REVISITING SPIELBERG #3 - Spielberg Becomes a Household Name with "Jaws"!

In 1974, director Steven Spielberg was working on and about to release “The Sugarland Express”. The two producers who got the movie made for him were Richard Zanuck and David Brown. One day, while working on “Express”, Spielberg noticed a manuscript for a book that was about to be released and a story that Zanuck and Brown had already optioned for a big screen adaptation.

Spielberg was excited by Peter Benchley’s debut novel, “Jaws”, and asked Zanuck and Brown if he could be the one to bring it to the big screen. Unfortunately, the studio had forced Zanuck and Brown to hire another director for the project when they bought the rights. This unnamed director (whom Zanuck, Brown, and Spielberg would never reveal) kept referring to the shark as a whale and so the producers quickly canned the director and went back to Spielberg.

The production of “Jaws” is almost as legendary as the movie itself. The movie was originally supposed to be shot in 55 days. Due to Spielberg’s demand that the movie be shot on the ocean instead of a backlot somewhere, technical difficulties and mother nature itself caused the shoot to balloon to what would ultimately be a 159 day shoot.

Spielberg jokingly rests inside of "Bruce", the name they gave to the mechanical shark in "Jaws".

The major problems mostly had to do with the mechanical shark that was built for the movie, affectionately (or infamously based on who’s talking). It almost never worked and when it did, they could only get a few shots at a time before it would break down again. The reason it kept breaking down was that it was tested in a fresh-water tank at the studio and not in the saltwater ocean.

Spielberg’s own inexperience and naivety about shooting on the ocean also played a factor and the young director didn’t know if he’d still have a job from day to day. Thankfully, the studio stood behind him even though the movie’s troubled production was drawing negative press at the time.

With the shoot going way over schedule, that also meant that the original budget of $3 million went up by $6 million for $9 million total. After the production ended, Spielberg revealed that the shoot had traumatized him for a long time as he thought his career, even with the film finished, was over due to all the production problems.

Thankfully for Spielberg and all involved, the gamble paid off. The book became a smash hit and Universal took part in what was then an innovative marketing campaign that included an extensive TV and radio budget for advertising. When the movie was released in theaters, it went on to earn over $470 million, surpassing “The Godfather” as the highest-grossing film of all time, a record that would stand for the next two years until “Star Wars” surpassed the movie.

Robert Shaw, Rob Scheider, and Richard Dreyfuss play Shaw, Martin Brody, and Matt Hooper in "Jaws"!

The term “summer blockbuster” was officially coined thanks to “Jaws” and Spielberg suddenly found that he was now a household name. I could go on forever about the movie’s production, but there are several documentaries that cover the production including last year’s “Jaws @ 50”, which is a good watch if you want to know more. So, on with my review though I don’t know what else I can add to the proceedings that hasn’t been said before.

For anyone who happens to not know the story of “Jaws”, it follows Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), a former big city cop who has moved his family to the fictional Amity Island, a small beach town that relies on tourism during the Summer. Unfortunately, a giant Great White Shark has decided to make its territory there and now no one in the water is safe.

Along the way, Brody must face off against a mayor and town that is resistant to him closing the beaches. He receives a little help, though, from a marine biologist named Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and a gruff shark hunter named Quint (Robert Shaw). Together, they decide to hunt down the shark once and for all with Brody wanting to simply get rid of the shark, Quint wanting money, and Hooper wanting to research the massive animal.

This is the shining example of a damn near perfect movie. Despite how hard it was for Spielberg to get this movie made, the pain and efforts of him and his crew paid off beautifully. The story is a simple man vs. beast narrative, but the performers, the direction and the cinematography elevate the story beyond its simple confines to create a masterpiece.

Brody has a famous first encounter with the shark before uttering the legendary quote, "You're gonna need a bigger boat."

Schneider is perfect as Brody, an everyman who has to face off not only against the shark but corrupt politicians who are only concerned about their bottom line and how much the town will make during the Summer season. Dreyfuss is also perfectly cast as the one expert that tries to warn the town only to be ignored by everyone but Brody in spite of his expertise when it comes to sharks.

Then, there is the MVP of the movie. The big hunter himself known as Quint, played to perfection by Shaw. It’s known today that Shaw was prone to binge drinking during the production and had a very contentious relationship with Dreyfuss due to their very different acting styles.

Yet, somehow, Shaw turns in a performance that makes him steal every scene he’s in. In the original screenplay, there was a far longer and more detailed monologue about the U.S.S. Indianapolis. Shaw, himself a playwright, was allowed to simplify and tweak the monologue, turning it into one of the most memorable monologues in film history.

As for the shark itself? Well, when we do see it, it is quite terrifying. When we don’t see it, it’s even more terrifying. Remembering that seeing less of the monster can actually be a good thing, Spielberg turned the shark not working into an advantage.

We see the shark through its POV and other elements, such as when Quint shoots some barrels into it to keep it near the surface, always reminding you that there is a deadly force in the ocean. The opening with the initial shark attack where we just see the victim flailing about as something under the water is dragging her around is far more frightening than actually seeing the shark gobble her up.

Yes, at the end of the day, a miracle was performed. In spite of its troubled production, Spielberg, his cast, and his crew did the impossible. They made a movie that is just as endearing today as it was when it was released over 50 years ago. It’s one of the few movies that you can say is damn near flawless and it still feels like I’m watching it for the first time with every viewing.

After the movie was released, Spielberg had free reign to make whatever movie he wanted. He chose to make a deal with Columbia for his next project. It turned out to be a movie that makes you look up at the stars instead of the dark, murky oceans as I revisit 1977’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”!