Happy Independence Day--Jaws

For the Fourth, I’ve got an essay on Spielberg, Jaws, the blockbuster, & American independence, courtesy of my friends at FUSION! I make the argument for the patriotism & the political dignity of this kind of popular art, which we’ve since lost. Let me start you off:

The Fourth of July is all about the fireworks, & that’s true of the Star-Spangled Banner as well as of Jaws, a movie about the holiday that is credited with launching the era of the blockbuster when it was released in 1975. Following the example of Jaws, many blockbusters have been released around the Fourth. It’s a fitting occasion to celebrate America, to reflect on American history & take stock of American life, & to dramatize national conflicts on the largest scale available to us, &, finally, to look with hope to the future.

Jaws, now on it’s 50th anniversary, was Spielberg’s first major success & prepared him to become America’s favorite wizard, enchanting his audience with scientific fantasies & transforming the national memory through his lengthy career. But if we return to that first moment of triumph, we don’t find the aliens or dinosaurs, the robots or heroes of World War II that feature in his subsequent films. Instead, we find middle-class Americans at their most drab, going through the crisis of the ‘70s.

Let me also offer you a podcast on Jaws, a long discussion with fellow PoMoCon John Presnall:

Or listen on YouTube:

Happy Independence Day!