The Human Heart Behind the Shark: Laurent Bouzereau on His New Documentary ‘Jaws @ 50’

BY ALEX DAVIDSON

The crew examines the mechanical shark on the set of Jaws. (Photo by Edith Blake, courtesy of Martha's Vineyard Museum)

Fifty years ago this summer, a film changed moviemaking as we know it. Behind an unassuming single-word title, Jaws not only terrified moviegoers around the globe, it also invented the summer blockbuster, forever altering how Hollywood makes and markets its biggest hits. Now, a new documentary, Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Story (premiering on National Geographic on July 10, streaming on Disney+ and Hulu on July 11), revisits the making of that landmark film, revealing the human drama behind the shark. For director Laurent Bouzereau,  this isn’t just another tribute to a blockbuster—it’s a tribute to the people who made it.

“I wanted to tell the human story behind  Jaws,” Bouzereau said. In his new documentary, he zooms in not on the mechanical monster (affectionately known by the cast and crew as Bruce) that consistently malfunctioned, but on the team whose perseverance turned a troubled shoot into cinema history.

Steven Spielberg on the set of Jaws. (Courtesy of Universal Studios Licensing LLC)

Based on a novel by Peter Benchley (who spent his summers in Siasconset on Nantucket where he also wrote the book), Jaws was interpreted by Steven Spielberg (an up-and-coming director at the time who, today, credits his career to the 1975 film) and famously filmed on location on Martha’s Vineyard. Spielberg’s youthful ambition clashed daily with the raw unpredictability of nature. Bouzereau draws a direct line between those off-camera struggles and the onscreen tension.

What unfolds in  Jaws @ 50  is a striking parallel tale: just as Chief Brody, Hooper, and Quint are pushed to their limits in the hunt for the great white, Spielberg and his young team were battling their own beast: a shoot plagued by broken equipment, bad weather, ballooning costs, and a studio that nearly pulled the plug. In a never-before-seen way, the film dives into how deeply the experience of making  Jaws traumatized Spielberg—not just during production, but long after it became a box-office phenomenon. The pressure, the unpredictability, and the isolation of directing on the ocean took a lasting emotional toll.

Bouzereau also emphasizes how many of the supporting actors were locals from Martha’s Vineyard—a choice that, in retrospect, gives the film an almost documentary-like realism. Their natural cadence, mannerisms, and regional authenticity helped ground the shark thriller in a recognizable world, heightening its impact.

Moviegoers outside of the Rivoli Theater in New York City to see Jaws in 1975. (Courtesy of Universal Studios Licensing LLC)

Bouzereau, who has chronicled Spielberg’s work for decades, brings an emotional depth to  Jaws @ 50  that makes the familiar story feel new. For Bouzereau, the connection to  Jaws  is deeply personal: “Seeing it for the first time,” he said, “was like going on a blind date and falling in love.” That moment sparked a lifelong fascination with the film’s storytelling, suspense, and human core, elements that remain just as powerful five decades later.

Jaws @ 50  also addresses the film’s unintended legacy: a cultural shift in how the public viewed sharks, and a spike in shark hunting that followed its release.

For Nantucketers whose lives revolve around the sea, Bouzereau’s film reminds us: it’s not the shark that defines  Jaws —it’s the people who dared to face it.

(Photos courtesy of the Walt Disney Company)