Jaws,” released June 20, 1975, is often cited as the film that launched modern Hollywood: the summer blockbuster that established Steven Spielberg as one of the twin peaks of the new Hollywood (George Lucas’ “Star Wars” would come out two years later).
But “Jaws” could just as easily be called the last hurrah of the old Hollywood. It was one of the last big films of the pre-CGI era: The special effects had to be welded, hammered and bolted together. And that led directly to the happiest accident of the film. The mechanical shark, nicknamed “Bruce,” turned out to be such an unwieldy, unconvincing Edsel of a contraption that Spielberg was obliged to keep it offscreen for most of “Jaws.”. USA Today
A bit of trivia: (From USA Today)
—Quint’s monologue about the U.S.S. Indianapolis − supposedly an uncredited contribution by screenwriter John Milius − was based on a real incident.
—The film was originally scheduled for a 55-day shoot. It took 159 days.
—Charlton Heston lobbied hard for the Brody role.
—”Jaws” was based on an actual 1916 incident at the Jersey Shore: A rogue shark killed four bathers, two of them in an estuary (there is a similar scene in the movie).
—In the original novel, Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and Mrs. Brody (Lorraine Gary) have an affair.
—Scott Joplin’s ragtime is heard from the band shell during the “beach panic” sequence. “The Sting,” the 1973 hit movie that sparked the ragtime revival, co-starred Robert Shaw of “Jaws.”
- You’re gonna need a bigger boat,” the film’s most famous catchphrase, was an improvised line.
- Reduced beachgoing and increased shark-sightings in 1975 were both attributed to “Jaws.”
- In the original novel, Hooper dies.
- Benchley followed up the monster shark with a monster eel (“The Deep,” 1976) and a monster squid (“Beast,” 1991).
- Quint’s boat is the Orca. A “Jaws” movie ripoff called “Orca,” about a killer whale, came out in 1977.
- “Jaws” lost the best picture Oscar to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
