Jaws (franchise)

Lore & Background

The franchise originated with Peter Benchley's novel, which was inspired by the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916. Benchley had long considered a story about a shark that attacks people and refuses to leave. After various revisions, he delivered the final draft in January 1973. The title was not decided until shortly before printing; Benchley considered titles such as The Stillness in the Water and Leviathan Rising before settling on Jaws. The Book of the Month Club and Reader's Digest selected the novel, and Bantam bought paperback rights for $575,000. Producers Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown learned of the book independently and decided to produce the film, despite later acknowledging that reading it twice might have dissuaded them due to the difficulty of executing certain sequences.

Reader's Guide

The Jaws franchise comprises four films, with the original 1975 film directed by Steven Spielberg and adapted by Benchley with help from Carl Gottlieb and Howard Sackler. The first film was a critical and commercial success, winning three Academy Awards and being nominated for Best Picture. It introduced John Williams' iconic theme music, a simple alternating pattern of E and F notes. The sequels—Jaws 2 (1978), Jaws 3-D (1983), and Jaws: The Revenge (1987)—were directed by others, as neither Benchley nor Spielberg returned to the series. Critical and commercial reception declined with each sequel, and the video games were seen as poor imitations. Despite this, the original film is frequently ranked among the greatest films ever by the American Film Institute. Benchley later regretted writing the novel, believing it encouraged a widespread fear of sharks, and spent much of his later life promoting ocean conservation.

Did You Know?

• Producers Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown said that had they read the book twice, they would never have made the film due to the difficulty of executing some sequences.
• The original film's theme music, composed by John Williams, consists of a simple alternating pattern of the E and F notes played by a tuba or contrabass.
• Peter Benchley came to regret writing the original book, considering it encouraged a widespread public fear of sharks.