Oscars retrospective: Steven Spielberg’s Jaws

Though now controversial for its portrayal of sharks as man-eaters, Jaws was - and remains - a groundbreaking cinematic feat. Film studies expert Associate Professor Bruce Isaacs explains what makes it a classic. When  Jaws  was released in 1975 it was a tremendous commercial success. Based on the novel by Peter Benchley, the movie became iconic thanks to the direction of a young Steven Spielberg and the instantly recognisable soundtrack by John Williams. The film is about a shark that terrorises the fictional town of Amity Island during the holiday season. It is, as Associate Professor Isaacs notes, generic, mainstream cinema. But through the direction of Spielberg, the film became a landmark movie that helped Hollywood reinvent itself.