'Jaws': 50 years since the film that changed cinema forever

On June 20, 1975, a young director, barely 28 years old, released the film that would launch him to stardom and establish the modern blockbuster model . We're talking about Steven Spielberg and Jaws.

This film, which against all odds became a box office hit, not only redefined suspense, but also instilled a visceral fear of the ocean in entire generations, introduced a new way of building tension, and marked the beginning of one of the most influential careers in the history of cinema.

Beyond its subject matter and what it meant to Spielberg, Jaws is also a story about the limits of filmmaking, the improvisation forced by faulty technology (the mechanical shark kept failing), and the ability of a human team to transform chaos into art.

That mix of magic, tension, and risk is precisely what the new documentary Jaws @ 50, directed by French filmmaker Laurent Bouzereau, one of the most respected voices in the field of documentary film, captures.

Bouzereau is very close to the Spielberg universe. For more than three decades, he has worked with the director on dozens of projects, exploring in depth the creative process behind iconic films such as ET, Minority Report, West Side Story, Munich, and The Fabelmans.

He has also directed documentaries about key figures in film history, such as actresses Natalie Wood and Faye Dunaway, and film score composer John Williams. His perspective goes beyond anecdotes: it delves into the humanity of creators, the aesthetic choices that define an era, and how cinema shapes and reflects our culture.

In Jaws @ 50, Bouzereau not only recovers Spielberg's testimonies, but also interweaves them with new voices in the industry : established directors such as James Cameron, Jordan Peele, JJ Abrams, and Steven Soderbergh, who reflect on the legacy of Jaws. The result is a tribute that celebrates not only this cinematic classic, but everything it represents: the power of cinema as a collective experience, as a universal language, as an intergenerational legacy.

To celebrate five decades, the documentary had its first premiere on Martha's Vineyard—the island where Jaws was originally filmed, south of Boston—a location that also paid tribute to the film with other events and exhibitions that reiterate the significance of this classic.

In an interview with EL TIEMPO, Bouzereau talks about his relationship with Spielberg, his fascination with the behind-the-scenes, his emotional connection to Jaws, and the challenge of capturing half a century of history, legend, and love of cinema in a single documentary.

My relationship with him begins around the time I moved to Los Angeles from New York, when a huge revolution in home entertainment was happening thanks to DVDs, laserdiscs, and so on. Someone who worked with Steven had heard about my love for his films and that I had experience in other aspects of the film business. So I met him purely by chance, and he gave me the opportunity to make my first documentary with Steven. Immediately after that documentary, I made one about Jaws, and that kick-started my career, because documentaries in this field started to become relevant… In that sense, I was a bit of a pioneer in that area, if I may say so. Then, as documentaries continued to gain legitimacy as a way of telling stories and as a specific genre, Steven gave me a lot of opportunities.

Yes, I've pitched a lot of things to him. I pitched the film about Natalie Wood, Faye Dunaway, John Williams, and eventually this new documentary about Jaws. So yes, I've had a very privileged position where I can approach him with a film that I think might move him. And this was one of them.

I don't remember the first movie I saw, but I do remember going to a movie theater and constantly looking back at the beam of light, trying to figure out where the image was coming from. So, after that movie, my dad talked me into going up to the projection booth. When I got in, a man said, "Let me show you something. Any time you see a dot in the upper right corner of the frame, it means I need to change the projector." So, every ten or fifteen minutes, I had to do it. I felt like he'd told me the biggest secret in the world. And that's when I realized I was fascinated by what was going on behind the scenes, more than what was on the screen.

When I turned 50, it was an important moment. I asked myself a lot of questions: Am I still relevant? Am I still young? Can I still inspire people? Should I retire? And, to be honest, I was asking myself those same questions about Jaws. I was thinking: Is this movie still relevant? Does it still mean something to new generations? Especially now that we're so used to CGI (computer-generated imagery). And the answer for me was yes. So, I decided it was important to celebrate it in a way that appreciated and helped us understand why this legacy is still worthwhile. And I did that by talking to Steven, who gave me the most human perspective on the making of that film: what it meant to him, both the good and the bad.

Of course. I also decided to surround it with new directors who are now benefiting from what Jaws did for them. The Martha's Vineyard premiere felt like a rock concert. I'd never had such an audience reaction to my work. And with that, I reiterated the impact this film continues to have, and I think that's wonderful, because we're talking about people of all generations.

Absolutely. And that didn't happen with many films I grew up with. Jaws is one of the few that doesn't have to worry about its legacy. And that's a miracle, given how the production went. But it's not surprising, because it was in the hands of an auteur, a true lover of cinematic language, someone who embraced this film and turned it into a deeply human experience.

It was incredibly inspiring to talk to everyone from James Cameron to Emily Blunt, and marine scientists like Philippe Cousteau. Talking to them, you realize that this film—and Peter Benchley's novel—has impacted many aspects of our culture. It has given rise to many filmmakers, scientists, and writers. Jaws was a cultural milestone in cinema and, at the same time, a cultural movement that continues to spread.

Jaws was the greatest inspiration I've ever received in my creative life. It's the film that made me seriously consider a career in film, excited me about moving to the United States, and made me want to contribute something, in some way, to cinema.

Job security. Thanks to Jaws, I've been able to maintain a relationship with Steven Spielberg and make incredible documentaries that, in some way, touch the people who were part of that era.

I'd say all of them. When you're standing in front of James Cameron, Jordan Peele, Steven Spielberg, JJ Abrams, and Steven Soderbergh, you can't believe you have the opportunity to talk about something that means so much to you and share that passion. You no longer feel so alone, and you feel part of a movement and a culture that has recognized the importance of something as impactful as Jaws.

I'll tell you something: one of the first films ever shown was about a train arriving at a station. And why were people scared? It wasn't because they thought it was going to run over them. It was because there was a point of view. Because the camera was set at a specific angle. That's the language of cinema. When I make a documentary, I obsess over the angle, how close or how far, or what's behind it. The lighting, everything. Because that's a point of view. I want people to connect with whoever is speaking because they're entering their soul. I'm very careful. This is an art form. Documentary is a form of storytelling, and I feel very privileged to be part of that community. And I hope I'm doing good work and that my next film is just as challenging.