Jaws came out fifty years ago today:
The story of a great white shark that terrorizes a New England resort town became an instant blockbuster and the highest-grossing film in movie history until it was bested by 1977’s Star Wars. Jaws was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Picture category and took home three Oscars, for Best Film Editing, Best Original Score and Best Sound. The film, a breakthrough for director Spielberg, then 27 years old, spawned several sequels.
Jaws put now-famed director Steven Spielberg on the Hollywood map. Spielberg went on to become one of the most influential, iconic directors in the film world, with such epics as Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), ET: the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler’s List (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998). E.T., Jaws and Jurassic Park rank among the highest-grossing movies of all time.
If I recall, my parents wouldn't let me watch the movie until I was 10. Since that was also around when we got a VCR, they had no trouble enforcing this.