Serendipity – the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
For me, today’s date – 6-20-2025 – is indeed serendipitous. Fifty years ago, my favorite movie and the first summer movie blockbuster premiered in theaters and drive-ins across America. A massive great white shark terrorizes a small island, complete with beachgoers, sunshine, and plenty of suspense. Of course, I am talking about Jaws by Steven Spielberg. Movies since then might have made more money, but this movie started the whole summer blockbuster trend. Before, companies tended to debut their movies near the end of the year, close to awards season. Jaws bulldozed its way into moviegoers’ hearts, earning $260 million dollars in its initial release. That equates to over $1 billion dollars today. With its success, moviegoers eagerly awaited each summer’s new releases, such as Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Top Gun, Independence Day, and The Avengers.
You might not realize that the movie is actually based on a novel of the same name by Peter Benchley. Published in February 1974, the book’s success was phenomenal. It spent 44 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and sold millions of copies.
As is most often the case, the plot of the book and movie differ. With a novel, the author is able to delve deeply into character development and motivation. Benchley’s novel featured unprincipled politicians, marriage infidelity, and a tourist town’s struggle to survive. Our main character, Martin Brody, is the police chief of the small island of Amity. He and his wife, Ellen, are happy, but Ellen misses her extravagant lifestyle she had to leave behind once she married Brody. In the opening chapter, a young girl is brutally killed by a shark, but the mayor convinces Brody and the medical examiner that her injuries could have been caused by a boat propeller.
After all, yelling the word Shark on a crowded summer beach will drive the tourists away. The town needs those tourists, as the summer income they provide is the only thing keeping the town going. We are later introduced to marine biologist Matt Hooper and local shark hunter Quint. Though the shark is the catalyst of our story, Benchley’s tale focuses more on the interactions and foibles of his human cast. The shark is a monster, but is he as monstrous as his pursuers?
Spielberg only had 124 minutes, so he streamlined the story greatly. Gone was the infidelity (thank goodness!), and he was able to convey the town’s desperation for their livelihood. The question still remains – who is truly the monster, and how far can a person devolve into his madness? I cannot state this enough – this movie is fantastic! Even as a child, I watched in amazement. (We saw this in a drive-in on a hot summer night, so I still remember that enormous black speaker hanging in the window, blasting each chomp and shriek and splash in full stereo.)
Chief Brody is one of my favorite movie characters of all time. And the scene where Brody, Hooper, and Quint trade ‘war’ stories? Goosebumps! Robert Shaw deserved every acting award there is, simply for sitting at a table and talking about the USS Indianapolis. With limited shark screentime, Spielberg managed to deliver unease and terror that has thrilled moviegoers ever since that hot summer back in 1975.
I highly recommend both the book and the movie. Since I saw the movie at such a young age and didn’t read the book until later, the movie is my favorite. I can quote it word for word. I cannot see a dog on the beach without calling Pippit! (Poor Pipptit!) I do go swimming in the ocean, but I still scan the waters for a dorsal fin. When bored, I find myself humming “Farewell and Adieu” or “I’m tired and wanna go to bed!” Anytime there is a Jaws marathon on TV, I am there! (Except for the fourth sequel. I try to pretend it didn’t happen.)
In either case, you are in for a suspenseful summer treat! Just watch out in the water! Was that really seaweed that just brushed past your foot? Maybe we need a bigger boat!
Click to tweet: Friday Fiction: For me, today’s date – 6-20-2025 – is indeed serendipitous. Fifty years ago, my favorite movie and the first summer movie blockbuster premiered in theaters and drive-ins across America. #horror #Jaws
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The shark-versus-man classic that inspired the blockbuster Steven Spielberg movie—now in a fiftieth anniversary edition with an exclusive foreword from the author’s wife, renowned ocean conservation advocate Wendy Benchley
“A tightly written, tautly paced study of terror.”—The Washington Post
A great white shark terrorizes the beautiful summer getaway of Amity Island, and a motley group of men take to the water to do battle with the beast. A heart-pounding novel of suspense and a brilliant meditation on the nature of humanity, Jaws is one of the most iconic thrillers ever written.
