Jaws (James Bond)

Jaws is a fictional assassin in the James Bond franchise. He was played by Richard Kiel and first appeared in the movie The Spy Who Loved Me as a henchman to the villain, Karl Stromberg. He would later appear in the sequel Moonraker as a henchman to the villain Hugo Drax. However, in this second appearance, his character was changed from that of a ruthless and unstoppable killing machine to more of a comedy figure. He eventually turns against Drax and helps Bond to defeat him, and also gains a girlfriend.

James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me

Most of the background information on Jaws comes from Christopher Wood's novelisation of the film The Spy Who Loved Me, called James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me so as to differentiate from Ian Fleming's novel of the same name. In Wood's novel, Jaws's real name is Zbigniew Krycsiwiki and he was born in Kraków, Poland. Krycsiwiki was arrested by the secret police for his part in the "1972 bread riots". While imprisoned the police "beat him with hollow steel clubs encased in thick leather" until they thought he was dead leaving his jaw broken beyond repair. Krycsiwiki later escaped and stowed aboard one of Stromberg's vessels. Eventually he was caught; however, instead of turning him in Stromberg hired a prestigious doctor to create an artificial jaw. After 14 operations Krycsiwiki's jaw was restored using steel components that created two rows of terrifying razor-sharp teeth. The result of the artificial jaw left Jaws a mute.

Related Topics:
Christopher Wood - Ian Fleming - Kraków - Poland - Mute

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Since none of the above is actually mentioned in either movie, this is not necessarily considered canon. Wood contradicts his own continuity when one compares his scripts and his novelisations; in the novelisation of The Spy Who Loved Me Wood specifically states that Jaws is a mute. Yet, in the film, Moonraker, he speaks, although in the novelisation James Bond and Moonraker, Jaws remains a mute. For the films, it is possible Jaws might have somehow regained the ability to speak between the two adventures, but there is nothing on screen or in literary form to suggest how this might have occurred.

Related Topics:
Canon - James Bond and Moonraker

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The death of Jaws?

One thing to also note is that Jaws may have been killed in the finale of James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me, when Jaws encounters Stromberg's shark. The scene in the novelisation is ambiguous in that the blood mentioned could have been interpreted as either Jaws' or the shark's. Jaws at the time was technically attached to a magnet and dipped into the tank, unlike the film in which Bond releases Jaws from the magnet into the tank.

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:Now both hands were tearing at the magnet, and Jaws twisted furiously like a fish on the hook. As Bond watched in fascinated horror, a relentless triangle streaked up behind the stricken giant. A huge gray force launched itself through the wild water, and two rows of white teeth closed around the threshing flesh. — Christopher Wood{{ref|Wood}}

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It has been stated that in the initial script, the film concluded with Jaws being killed by the shark; however, after a rough test screening including Lewis Gilbert's grandson, Jaws was so well liked that the scene was changed to have Jaws live. Jaws was later brought back in Christopher Wood's follow up novelisation of Moonraker, entitled James Bond and Moonraker.

Related Topics:
Lewis Gilbert - James Bond and Moonraker

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