There’s no mistaking the recognizable Dun Dun Dun Dun song, that simple tune with a two-note ostinato composed and conducted by John Williams. Evoking feelings of suspense and excitement while conjuring up scary images, it can only belong to one movie. That movie is one I recently watched again in celebration of its 50th year anniversary. Released in late June of 1975, its arrival was announced with four black letters on the marquee above the main entrance to the Capitol Theater on North Street in my hometown. And there I was a gawky 13-year-old walking past debating whether or not I wanted to see it. At that time, I didn’t have a good track record as far as swimming went, and so I wondered was it wise to add more fear to my current struggle in the water? But then I reasoned, we lived about 200 miles from the nearest ocean, the Atlantic, so what were the chances I’d have an encounter with a carcharodon?
From my journal: July 19, 2025, Newbury Park, California
“…loved it!…the music was still scary…had forgotten some parts of the story…Richard Dreyfuss was so young!”
Jaws, the thriller that became a sensational blockbuster directed by Steven Spielberg was based on the 1974 Peter Benchley novel. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, it goes like this…when a young woman is killed by a shark late one summer evening off the shores of the New England town of Amity Island, the police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) wants to close the beaches. However, the mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) keeps them open for fear of losing summer tourist dollars. But when a boy is also killed in broad daylight no less, a young and enthusiastic Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), a zoologist who studies fish, is summoned by the chief. Teaming up with an old curmudgeony ship captain named Quint (Robert Shaw), the three head out to sea to catch the killer beast, hence the battle of Man vs. Nature ensues.
Watching Jaws one Saturday afternoon last month on our family room TV, reclining in my leather chair with my tumbler of lemon infused water and bowl of Skinny Pop beside me, was not the same as seeing this film in a dark cavernous theater on a gigantic screen sipping a sticky sweet coke and sharing a bucket of buttery popcorn with friends. Nor was the footage of a mechanical shark wreaking havoc on a summer beach community and chomping on people in choppy ocean waters. Definitely no match for today’s computer-generated imagery and digital special effects. However, the script, acting, music, and pace made me smile. Hearing the line, “We’re going to need a bigger boat” made me laugh out loud. Seeing these actors I have grown up watching made me realize how many years they’ve been entertaining us. Wow! And the music with its ominous melodies foretelling frightening scenes to come still made me flinch!
Though 50 years on, Jaws still holds up as one of the best summertime flicks. It has it all, humor, suspense, thrills, action, and adventure! The Man vs. Nature theme is still compelling as it helps us understand what it means to be human, vulnerable, and resilient. Having spent time on Martha’s Vineyard where Jaws was filmed brought back fun beach memories, no sharks involved! And while not viewing it between splayed fingers across my eyes this time, it was now, just like then, some super summer cinema!
A Journal Journey 