chris Rebello in a scene from the film ‘Jaws’, 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#23 Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss stand next to a giant man eating Great White Shark with a hook piercing through it in a scene from the film ‘Jaws’, 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#24 Robert Shaw stands over Jaws in a scene from the film ‘Jaws’, 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#25 Robert Shaw lying down in boat in a scene from the film ‘Jaws’, 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#26 Robert Shaw stands around netting in a scene from the film ‘Jaws’, 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#27 Martha’s Vineyard, and Director Steven Spielberg and producer Richard Zanuck on the set of the Universal Pictures production of ‘Jaws’ in 1975 in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#28 Martha’s Vineyard, with Director Steven Spielberg and camera crew on the set of the Universal Pictures production of ‘Jaws’ in 1975 in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#29 British actor Robert Shaw, American actor Roy Scheider, American director Steven Spielberg, and American actor Richard Dreyfuss laugh together on a boat during the filming of Spielberg’s ‘Jaws’, 1975

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#30 American actors Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw on board a boat in a still from the film, ‘Jaws,’ 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#31 American actor Richard Dreyfuss inspects the mouth of a dead Great White shark in a still from director Steven Spielberg’s film, ‘Jaws,’ 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#32 Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw hold ropes while leaning off the back of their boat, ‘Orca,’ in pursuit of the giant Great White shark in a still from the film, ‘Jaws,’ 1975.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#33 Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw lean off the back of their boat, holding ropes as they watch the giant Great White shark emerge from the water in a still from the film, ‘Jaws,’ 1975

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#34 A female swimmer screams as she is attacked by a giant Great White shark (not pictured) in a still from the film ‘Jaws,’ 1975

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#35

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#36

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#37

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#38

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#39

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#40

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#41

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#42

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#43

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#44

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#45

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#46

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#47

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#48

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#49

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#50

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#51

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#52

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#53

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#54

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#55

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#56

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#57

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#58

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#59

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#60

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#61

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#62

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#63

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#64

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#65

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#66

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#67

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#68

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#69

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#70

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#71

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#72

0 Points

Upvote Downvote