It seemed pretty obvious that Jaws would be our #1 movie for Creature Features (I mean… it wasn’t going to be Zombeavers, was it?) but do you want to break it down for everyone?
Jaws is here because the film endures. It caused a
sensation in its day simply because it kept people out of the water, even
though it was just this science fiction movie. People suddenly became aware
that there were these massive sharks out there and they could come that close
to land and for the summer of 1975, the beaches were empty. Isn’t it funny the
power a movie can have?
This is what really shot Spielberg to the top, showed the
kind of talent he had. After that… it was just hit after hit. It’s the number
of films that, even if he wasn’t director, he was producing.
Like Gremlins?
Like Gremlins. He’s gotten more serious as he’s
gotten older but he’s still out there winning awards.
You mentioned that Jaws hit theatres in 1975. Even
you were too young to see it then. When did you first see Jaws and what
were your first thoughts? Have your thoughts changed at all?
I saw Jaws 2 before I saw Jaws. I didn’t see Jaws
until about ‘78 or ‘79. My dad took us all to see the Jaws double bill
at the Monico. I’d seen Jaws 2 and I loved it. It was a great film. But
you don’t’ realize until you see the first one how much better it was.
It was the first time I really became aware of music in movies.
Growing up, the first soundtrack I really became aware of was that dum-dum…dum-dum.
As a six-year-old, my dad only had to shout “Shark!” at me and I was out of the
water – much to his amusement!
There are some people who argue that Jaws isn’t
actually a horror movie because it’s not supernatural or particularly spooky.
They’re inclined to call it a drama or a thriller. What do you say to that?
You think someone’s head coming through the bottom of a boat
isn’t horrific? It might not be a traditional horror movie in the sense that
there aren’t any supernatural beasties, but it’s absolutely a horror movie.
The shark is actually still quite convincing, considering
it was kind of a piece of crap to work with.
They were clever though. They never showed you too much of
the shark. Spielberg always referred to it as a “weighty turd.” It didn’t work
half the time and when it did, they had to run over and do the shot as quickly
as possible.
They also shot real footage of sharks and blended the two
together. There absolutely were real sharks in it, just not with the actors.
I can see how it would have created a hysteria around
sharks, even though sharks only kill about a dozen people everyone year.
(Horses kill more, by the way.) We’re both big on animal rights so how do you
marry that fact with the fact that we unanimously picked a movie that resulted
in the deaths of thousands of sharks?
That’s what the author, Peter Benchley, said. He said that
he would never have written it if he’d known what would happen to the sharks as
a result. Like the sharks don’t have a hard enough time as it is being hunted,
especially by certain Asian countries. Thank god for the Australians, who
fiercely protect their waters. I wish more would.
Yes, the shark is a killer. But it’s also just an animal
that wants to live. It’s far less dangerous than a hippo. You can make any
animal into a killer. It added to the great white’s mystique.
It’s a movie. It’s not real. It’s a story. If you act on
that story and you think going out and hunting this beautiful fish is okay,
you’re a fucking idiot. Don’t read any further, just delete me from your
friend’s list because we’re not friends list. I’ve got no time for people who
hunt for the sake of cruelty.
Isn’t it funny that history is repeating itself in that way?
The pandemic is the shark. Why? Greed. That, and the fact that people just don’t
like to be told no. People are dying, people are being attacked – but let’s get
back to those concerts – ahem, beaches.
There are a surprising number of similarities between a 1975
movie about a killer shark and the pandemic ripping across the planet right
now. It’s the BUT I WANNA. Human nature hasn’t changed in all that time. It’s
always “I’m alright, Jack, and fuck you.” Damn the consequences – until there
are consequences and then it’s BUT I DIDN’T KNOW.
I wanted to ask about the casting…
There’s no role in the movie that was badly cast. It
catapulted Richard Dreyfus and Roy Scheider straight to the A-list. I don’t
know if Scheider was ever that comfortable being a celebrity, but you never
really saw him as a main actor until he moved to TV and Seaquest DSV.
Robert Shaw was already huge by the time Jaws came
along. It’s sad that he died just three years after its release, at only 51.
They all play their parts. Brodie as the island city police chief
that doesn’t like water. Dreyfus, who hunts sharks for a living. Scheider, who
studies them. They’re the perfect trinity.
The wife, the mayor, and the kids all play their roles very
well too. The little brother always blackmailing the big brother so he can go
along is so realistic.
One of the most memorable moments is when Mrs. Kintner
(Lee Fierro) slaps Brody after her son dies because he knew it was dangerous to
go in the water – but when he tried to close the beach, no one would let him!
Isn’t that a bit unfair?
It is, but he’s the figurehead. He’s in charge and he’s
responsible. Even though The Money told him that he can’t do it, that he can’t
shut the beaches, even though he lost all control, he still took the blame. And
it still happens to today. Just look at American politics. It’s never the
person who made the decision who takes the blame.
That theme is one of the most recognizable tunes in
horror. You sort of touched on it before…
John Williams has been one of the most prolific composers of
the last 50 years. You’re talking about the man who’s responsible for Star
Wars, E.T., Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and so much
more. Everything he’s done is instantly recognizable. I can name any of the
movies he’s worked on, and you’d be able to hum the music. Williams is that good.
The music for Jaws is
primeval. It’s from when we first started walking upright. It’s synonymous with
danger. It gets faster and louder and builds until the shark attacks, then it
fades away in a ripple. It’s something you feel as much as you hear.
Even though you’ve got this killer shark biting people in
half, Jaws is incredibly tame by today’s standards. I’d say it’s still
one of the most popular horror movies out there, though. Even youngsters know
to mimic a shark when that music plays. Why do you think Jaws endures
and how well do you think it holds up against more sophisticated modern movies?
Great whites typically aren’t interested in us, we know
that. The only time we end up getting nibbled on is when they think we’re
something else. There are other sharks that will hunt humans like bull
sharks and makos, but not the great white. The shark is a very misunderstood
creature that’s best just left alone. That’s the sadness of Jaws. It’s
like when Steven Irwin died and there was a mass killing of sting rays, which
was against everything he ever stood for. Just. Leave. Them. Alone.
