It has been 47 years sinceJawschanged cinema forever, but there’s one part of the movie that Steven Spielberg still regrets. Spielberg said he regrets how the film’s legacy has led to a decimation of the shark population.
Jawswas one of the films that led to the creation of the modern blockbuster. The film centered around the small, fictional town of Amity Island, a New England beach resort that finds itself being attacked by a vicious Great White.Jawsgot plenty wrong about sharks, but it ultimately left a strong impression on public perception of the creatures. Though sharks rarely attack humans,Jawsfrightened beachgoers and led to sharks being hunted for fear of future shark attacks.
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In an interview with theBBC’sDesert Island Discs, Spielberg discussed some of the films in his oeuvre. Not only did Spielberg discuss the inspiration behind the film (he credited much of the horror in the movie to Alfred Hitchcock’s signature style and said that the animatronic’s constant breaking down made him get creative), but he also talked about the declining shark population. “That’s one of the things I still fear — not to get eaten by a shark, but that sharks are somehow mad at me for the feeding frenzy of crazy sport fishermen that happened after 1975, which I truly, and to this day, regret the decimation of the shark population because of the book and the film,” Spielberg said. “I really, truly regret that.”
Spielberg isn’t the only one who regrets his role in the rise of shark hunting. ThoughSpielberg made theJawsmovie, Peter Benchley wrote the 1974 novel on which the film is based. In 2006, Benchley expressed that he wouldn’t write the novel after learning more about sharks.
ThoughJawsis considered one of thebest shark attack movies, it’s not an accurate depiction of the creatures. Sharks will attack humans very rarely, and as Benchley said, they certainly don’t hold grudges as they do in the film. The depiction of Sharks inJawsled thousands into the ocean, looking to hunt sharks for sport and as trophy kills. Because they were viewed as evil or dangerous animals, there was little remorse about taking their lives.
Spielberg’s acclaimedThe Fabelmansinspires less antipathy towards sharks. The film is a semi-autobiographical look at his own life. It’s been highly praised by critics and is being considered for several awards.
