As Jaws 50th anniversary approaches, we take a look at the making of Steven Spielberg;s blockbuster movie and the star Roy Schneider add libbed “the greatest in movie history.”
The tale of a great white shark terrorising a small island community remains a cinema classic.
As Jaw approached its 50th anniversary on June 20, here are ten things you never knew about the film that has been ranked one of the greatest of all time…
Composer John Williams won an Oscar for the music and it was crowned film top sound in a poll of 2,000 people this month. But the first time director Steven Spielberg heard the famous “dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun” he thought it was a joke. He said: “It seemed too simple.”
Incredibly producers initially wanted to train a great white shark to play Jaws. Realising it was impossible they built three mechanical sharks instead.
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In the scene where the remains of bather Chrissie Watkins were discovered, Spielberg thought the prop arm looked too fake, so instead a female crew member was buried in the sand with only her arm exposed.
The film was responsible for one of Hollywood’s greatest feuds, between Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss. Dreyfuss said: “In private, he was the kindest, gentlest, funniest guy. Then, on our way to the set, he was possessed by some evil troll, who would then make me his victim.”
Although the shark dominates Jaws it doesn’t actually appear until 1 hour 21 minutes into the movie and only has four minutes of screen time. The mechanical sharks kept breaking down, so Spielberg decided that he would mostly suggest its presence by using ominous music.
Despite the horror and gore, Jaws was rated PG, meaning suitable for general viewing. The poster for the film still reads that it ‘may be too intense for younger children.’
The famous line – ‘you’re gonna need a bigger boat’ wasn’t actually part of the script. Actor Roy Scheider ad-libbed it. Horror writer Stephen King called the line the greatest in movie history.
Initial filming was scheduled to take 55 days, but actually took 159. Spielberg said afterwards: “I thought my career as a filmmaker was over.” Bad weather, boat breakdowns, feuds and seasickness were blamed. Disgruntled crew members nicknamed the film Flaws.
Jaws spawned three sequels which all sank without trace, although Jaws 2 was responsible for the iconic tagline ‘Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.’
Spielberg later said that he regretted “the decimation of the shark population because of the book and the film.”