Behind the scenes of: Jaws (1975)
I’m feeling a bit “sharky” today (you might’ve noticed) and once again I couldn’t decide on just one picture so I decided to post a few. 🤷♂️
I absolutely love this film! It’s my second favourite movie of all time and I never get tired of watching it. It’s also the reason I’m so fascinated by, yet terrified of sharks. 🦈
It’s crazy to think that if the mechanical shark had worked the way Steven Spielberg intended, the film might not have been anywhere near as good as it turned out to be.
Originally the shark was meant to be seen way more than it actually is, but problems with the shark (named Bruce after Spielberg’s lawyer) forced the director to rethink things and he opted to shoot a lot of the movie from the shark’s point of view. It was a genius decision and is one of the many reasons the film works so well. 👌
It’s a well known fact that Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfus didn’t get on during filming. According to Roy Scheider who plays chief Brody in the film, Shaw “thought Dreyfuss needed a slapping down”, and that he was a “young punk with no stage experience”.
In the 2010 documentary “Jaws: The Inside Story” Dreyfuss said, “In private, he was the kindest, gentlest, funniest guy you ever met. Then we’d walk to the set, and on the way to the set, he was possessed by some evil troll who would then make me his victim.”
This strained relationship however uncomfortable it must’ve been, made for some great on-screen tension between the two which makes their character’s relationship all the more believable.
Jaws was the first movie to ever gross over $100 million at the box office. It’s also the first ever “Summer Blockbuster” for that reason and due to the fact that hoards of people queued around the block to see it in theatres.
It was the highest grossing movie of all time for two years before Star Wars knocked it off the top spot in 1977.
Were you lucky enough to see it when it was first released in cinemas? Let me know in the comments.👇
Steven Spielberg looking down the throat of Bruce, the mechanical shark.
Richard Dreyfuss (Hooper). In the novel written by Peter Benchley, Hooper gets killed and eaten by the shark after it attacks the "shark proof" cage.
Robert Shaw chilling out with Bruce prior to being eaten in the scene that scarred me for life.
Steven Spielberg. Imagine of Instagram existed back in the 70s!
One of the crew attaches cables to Susan Backlinie who played Chrissie, the film's first victim. The shark attack scene at the beginning of the movie was acheived by crew members pulling Susan from side to side under water using the cables. To get a genuine reaction the actress wasn't told when it would happen.
Susan Backlinie and Steven Spielberg
The mechanical shark
Robert Shaw (Quint) and Roy Scheider (Brody)
Great White Rodeo
Lorraine Gary (Ellen Brody) and Roy Scheider