On this day in 1975, 27-year-old Steven Spielberg released his breakout film, "Jaws," a true summer blockbuster about a great white shark, the town it terrorized and the men who eventually bagged it. The film won three Oscars.
"Jaws" is one of the top grossing films of all time, earning $2 billion. The movie made people around the country decided to vacation in the mountains instead of at the beach, and stories of sharks and shark attacks were everywhere.
From its first to last victim, the great white shark was riveting on screen. The mechanical shark, dubbed Bruce, was fraught with problems and caused delays for the water shots.
Find out what's happening in Loganville-Graysonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
So many years after it was first shown, "Jaws" holds up as a great movie. According to movie critic Roger Ebert, "Jaws" is a great adventure movie of the kind we don't get very often any more. It's clean-cut adventure, without the gratuitous violence of so many action pictures. It has the necessary amount of blood and guts to work -- but none extra. And it's one hell of a good story, brilliantly told."
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.