It was in the spring of 1974, when Steven Spielberg brought his production crew to Martha’s Vineyard to film his newest movie, Jaws, which was based on the bestselling Peter Benchley novel. With him came the film’s stars, including Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and a mechanical shark named Bruce. This location was a long way from California, a state which is surrounded by an ocean of its own. But the historic Massachusetts whaling village was chosen specifically for its East Coast charm, isolated feeling, and its wide, shallow beaches, which would perfect for capturing images of terrified beachgoers scrambling for their lives, as they run out of the surf that is darkened by an ominous shape and a pectoral fin.
Martha’s Vineyard is just 30 nautical miles from Newport, and an accessible vacation destiny that has always been popular with Rhode Islanders. The whole world became aware of it with the release of this Hollywood blockbuster.
For anyone familiar with the island, you would rather easily recognize the inland locations, as well as the beaches where various movie scenes were filmed, many of which are still recognizable a half century later.
The film’s opening sequence was actually shot at two different locations, Edgartown South Beach and Cow Beach. The bonfire scene was shot at South Beach, a well-known and unspoiled stretch of public beach in Edgartown, while Chrissie’s violent death was shot in the waters of Cow Beach.
Edgartown was used quite a bit in the film, particularly as downtown Amity because of its quiet, small-town appeal. It helped give Jaws an instant look and feel of New England. Edgartown Harbor was used for the scene where Brody and Matt Hooper first meet. Scenes set in the Amity Police Department were filmed on South Water Street and Davis Lane in Edgartown. The area was also used for the Amity Gazette and the Amity hardware store. Filmmakers also used the real Edgartown Town Hall on 70 Main Street as the Amity Town Hall.
A crucial Jaws scene takes place on the ferry, where Mayor Larry Vaughn scolds Brody for wanting to publicize that there was a shark attack in their waters. The mayor would rather watch more townspeople die, than close the beaches and risk everyone leaving the town to swim somewhere else, like Cape Cod or The Hamptons. The scene took place at Chappy Ferry, also in Edgartown. Fans of the movie can ride the ferry if they want by traveling to 53 Dock Street and riding from Edgartown to Chappaquiddick.
The house where Chief Brody lived with his family was located on 265 East Chop Drive in Vineyard Haven, and the place where the mayor, Hooper, and Brody argue about keeping the beaches open is located on 35 Aquinnah Circle in Aquinnah, the western-most tip of the island, directly across Rhode Island Sound.
The attack on Alex Kitner was filmed on Joseph Sylvia State Beach, and scenes set in Quint’s Shop were filmed on Menemsha Inn Road in Menemsha Village. Unfortunately, Quint’s shop is not a real place and was built for the film. While fans can’t visit the shop, they can visit the area and imagine where Quint’s place once stood, during the filming of Jaws.
The American Legion Memorial Bridge at Sengekontacket Pond appears in the background of the pond shark attack scene, where Brody’s son Michael is about to get eaten. Luckily, Chief Brody and other beachgoers get him out of the water in time, though the same cannot be said for another fisherman. The bridge has since been labeled ‘Jaws Bridge,’ and jumping off the bridge into the pond has become a popular summer pastime.
Scenes set on the sea were filmed over 155 days between Oak Bluffs and East Chop, including the final scene, in which Brody avenges all of Bruce’s victims that summer by shooting at the shark, hitting the scuba tank in his mouth, and causing it to explode. Fans can cruise through the area to get a look at the area Bruce had his final moments.
Whether you’re a fan of the film or not, Martha’s Vineyard is a beautiful place to spend a summer afternoon, and it’s just a short ferry ride away. You don’t even have to get into the water if you’re afraid.