Well. Here we are. A movie that I would openly declare as one of the greatest movies of all time is 50 years old. Jaws was released on June 20th, 1975, and it changed cinema forever.
Not only did it make cinema audiences scream and jump out of their seats, it scared an entire generation so effectively that we still can’t swim in the open ocean without hearing a certain cello chord and wondering what might be lurking beneath us. It also launched the career of Steven Spielberg, a man who would go on to be, arguably, our greatest living movie director.
Jaws became the first bona fide summer blockbuster at a time when the summer was a cinematic dead zone. It remained the highest-grossing movie of all time until a little sci-fi movie you might have heard of – Star Wars – came along. Jaws is still ranked at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The characters, the actors, the performances, the pacing, the locations. Just about the only weak point is the mechanical shark, and by the time you finally get a good look at it, it just doesn’t matter because it has been so effectively built up in your mind that it is now a terrifying force. You have psychologically placed it beyond the point where its rubbery appearance can have any downgrading effect.
Even the mechanical shark manages to star in one of the most chillingly effective shots in cinema history:
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So, as this cinematic touchstone reaches a venerable age, an age that a few of us might just share, we thought we really should celebrate things. As you probably know, if you have been here a while, we… I… hold Jaws in high regard. To pay tribute to a movie that made many of us scared to swim but love sharks, and movies, we thought we might re-publish a few articles we had written in the past about Jaws that we think some of you might enjoy.
First up for a second look is our rundown of the timeline of events presented in the movie.
So, how exactly did “The Troubles” play out in Amity? How exactly did the reign of terror unfold that summer? This is movie geek territory, and pretty much why we are all here, so we applied more thought to the timeline than would be healthy for anyone who isn’t an Outposter, and thought we would share with you.
June 28th
At approximately 11:50 pm, Chrissie Watkins goes swimming alone and disappears.
June 29th
Morning: Martin Brody is summoned before breakfast with reports of a missing woman. Chrissie’s body is discovered on South Beach. Brody attempts to close the beaches, but is overruled by Mayor Vaughan and some selectmen.
This is where the continuity error takes place, likely a result of the script being rewritten hastily as they were shooting. On the report Brody is typing up, it shows July 1st as the date. This is then contradicted later in the movie, and also doesn’t work in the context of the events.
Afternoon: Across the other side of the island, at the Town Beach, a dog called Pippit (or Pippin, depending on the commentator) disappears while swimming. Shortly afterward, Alex Kintner is killed by the shark while on his raft.
June 30th
Morning: Meeting held at the town hall. A reward is advertised by Alex Kintner’s mother. The beaches are closed for 24 hours. This is where the continuity error is exposed, as this scene confirms Alex Kintner was killed on June 29th, which we know was after Chrissie was attacked.
July 1st
Michael Brody’s birthday. The beaches reopen.
Afternoon: As the shark hunt starts to get underway, Matt Hooper arrives in town from Woods Hole and is greeted by Ben Gardner.
Evening: A pair of fishermen, attempting to claim the $3,000 prize, have a narrow escape when the shark takes the bait and pulls the pier they are on into the sea.
July 2nd
Morning: As the shark hunt reaches fever pitch, Matt Hooper carries out a second autopsy on Chrissie’s remains, ruling out a boating accident. A tiger shark is caught and killed. Kintner’s mother confronts Brody at the town dock.
Evening: Hooper joins the Brodys for dinner and breaks the news that he thinks the shark is still out there. Hooper and Brody cut open the tiger shark and find no human remains.
Overnight: Hooper and Brody take Hooper’s boat out and detect something large on the fish finder. Shortly afterward, they find Ben Gardner’s boat.
July 3rd
Morning: Brody and Hooper report their discovery to Mayor Vaughan as he is inspecting some vandalism to public property. This causes an argument, and Vaughan once again refuses to close the beaches with the holiday weekend about to get underway.
July 4th
Morning: Brody and Hooper mobilize extra help and a flotilla of small boats as tourists flock to Amity beaches.
Afternoon: Panic at the beach as a couple of kids use a fake fin to terrify swimmers. As the dust settles, the real shark enters an estuary and kills the local scoutmaster, who is boating.
Evening: A guilt-stricken Vaughan finally caves into pressure from Brody and authorizes the payment of $10,000 to Quint to catch and kill the shark.
July 6th
Afternoon: Pre-supposing that it takes the town a day to get the cash together, Brody and Hooper visit Quint in his shack to discuss the charter.
July 7th
Morning: Brody and Hooper set out with Quint to hunt the shark.
Lunchtime: Quint hooks what Hooper claims is nothing more than a game fish. The cleanly sliced steel line tells a different story.
Afternoon: While laying out a chum line, the shark appears and startles the crew with its size. Quint gets a barrel into him.
Evening: While bonding over a drink, the crew is shocked when the shark appears again and rams the boat. Brody, Quint, and Hooper spend a nervous night on board.
July 8th
Lunchtime: After spending the morning fixing the Orca after the attack caused some flooding, the shark reappears and attacks the boat while they manage to attach more barrels. A panicked Brody, realizing they are out of their depth, attempts to call for backup, but a psychotically obsessed Quint destroys the radio equipment. The confrontation is only interrupted by the shark returning for his “noon-feeding”.
Afternoon: As their plans begin to drastically unravel, they make the decision to allow Hooper to try his approach with his shark cage. This goes awry as the shark attacks the cage, and Hooper narrowly escapes with his life. The shark turns on the boat, leaping aboard, ripping off the transom, and killing Quint.
As the Orca sinks beneath him, Brody manages to kill the shark before being reunited with Hooper. Hooper and Brody set off for shore on a raft they have fashioned from the remains of their expedition.
Late Afternoon / Early Evening: Brody and Hooper arrive back on the beach as Jaws concludes… until the sequel.
