The horrors begin at sunrise, as a young woman frolics along the beach before heading into the water. Her giggles turn to screams as an unseen force begins to jerk her around before finally pulling her under, but what’s even more unnerving is the silence that ensues. For all it hones in on the dangers lurking in the murky ocean depths, Jaws, released 50 years ago today, is terrifying in how it leverages its boundless sun and sand, the very setting that entices oblivious tourists right into the surf. Like a shark fin through the water, director Steven Spielberg sliced through our perception of summer as a time of frolic and idyll, tying the sun to blazing terror instead.
Through his lens, a carefree vacation season is transformed into one of high alert in the fictional New England town of Amity Island. Cinematographer Bill Butler taps into an atmosphere of relaxation and leisure with a predominant palette of summer colors — yellow shores and blue water — only to pierce it with startling streaks of red when a great white shark begins its attacks.
