Jaws 50th Aniversary

[Palumboism]

Jaws was initially released June 20th 1975.  It was the first Summer blockbuster and launched the career of Steven Spielberg. 

Prior to Jaws Spielberg had only directed one television shows and one made for TV movie titled Deul in 1971.  While filming the movie, Spielberg was 100 days behind schedule and thought he would be fired.

Spielberg has gone on to direct eight movies that grossed more than Jaws.  At the time Jaws was the highest grossing movie ever.

At the time, studios would release a movie in larger market to test how they did before moving to smaller markets.  Jaws opened at a thousand theaters on the same day nation wide.  There was also an aggressive advertising campaign before opening day.  I was surprised to see it got a PG rating.

[affeman]

The movie still works to this day because you barely ever see the jaw, so nobody would focus on the laughable Special FX from back then.

[LurkerNoMore]

The first attack on Chrissie while she was night swimming is the best opening act every filmed.

[hench]

Still better than cgi crap today.

The movie still works to this day because you barely ever see the jaw, so nobody would focus on the laughable Special FX from back then.

[Palumboism]

Still better than cgi crap today.

I'm with you on that.  I prefer the puppet Yoda to the CGI Yoda any day.

[Palumboism]

When Steven first heard the music score for the movie, he thought it was a joke.  After hearing it a couple more times, it felt right.

[Irongrip400]

Jaws was initially released June 20th 1975.  It was the first Summer blockbuster and launched the career of Steven Spielberg. 

Prior to Jaws Spielberg had only directed one television shows and one made for TV movie titled Deul in 1971.  While filming the movie, Spielberg was 100 days behind schedule and thought he would be fired.

Spielberg has gone on to direct eight movies that grossed more than Jaws.  At the time Jaws was the highest grossing movie ever.

At the time, studios would release a movie in larger market to test how they did before moving to smaller markets.  Jaws opened at a thousand theaters on the same day nation wide.  There was also an aggressive advertising campaign before opening day.  I was surprised to see it got a PG rating.

They did not have PG-13 back then. Some PG movies could be kind of raunchy.

[hench]

The main thing being that its actually there,  cgi is flat, no depth just inserted onto a flat image.

I'm with you on that.  I prefer the puppet Yoda to the CGI Yoda any day.

[affeman]

The main thing being that its actually there,  cgi is flat, no depth just inserted onto a flat image.

 

[Donny]

I first saw it in the Cinema..just much more dramatic
Didn't have all the fancy shit back then.
Trip to the pictures, a Cola & Popcorn 

[Palumboism]

Speilberg's first directing job was an episode of Rod Sterling's Night Gallery called Eyes (1969) staring Joan Crawford. 

Joan Crawford had gone to the head of the studio Lew Wasserman to complain about Steven and Lew's response was "If you are asking me to choose between you and Steven, I choose Steven."


Spielberg:
“Lew believed in Sid [Sheinberg] and Sid believed in me. It was a belief system at Universal where people just trusted and believed in each other. And good work got done because of that.”

Lew also bet on a young director named George Lucas to direct the Movie American Graffiti.  When Twentieth Century Fox green lit Star Wars, it was because they believed in the director.  They had no belief in the space cowboy movie "Star Wars".

The reason there are no new Spielberg or George Lucas is because there is no Lew Wasserman with the courage to bet on talent.

[tatoo]

one of my all time favorites.. to this day i cant go into the ocean and not think of that fuckin music hahaha.

[SF1900]

i=CDpMNvtL6nqY4FOA

[BB]

They did not have PG-13 back then. Some PG movies could be kind of raunchy.

A`lot of pretty violent adult films got a PG rating, it really surprised me when I was first getting into film. For instance, a lot of Sam Peckinpah's stuff is PG, and a lot of exploitation and horror. I've grown to hate the PG13 rating, it's the "40 degree day" of film ratings. A catch all that makes film worse.


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As for Jaws, I can't believe it's 50. That and the "Dirty Harry" films were mainstays on public tv during the 80's, and early 90's.
It's still a stop and watch for me, especially the Robert Shaw parts.