A small, but nice love letter to the classic shark movie.
My father told me he first watched “Jaws” in a Long Branch movie theater that eventually closed down and was where Anne Karas was murdered. And my two memories of seeing it on the big screen consist of a beach screening (which was obviously the better choice than seeing “The Meg” in theaters), and at a special Richard Dreyfus event whose theater (Bergen Performing Arts Center) allowed people to watch the film in the bathroom or at the bar. And when it was on NBC a few weeks ago, I watched it on two different television sets.
This is 2025, which marks the 50th anniversary of the movie’s release, and therefore, National Geographic gives us the documentary “Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story.” It’s a small film (running for 85 minutes) and it isn’t a fully examined doc, but it does make some valuable and informative points regarding the filming process and aftermath.
Directed by Laurent Bouzereau, we start hearing reactions from celebrities who have seen it, like Jordan Peele, Emily Blunt, J.J. Abrams, Guillermo del Toro, and film critic Janet Maslin. We also acknowledge on some of Steven Spielberg’s earlier movies like “Duel” and “The Sugarland Express,” and what lead him to direct “Jaws.” It would happen to be author Peter Benchley, whose book was inspired by real life shark attacks.
We also travel back to Martha’s Vineyard, where the movie was filmed with the town name Amity Town. There’s a scene in this do that acknowledges that people aren’t supposed to jump off the “Jaws” bridge, which a lot of people do anyway. I recall my trip there when my parents’ friends’ son was getting married, and he and his bride jumped off it. He went first and she went second, while holding hands, and it looks pretty painful if you saw the video I took. And I had the courage to jump off too, although I’m no Michael Phelps when it comes to graceful swimming.
The shark, which was nicknamed “Bruce” at the time, had to look realistic, but when it was rushed, there was some problems with it. Therefore, the scheduling and budget was affected by it. Filming took 159 days, and Spielberg had some stress and panic attacks, especially with his responsibility with the cast and crew.
And we also get the problematic increase in shark hunting, as a result of the movie’s box office success. We know that sharks are valuable to our ecosystem, and I think Richard Dreyfuss (who played Matt Hooper in the film) made a speech about it during the end credits of “Into the Deep.” That was the only thing honest about that generic and idiotic shark thriller.
I’m sure many of us fans would have loved for “Jaws @ 50” to go deeper into the filming process and how Spielberg was affected during it. And there are some stories within that aren’t as interesting as the major subjects. But it does explain enough to qualify it as an entertaining doc. And Spielberg considering “Jaws” to be a sequel to “Duel” reminds me on the examination made in “Lynch/OZ,” which was about how even the tiniest detail from “The Wizard of Oz” can influence a movie.
“Jaws” is a generational film that can be seen in repeat viewings without anyone complaining about seeing the same things. In fact, they can experience something unique every time they watch it. I have been able to see different angles on my viewings, and I never dreamed I would celebrate its 50th anniversary. I should have.
Premieres on National Geographic This Thursday