Overview

• A new documentary due July 7 documents Spielberg’s on-set panic attacks and lasting trauma after mechanical shark failures during the extended Martha’s Vineyard shoot.
• The film’s pioneering wide-release strategy paired with John Williams’s minimalist two-note theme established the summer blockbuster model and redefined cinematic suspense.
• Three hydraulic shark models nicknamed “Bruce” broke down repeatedly, forcing Spielberg to rely on inventive camera angles and improvisation to evoke terror.
• Jaws triggered a tourism boom in filming locations like Port Lincoln and fueled fear-driven shark hunting that has contributed to an estimated 80–90 percent decline in great white populations.
• Fifty years on, celebratory screenings and retrospectives highlight the film’s three Academy Awards for editing, sound and score, its sequels and its enduring cultural impact.