Jaws @ 50is an illuminating recap of the work that went into the making of Hollywood’s first true blockbuster. Fifty years afterJawstook to the big screen and shook the foundations of the film industry to its core, the movie is still influencing generations of filmmakers and movie fans alike.Jaws @ 50is a new documentary on the subject, compiling previous interviews and conducting fresh retrospectives to tell the definitive tale about howthe critically acclaimedJawsbecame one of cinema’s biggest success stories.
While some of the behind-the-scenes influences, drama, and challenges had been discussed before,Jaws @ 50gives Steven Spielberg a chance to set the record straight on multiple subjects. This includes his views on the tension that emerged between his co-stars, changes to the edit and screenplay, and his ownexpectations forJaws' release. Here are the biggest stories and revelations from the history ofJaws, as they’re recounted inJaws @ 50.
13Jaws Is A Spiritual Sequel To Duel
Both Movies Have A Deep Thematic Connection
One of the most interesting points that Steven Spielberg makes aboutJawsinJaws @ 50is explicitly describesthe iconic shark movie as a “sequel” to his earlier movie,Duel.Duelwas Spielberg’s debut as a director, a TV movie that focused on a massive unseen truck driver chasing a traveling salesman on the highway.
Steven Spielberg has previously discussed the influenceDuelhad onJaws, noting that both movies are about regular people trying to escape inhuman “leviathans.” However, inJaws @ 50,Spielberg openly describesJawsas a sequel toDuel. While they had different characters and settings, they were both very much about the same fears.
Jaws Was A Last Minute Decision By The Book Author
Peter Benchley wrote the original novelJawsand co-wrote the film adaptation. However,the actual title ofJawswas hotly debated by Benchley before the book was sent to the publishers. Other options includedLeviathan Rises,Great White, andThe Jaws of Death. However, Benchley thought they all sounded too melodramatic.
As recounted inJaws @ 50, the title ultimately was decided shortly before the book went to print. Arguing that the title was at least short and punchy,Benchley convinced editor Tom Congdon to run withJawsas the final title.
11Why Jaws Dropped The Romance Subplot
Spielberg Didn’t Want To Distract From The Adventure Movie Tone Of Jaws
In the originalJawsnovel, there is a subplot about an affair between Matt Hooper and Ellen Brody. As archival footage of Spielberg explains inJaws @ 50, the decision to cut this aspect of the story came from a greater focus on the thriller aspects of the story. According to Spielberg,this ensured that the movie’s plot remained “on a straight line.”
The removal of the Hooper/Ellen affair is among the bigger changes that the cinematicJawsmade from the book, including Mayor Larry Vaughn's mob connections and the final fate of Hooper.
This ensuredJawsremained an adventure story without getting derailed by other genre tropes and touches.This may have also helped saved Hooper, as the book’s more unlikable version of the character ended up being killed by the shark. Without the affair, Hooper’s death would have felt far harsher to audiences.
10Robert Mattey Was Brought Out Of Retirement For Jaws
Mattey Designed The Shark From Jaws
Robert Mattey is a legend in the world of special effects, withJawsserving as one of his most enduring works. However,it took some convincing to bring him onto the film. After two decades in the film industry, Mattey left film to work with companies like Walt Disney Imagineering to design some of the animatronic characters in the original Disneyland.
Although Mattey had retired from films in the 1970s,Jaws @ 50reveals that he was brought out of retirement to work on the three animatronic sharksused in the film’s production. The documentary underscores the respect his creative collaborators had for Mattey and his skill in bringing the fake sharks to life.
9The Studio Forced Jaws To Go Into Production Early
Jaws Started Early To Avoid Strike-Related Complications
Much has been made over the years ofJaws' troubled production, with challenges on set and with props causing the budget and shooting schedule to balloon by the end of production. However, executives atUniversal Pictures wanted the movie to move ahead because of a potential Screen Actors Guild strike.
Their hope was that the film could be completed quickly,allowing the film to enter post-production before the strike potentially went into effect. This may have contributed to some of the challenges Spielberg and his collaborators faced on set, as they were forced to discover problems with the mechanical sharks and boats as they were trying to shoot the film.
Jaws Used To Be A Lot Bloodier
One of the things that Steven Spielberg was most committed to onJawswas recreating the authenticity of a shark attack. As he explains inJaws @ 50,he wanted to replicate the real effect of a shark attack. This is why the film doesn’t shy away from gore and blood. However, there’s a version ofJawsthat took the violence even further.
Spielberg reflects during the documentary on shooting the shark attacks with as much brutality as he could give them. This led to some truly vicious imagery. Then, while editing the film,Spielberg “came to his senses"and trimmed the gory elements of the film down. This helpedJawsclear the MPAA with a PG rating and helped turn it into a blockbuster hit.
7Sidney Sheinberg Wasn’t Sure Jaws Could Be Finished
Universal President Sidney Sheinberg was connected to the production from the start, with his wife Lorraine Gary cast as Ellen Brody. However, when Universal began to fear the production couldn’t be completed, it wasSheinberg who flew out to speak with Spielberg to discuss the movie’s future.
DuringJaws @ 50, Spielberg recalls speaking with Sheinberg. At first, Sheinberg wasn’t sure that the film could actually be completed, highlighting the lack of faith the studio had in the movie. However,Sheinberg backed off when he saw Spielberg’s commitment to completing the movie. The result remains one of the most iconic films of all time.
6"Gonna Need A Bigger Boat” Changed In The Moment
One of the best lines inJawsis Brody’s shocked “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” after seeing how big the shark really is.The line was a famously ab-libbed line by Roy Scheider. However, the entire brunt of the scene was made up on the fly, according to Spielberg.
DuringJaws @ 50, Spielberg recalls how, when they were filming the scene, inspiration struck and Spielberg told Scheider to step backwards into the cabin but keep his eyes on where the shark had been. This bit of improv helped ensure one of the film’s most famous moments truly landed, giving the line room to breathe.
5The Quint/Hooper Drinking Duel Was Improv
Tension On-Set Led To Magic On-Screen
That Roy Scheider scene wasn’t the only moment inJawsthat was made up on the spot. According to Spielberg,much of the tension between Quint and Hooper evolved naturally from the antagonistic chemistrythat developed between Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw, leading to lots of little moments in the movie.
One of the most notable moments that was improvised on the set was the beat where Quint drinks a beer in one sip, only for Hooper to mockingly drink a Styrofoam cup and mimic his crushing of the can. According to Spielberg,moments like these just came naturally to the cast on setand were all cobbled together in the edit to great effect.
4The Apocalypse Now Writer Did The Original U.S.S. Indianapolis (But It Was Too Long)
Multiple Writers Brought Their Own Touch To Quint’s Most Iconic Scene
While working on the now iconic scene where Quint recounts his experiences as a survivor of the U.S.S. Indianapolis sinking during World War II,Spielberg was forced to turn to three different writers to get the scene correct: Howard Sackler, John Milius, and Robert Shaw.
Sackler’s version was too short, and Milius' was far too long. While there has been debate over who deserves the most credit for the monologue,Spielberg recounts inJaws @ 50that it was Shaw(a noted playwright in his own right) who refined the monologue into its final form.
