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Jaws Debuts on June 20, 1975
The blockbuster film Jaws (1975) debuted 42 years ago today. It is one of my all-time favorite movies. To celebrate, here are some facts about the movie:
- Based on the book by Peter Benchley, who appeared in the movie as the “Interviewer” on the beach. The book is very, very different from the movie.
- This was Steven Spielberg’s first large-scale film. He was initially concerned about being typecast and complained: “Who wants to be known as a shark-and-truck director?”
- The opening scene, “Chrissie’s Last Swim,” took three days to shoot. It is one of the best opening scenes according to WatchMojo.com (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74BE-_jsEmc).
- Roy Scheider’s famous “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” line was adlibbed.
- An alternate title was Stillness in the Water.
- The estimated budget was $8,000,000 and grossed over $470,000,000 worldwide. It is the 7th highest grossing ever film in the US.
- The film was nominated for 4 Oscars including Best Picture, which it lost. It won for Best Sound, Best Film Editing, and Best Music, Original Dramatic Score.
- Three mechanical sharks were built for production and nicknamed “Bruce,” for Spielberg’s lawyer Bruce Ramer. None of the sharks worked well; therefore, the movie doesn’t have many shots of them.
- John William’s iconic theme music was dismissed as a joke by Spielberg.
- Richard Dreyfuss’ character “Hooper” dies in the novel and original script.
The movie is a staple of streaming services; however, it is only for rent/purchase. It is summertime after all.
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