You have made me want to rewatch the film and reread the book now. I love Peter Benchley's writing and remember reading both Jaws and The Deep and being immersed. Great, read this.
Did you notice the (literal) typos in that form that Brody is typing? In both places he types “CORNER” instead of Coroner. I wonder if this was intentional, and if so why. Seems a strange, small detail. I can almost hear it said with a NY accent and a Boston accent. Unlikely to have been just a mistake, I reckon. What do you think?
Great catch! I hadn't, and I have no idea if it was intentional either. It's the kind of thing that would slip through the cracks and, at the time, there were no onset monitors to check what was just shot to catch something like this. But at the same time, it's so...accurate. Brody is probably not college educated. Might not have even been a strong student. Nothing suggests otherwise. He's a NY cop. I think it's most likely it was intentional -- and kind of a brilliant detail.
I am that person, lol. But it is a lovely detail. We can choose to see it is intentional, as you say - another small bit of character building. A policeman who’s on the case, not a desk-bound paper shuffler, perhaps.
I saved this article so I could write you, Cole, because one of my brothers and I have always talked about the first 15 minutes of Jaws exactly like you do -- it's a marvel of unforced exposition and character introduction. Thanks for bringing further insight (it's its own little 3-act play, and the fact the movie actually accomplishes these things in 10 minutes rather than 15. Astounding. Appreciate your insights and knowledge!
I'm glad it resonated with you in any way, White. It's perfection in every way. I can't even imagine a different shot in place of any that were chosen. Thanks for reading!
I’ve had a stupidly busy fortnight so I’m only just getting to this now. What a great read! I’ve seen this film more than any other very much enjoyed being able to read your analysis while visualising each scene. It certainly moves at a lick! Wonderful film!
Nice breakdown. Seeing some of the decisions made from script to screen was interesting. I have probably watched Jaws as much as any other movie. It is so well-made.
Imagine if ‘Bruce’ (the prod nickname for the mechanical shark) had actually worked as planned. How different the film would be. Would Spielberg have the career he had following ‘Jaws’? As it stood, he pulled an ace out of a shit show and as a result we’re thankful of the many cinematic memories his career has given us to date. What a genius.
In the 1931 "DRACULA", Van Helsing and others see something through the window. They just describe it because they can't actually shoot what the audience needs to know is there. "Oh look, it's a wolf, that's weird, so creepy, am I right?" - not quite those words. I always think of this scene when the subject you just brought up is brought up. In 1931, director James Whale was largely a point and shoot or point-and-move guy who used editing in a very conventional way (I love him and he was light years ahead of most of his contemporaries, but by today's standards...simplistic). In 1975, Steven Spielberg was told "there's no shark (wolf)" and more or less said, "Hold my beer." This anecdote might only make sense to me, but it's a glimpse inside what I think about cinema, I guess.
I rewatched this recently and caught a nice detail in that ferry scene; Vaughns' car has 'Vaughn Realty' prominently written on the passenger door, just in case anyone was wondering where his loyalties lie :p
Such a great breakdown… those first minutes really are a masterclass in pacing and character building. Funny though, to see so much action in those parenthesis. Nowadays, that’s so controversial. But I love them here. So economical and effective.
I don't mind parentheticals myself, though I try to limit them to two lines; they can get extreme in the JAWS script. I even include them in dialogue now if it makes what's happening read more naturalistic. A newer trick is bracketed comments, to suggest what someone is not saying. For example, "What the...are you talking about?" This doesn't imply the decision to censor oneself. But, "What the [fuck] are you talking about?" does. You need context around it, of course, but scripts are very flexible things. I hate rules beyond "How do I make this emotionally land with readers?"
Great analysis of a great film! I remember those first minutes pretty well, and the knot in my stomach when I first saw it was there reading this all these decades later!
I’m not a big fan of the horror genre too much of which depends apparently on jumping out if the closet yelling “boo!” But Jaws is impressively different, especially for hiding the shark for so long. But I have to say that my very limited experience with beach towns I always interpreted the local interested population as more blue collar because if you had money you took off time from work and hauled the family to the beach but if you didn’t have money you stayed on working to take the richer visitors money while they were there knowing that money had to last you until the next summer when visitors returned. And the people who depended on that money elected a mayor who would protect their livelihood. As for the New York police background, NYC’s reputation fir crime and corruption when the film was released would have the audience (including me) nodding our heads thinking “good move, Brody, getting you and your family out of that mess and landing such a nice gig”.
Yes, I think we're all meant to think Brody getting out of NYC is a good thing for him and his family - which is why being attacked by nature, rather than criminals, is such a delicious narrative twist!
You did a brilliant job of breaking down the opening 14 minutes of the film. Thank you, Cole. It was exciting actually to read the dialogue off of the pages. 👏✨
You have made me want to rewatch the film and reread the book now. I love Peter Benchley's writing and remember reading both Jaws and The Deep and being immersed. Great, read this.
Did you ever read The Girl of the Sea of Cortez? Another good one!
It’s now on my list, thank you
Thanks, Jon!
Did you notice the (literal) typos in that form that Brody is typing? In both places he types “CORNER” instead of Coroner. I wonder if this was intentional, and if so why. Seems a strange, small detail. I can almost hear it said with a NY accent and a Boston accent. Unlikely to have been just a mistake, I reckon. What do you think?
Great catch! I hadn't, and I have no idea if it was intentional either. It's the kind of thing that would slip through the cracks and, at the time, there were no onset monitors to check what was just shot to catch something like this. But at the same time, it's so...accurate. Brody is probably not college educated. Might not have even been a strong student. Nothing suggests otherwise. He's a NY cop. I think it's most likely it was intentional -- and kind of a brilliant detail.
I am that person, lol. But it is a lovely detail. We can choose to see it is intentional, as you say - another small bit of character building. A policeman who’s on the case, not a desk-bound paper shuffler, perhaps.
I saved this article so I could write you, Cole, because one of my brothers and I have always talked about the first 15 minutes of Jaws exactly like you do -- it's a marvel of unforced exposition and character introduction. Thanks for bringing further insight (it's its own little 3-act play, and the fact the movie actually accomplishes these things in 10 minutes rather than 15. Astounding. Appreciate your insights and knowledge!
I'm glad it resonated with you in any way, White. It's perfection in every way. I can't even imagine a different shot in place of any that were chosen. Thanks for reading!
I’ve had a stupidly busy fortnight so I’m only just getting to this now. What a great read! I’ve seen this film more than any other very much enjoyed being able to read your analysis while visualising each scene. It certainly moves at a lick! Wonderful film!
I thought you'd enjoy this one, given your love for JAWS. I'm glad to hear I wasn't wrong!
This is great and really helpful. Thanks for posting it.
You're welcome. I'm glad to hear it helped in any way!
Nice breakdown. Seeing some of the decisions made from script to screen was interesting. I have probably watched Jaws as much as any other movie. It is so well-made.
It's a film I constantly find new details in, and I have seen it...a lot.
Imagine if ‘Bruce’ (the prod nickname for the mechanical shark) had actually worked as planned. How different the film would be. Would Spielberg have the career he had following ‘Jaws’? As it stood, he pulled an ace out of a shit show and as a result we’re thankful of the many cinematic memories his career has given us to date. What a genius.
In the 1931 "DRACULA", Van Helsing and others see something through the window. They just describe it because they can't actually shoot what the audience needs to know is there. "Oh look, it's a wolf, that's weird, so creepy, am I right?" - not quite those words. I always think of this scene when the subject you just brought up is brought up. In 1931, director James Whale was largely a point and shoot or point-and-move guy who used editing in a very conventional way (I love him and he was light years ahead of most of his contemporaries, but by today's standards...simplistic). In 1975, Steven Spielberg was told "there's no shark (wolf)" and more or less said, "Hold my beer." This anecdote might only make sense to me, but it's a glimpse inside what I think about cinema, I guess.
I rewatched this recently and caught a nice detail in that ferry scene; Vaughns' car has 'Vaughn Realty' prominently written on the passenger door, just in case anyone was wondering where his loyalties lie :p
Never noticed it before, thought it was cool.
Great catch!
Such a great breakdown… those first minutes really are a masterclass in pacing and character building. Funny though, to see so much action in those parenthesis. Nowadays, that’s so controversial. But I love them here. So economical and effective.
I don't mind parentheticals myself, though I try to limit them to two lines; they can get extreme in the JAWS script. I even include them in dialogue now if it makes what's happening read more naturalistic. A newer trick is bracketed comments, to suggest what someone is not saying. For example, "What the...are you talking about?" This doesn't imply the decision to censor oneself. But, "What the [fuck] are you talking about?" does. You need context around it, of course, but scripts are very flexible things. I hate rules beyond "How do I make this emotionally land with readers?"
Oohhh. I like that. And agreed!
Great analysis of a great film! I remember those first minutes pretty well, and the knot in my stomach when I first saw it was there reading this all these decades later!
I wish I'd been able to see JAWS on the screen for the first time instead of in my friend's living room.
Jaws is a masterpiece. Getting my 16-year old son hooked on it (and other Spielberg films) is one of my major achievements this year.
Well done!
This was already one of my favourite movies and you've made me appreciate it even more now 👏
Well then, mission accomplished. Thanks for reading, Dylan!
I’m not a big fan of the horror genre too much of which depends apparently on jumping out if the closet yelling “boo!” But Jaws is impressively different, especially for hiding the shark for so long. But I have to say that my very limited experience with beach towns I always interpreted the local interested population as more blue collar because if you had money you took off time from work and hauled the family to the beach but if you didn’t have money you stayed on working to take the richer visitors money while they were there knowing that money had to last you until the next summer when visitors returned. And the people who depended on that money elected a mayor who would protect their livelihood. As for the New York police background, NYC’s reputation fir crime and corruption when the film was released would have the audience (including me) nodding our heads thinking “good move, Brody, getting you and your family out of that mess and landing such a nice gig”.
Yes, I think we're all meant to think Brody getting out of NYC is a good thing for him and his family - which is why being attacked by nature, rather than criminals, is such a delicious narrative twist!
Btw, very much enjoying these insights into my favorite form of art
Thanks, Robert!
You did a brilliant job of breaking down the opening 14 minutes of the film. Thank you, Cole. It was exciting actually to read the dialogue off of the pages. 👏✨
Thanks for reading, Yolanda!