Original artwork, not a still
Amity, as you know, means 'friendship.'
— Jaws • 1975
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The warm definition sells a reassuring image of the town. Its irony comes from the gap between the welcome being broadcast and the danger the officials have tried to contain through reassurance.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for JawsShow the scene
On the crowded Fourth of July beach, Mayor Vaughn welcomes a television audience to Amity. He presents the town through its hospitable name while holidaymakers gather by the water. The publicity moment sits inside the film’s mounting tension over keeping the beaches open.
Sources (4)
- Jaws (film, 1975) — written scene source 1The crowded Fourth of July beach, to a TV news crew, just before the attack in the estuaryReference checked
- Jaws (film, 1975) — written scene source 2The crowded Fourth of July beach, to a TV news crew, just before the attack in the estuaryReference checked
- Jaws (film, 1975) — written scene source 3The crowded Fourth of July beach, to a TV news crew, just before the attack in the estuaryReference checked
- Jaws (film, 1975) — written scene source 4The crowded Fourth of July beach, to a TV news crew, just before the attack in the estuaryReference checked
Context reviewed
