Jaws and its historical place on the Vineyard
by Nick Macksood
Among the most cynical of cinemaphiles, it is widely known that Jaws marked the end of the gilded age of American cinema. Steven Spielberg’s 1975 classic was the first summer blockbuster film. With the exception of “Oscar Season”, complex character-driven plotlines have largely been eclipsed by action-adventure tales and superheroes.
However, such a shift in style would not have taken place if Jaws were not spectacularly done. Conceptually, it was a frightening movie for its time. No one before Spielberg had done anything with sharks so close to our imaginations. Our parents sat eyes-glued to the mechanical shark on the silver screen and as a result refused to take even a dip in the hotel pool. But Jaws also has a memorable cast of characters in what is a story of friendship, resolve, and the difference between right and wrong.
During summers back in Michigan, I can recall going to the $4 matinee every afternoon and then returning to the frosty refuge of my friend’s basement to watch Jaws. Every day we did this, singing “Farewell and adieu” along with Quint and raising our leftover sodas to “swimmin’ with bowlegged women”. To this day, even, I’ll stop and watch it whenever I come across it while channel surfing. It’s a little nostalgic. Say what you will about its effect on art cinema, damn it, Jaws is a good movie.
Of course, we all know that the film was shot here on the Vineyard. Traces of it linger everywhere. Amity Island t-shirts. Walking tours. The Jaws Bridge. Honestly it could be worse. Much worse. And thank God or a hard-headed contingent of islanders for keeping JAWS: THE RIDE off of Martha’s Vineyard.
So on the 40th anniversary of Jaws, it might be worth asking: what is the movie’s place on the Vineyard? These days, it would seem a little hokey to be walking around in a t-shirt with the iconic movie poster printed on the front of it. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen one off the walls of the shops they inhabit. Most visitors seem to know of the island more for its history with the Kennedys or the Clintons. And the foreigners I’ve asked only shake their heads and ask me if I know where they can find another job. They’ve heard of the movie, sure, but never seen it. Probably won’t.
You wouldn’t have guessed the indifference if you looked at a Vineyard newspaper in 1974. The Gazette‘s William A. Caldwell, a Pulitzer Prize winner, noted in his weekly column dated May 24, 1974 that, “By this time you will have noticed that the prospect of appearing in a sock-o movie has effected some embarrassing changes in Vineyarders’ behavior.” He tools on at length at the silly peacocking for the camera of natives and tourists alike, desperate for a chance to catch themselves on the big screen. The things we do for vanity.
This island is rich with history. From the vacations of America’s most beloved and controversial presidents to the stories of sea captains who attempted to venture around the world, only to never return. What we do with these tales, if anything, is our choice to make. But it is worth knowing that they exist, and with that comes the task of searching for them. Places can be interviewed just as much as their famous inhabitants can. And more often than not, they have far more to reveal than even the most famous of films.
