Jaws (film)

Jaws (1975) is an American film, based upon a bestselling novel by Peter Benchley, which itself was based loosely on the terrifying true story of the Jersey Shore Shark Attacks of 1916. In the story, a resort town's sheriff tries to protect beachgoers from the predations of a huge great white shark by closing the beach, only to be overruled by the town council. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss and Lorraine Gary.

Production history

The film was produced by Richard Zanuck and David Brown, who had purchased the film rights to Peter Benchley's novel in 1973. His novel was loosely based on a real-life event in the summer of 1916 when a series of shark attacks killed four people along the New Jersey coast and triggered a media frenzy. They signed Spielberg to direct in the same year, prior to release of his first theatrical film, The Sugarland Express (also a Zanuck / Brown production). Despite his lack of feature film experience, Spielberg had proved adept at suspense material with the 1971 telemovie Duel.

Related Topics:
Richard Zanuck - David Brown - Novel - 1973 - 1916 - Shark - New Jersey - The Sugarland Express - 1971 - Telemovie - Duel

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Peter Benchley wrote the first draft of the screenplay, with a subsequent draft prepared by Howard Sackler. Carl Gottlieb (who also appears in a supporting acting role in the film) was brought in to add humour and more depth to the characters. Gottlieb rewrote many scenes during principal photography, and John Milius contributed some dialogue polishes. Spielberg has claimed that he prepared his own draft, although it is unclear if any of the other screenwriters drew on his material.

Related Topics:
Screenplay - Howard Sackler - Carl Gottlieb - John Milius

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The authorship of Quint's monologue about the fate of the cruiser USS Indianapolis has caused substantial controversy, with dispute as to who deserves the most credit for the speech. Spielberg tactfully describes it as a collaboration between John Milius, Howard Sackler and Robert Shaw. Gottlieb gives primary credit to Shaw, downplaying Milius' contribution.

Related Topics:
USS ''Indianapolis'' - John Milius - Howard Sackler

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Location shooting occurred at Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The film had a troubled shoot and went considerably over budget. The logistical problems of shooting at sea led to many delays, and the mechanical shark frequently malfunctioned. The three mechanical sharks were collectively nicknamed "Bruce" by the production team after Spielberg's lawyer, a piece of trivia that has been cited in a number of shark-related stories (such as the appearance of the shark in 2003's Finding Nemo). Spielberg referred to the mechanical shark as "the turd" on a British programme about famous horror scenes and confessed that they had even less flattering names for it throughout filming.

Related Topics:
Martha's Vineyard - Massachusetts - 2003 - Finding Nemo

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

To some degree, the delays in the production proved serendipitous. The script was refined during production, and the unreliable mechanical sharks forced Spielberg to shoot many of the scenes with the shark only hinted at. For example, for much of the shark hunt its location is represented by floating yellow barrels that have been tied to it during the hunt. This enforced restraint is widely thought to have increased the suspense of many scenes, giving it a Hitchcockian tone. The film was given the nickname "Flaws" by many of the dispassionate crew members.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Footage of real sharks was shot by Ron and Valerie Taylor in waters off South Australia, although only a handful of these shots were used in the finished film.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

John Williams contributed the acclaimed film score. The main theme became a classic piece of suspense music, synonymous with approaching danger, and has echoes of the start of the fourth movement of Dvo?ák's Symphony No. 9 - a possible influence. When the piece was first played for the director, Steven Spielberg, he was noted to have laughed at John Williams, thinking that it was a joke.

Related Topics:
John Williams - Film score - Dvo?ák - Symphony No. 9

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~