The Making of Steven Spielberg’s ‘Jaws’ (1995)

Directed by: Laurent Bouzereau | 125 minutes | documentary | Starring: Steven Spielberg, Richard D. Zanuck, Richard Dreyfuss, David Brown, Carl Gottlieb, Roy Scheider, Peter Benchley, Susan Backlinie, Joe Alves, Bill Butler, Sid Sheinberg, Ron Taylor, Valerie Taylor, Dick Warlock

If you’re a fan of ‘Jaws’, this ‘The Making of…’ is a must. From the first idea that sprang from the mind of writer Peter Benchley, to the audience’s reactions to the test screenings, this documentary is a textbook example of how a classic film is made and how you should make a documentary. In 1995, French documentary maker Laurent Bouzereau managed to unite these two elements and make a classic documentary about one of the most beloved films of all time: ‘Jaws’.

Even those who are not fans of the film will be able to enjoy it, although those viewers will certainly have to sit down for it in the beginning. ‘The Making of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws’ lasts about as long as the film itself. While the investment in time is definitely worth it, it does take a while to get things going. Producers David Brown and Richard Zanuck speak extensively in the beginning, including about how the rights were acquired and how the casting process went. Nice for the connoisseurs that actors like Sterling Hayden and Lee thanked Marvin (for the role of Quint), but not everyone will find that interesting. The same goes for the storyline in the book and where the film deviates from. In the meantime, enthusiasts will enjoy it. Because even the most seasoned fan will discover enough “new” facts to fuel the love for ‘Jaws’ even further.

There are extensive interviews with the producers (the aforementioned Zanuck and Brown), Spielberg himself – who was a beardless 27-year-old lanky at the time – and much of the cast and crew. From Susan Backlinie, who plays the unfortunate Chrissie in the opening scene, to writer Carl Gottlieb – who had a small part in the film and wrote a wonderful diary (The Jaws Log) about his experiences on set – and the special effects people who shark designed. The protagonists, Roy Scheider (who played Commissioner Martin Brody), Lorraine Gary (Brody’s wife Ellen) and Richard Dreyfuss (shark expert Matt Hooper) also have their say. The big absentee is Robert Shaw, who played the memorable role of Quint. Shaw died young of a heart attack in 1978, just three years after ‘Jaws’ came out. His view on the production and his own role in it could have been a nice addition. Fortunately, Over Shaw is spoken.

Appreciation for how good the “Summer of the White Shark” movie ultimately turned out can only grow as the production problems become apparent. The biggest problem, of course, was that the mechanical shark (of which there were three versions and which was christened “Bruce” after Spielberg’s lawyer) usually didn’t work. It resulted in endless delays, with the accompanying frustrations for cast and crew and skyrocketing costs. Days passed without usable shots and although the memories of those involved may have softened over the years, it is clear that the shots were not a bed of roses. Dreyfuss and Shaw argued, partly over the latter’s drinking, and just about everything that could go wrong went wrong.

Bouzereau spoons it all up neatly and seamlessly strings the different segments together in a fluid presentation of the making of the film. Not a single facet is skipped. Every viewer will have their favourites: of how Shaw’s famous monologue about the “USS Indianapolis” came to be – the documentary tells different versions! –, how Australian documentary makers (and couple) Ron and Valerie Taylor shot footage of real white sharks with a lilliputian in a shark cage and what went wrong, changing a pivotal scene in the film or one of many other amusing anecdotes the production spawned.

It was Bouzereau’s debut film in 1995 as a director, but he went on to make literally hundreds of them: behind-the-scenes peeks at Spielberg’s films (such as ‘Jurassic Park’ and the ‘Indiana Jones’ series), analyzes of how certain special effects are made. to complete reconstructions of classics like ‘Psycho’ and other Alfred Hitchcock films. It is too much to mention, but it should be clear that with ‘The Making of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws’ he immediately established himself as a big name in the film circuit.

Together with ‘The Shark is Still Working’, ‘The Making of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws’ is a very nice addition to the film itself. Highly recommended!