The Jaws Thread

[darkshadows38]

yes i have seen them all i grew up watching them and growing up the only one i never cared for was part 3 (1983) that was the weakest one for me but i loved i say loved cause i dunno how i will feel upon watching it again. i always loved the idea i dunno why a shark had a thing for a certain family even if it's a really stupid idea and on both accounts it is stupid. but i enjoyed part 4 never the less now i dunno if will still be saying that whenever i do get around to actually watch it but that was my opinion growing up.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

never the less now i dunno if will still be saying that whenever i do get around to actually watch it but that was my opinion growing up.

Yeah, it's funny how differently we can see things when revisiting them as adults. I loved all four films growing up, but I've grown to view them very differently now. I'm interested to know how you feel about the sequels after rewatching.

 

[darkshadows38]

for me growing up part 3 i always did love the ending but the rest of the film is forgettable kinda like Superman 3 (1983) has a great ending and the scene where he fights himself is awesome as well but the rest is just plain awful. but yeah there are some films i have wondered why i loved them at all but than there are some that i still love, i bought Maximum Overdrive (1986) on bluray a couple years ago i think? and though that movie gets a lot of flack i love it! it's one of my all time favorite movies and i found out i still love it. my brother also loved it for years and is in fact scared to go back again cause he doesn't want to ruin his memory of the film. even my mom quotes it and she hates horror films as does my dad and he doesn't watch them either.

one i bought last year was Little Monsters (1989) a film i loved for years and when i bought it i found out i still love it! but i dunno about this Series though and honestly it's really shocking they never did anymore well if you count Jaws 5: Cruel Jaws (1995) lol that is but you use that one if ya want to screw with someone's mind he he

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I've just stumbled upon this early working script for Jaws 3-D.

Lots of similarities to the finished film, but also a number of intriguing differences, such as dolphins named Bobby and Daisy, or Mike having flashbacks to the pond sequence from the original film. The end sequence is a bit more brutal, with Mike running out of air and the poor shark getting impaled on glass before being blown up. And Kelly doesn't come out of the shark's mouth quite so well in this version.

Bad news for @Sarah, though. Kathryn's still smiling angelically to the very end.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Watching the instruments come in as the piece builds takes this to a completely different level....

Then there's this: Richard Dreyfuss and John Williams watching a scene from Jaws together and exchanging smiles, before John works his magic... live!

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The last couple of weeks I've been listening to the Jaws scores a hell of a lot - especially John Williams's music from the first two.

For no particular reason (other than perhaps getting it out of my system) I thought I'd make a Top Five tracks per film. Doing this has really shown me that the first film is absolutely my favourite score, because I struggled with paring this one down, and just had to do a Top Twelve tracks for that film which could each be #1 on their own merit.

I'll drop them in the following posts...

 

[Mel O'Drama]

My Top Five Twelve tracks from the Jaws score:



1. Great Chase
In which Bruce comes back for his noon feeding, is pursued and goes under with two barrels on him.


2. Man Against Beast
In which Bruce reveals himself, Brody thinks Quint's gonna need a bigger boat, Quint has a friendly radio chat with Mrs Brody and barrels are fired.


3. The First Victim
In which Chrissie takes her final swim.


4. The Empty Raft
In which Alex Kintner's pruning hands are the least of his problems, and Brody has a Vertigo moment.


5. Promenade (Tourists On The Menu)
In which invading Summer Dinks exit the ferry and spill out all over the dock.


6. Main Title
In which the audience is unsettled and conditioned to respond to sound with fear.


7. Quint’s Tale
In which old horrors are retold in a gripping monologue.


8. Blown To Bits
In which Brody tells Bruce to smile, the audience cheers and peace is resumed.


9. Ben Gardner's Boat
In which a tooth is found and lost and Hooper discovers the consequences of losing one's head when at sea.


10. The Pier Incident
In which Brody reads up on sharks and a holiday roast is gobbled up.


11. End Title
In which the survivors return to shore.


12. Into The Estuary
In which young Michael Brody realises the pond isn't for old ladies.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

My Top Five tracks from the Jaws 2 score:



1. End Title / End Cast
In which the terror is over and Williams showcases two very different tones.


2. The Water Skier / Fire On Board
In which Bruce II breaks the speed limit, eats a cold cut and then decides on a barbecue.


3. Main Title
In which two divers and one enormous shark visit the wreck of the Orca.


4. The Photo
In which Brody sees his worst suspicions confirmed.


5. The Menu
In which enticing little nuggets present themselves to the shark and Brody rides his tower.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

My Top Five tracks from the Jaws 3-D score:




1. It’s Alive / Seaworld Opening Day / Silver Bullet
In which we get a sanitised showcase of evil Seaworld and its colourful performers.


2. Main Title
In which a grouper is gobbled and the audience's eyes are assaulted with red Eighties telescoping.


3. Dolphin Chase [Telex Version]
In which Cindy and Sandy save the day.


4. Panic At Seaworld
In which there's panic. At Seaworld.


5. The Shark's Gonna Hit Us
In which a static shark glides into a control office, Mike McGuyvers up a solution and Alan Parker goes Stravinsky mad.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

My Top Five tracks from the Jaws The Revenge score:



1. Ellen Goes Out To Sea
In which Mrs Brody steals a boat to find a shark in the middle of the ocean.


2. Main Title
In which we're reminded of John Williams's greatness, with a late Eighties flourish.


3. Don’t Tell Mother
In which Mike wants to keep his pet fish a secret, and twinkly music tells us he may not succeed.


4. Ellen’s Dream
In which Ellen is eaten by a shark (but not really).


5. Ellen Flies Plane
In which Michael Caine gives lessons in his own inimitable way.

 

[DallasFanForever]

@Mel O'Drama ur forcing me to go look for my JAWS soundtrack CD now LOL!!
I just hope I can still find it as this is all making me very nostalgic.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Oh, never mind! I just realized I can click on any of those and it just pops up. Ur the best!!

 

[Mel O'Drama]

ur forcing me to go look for my JAWS soundtrack CD now LOL!!
I just hope I can still find it as this is all making me very nostalgic.

You have the CD?! What excellent taste you have, DFF.

(But of course, I knew that already ).

Oh, never mind! I just realized I can click on any of those and it just pops up. Ur the best!!

Oh, thanks. I aim to please. Enjoy them!!

 

[DallasFanForever]

You have the CD?! What excellent taste you have, DFF.

(But of course, I knew that already ).







Oh, thanks. I aim to please. Enjoy them!!

I bought the soundtrack around the time of the original movie release’s 25th anniversary. I’d listen to it all the time. My whole family thought I had flipped. They’d laugh at me but I didn’t care. I wish I knew what happened to it now but ahhhhhh, the beauty of the internet!!

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I bought the soundtrack around the time of the original movie release’s 25th anniversary.

Oh yes - there was quite a lot of Jaws stuff going on around the 25th anniversary, I seem to remember. We had the soundtrack, the DVD and the updated version of The Jaws Log book. We were really lucky.

It's hard to believe the 25th is now over 20 years ago. The next big anniversary will be the 50th in four years' time. I wonder what treats will come along with that!!

I’d listen to it all the time. My whole family thought I had flipped. They’d laugh at me but I didn’t care.

I can relate. Not everyone "gets" film scores on CD, and I've had some funny looks over the years for the same reason. But like you I love them and I can't get enough of the Jaws score.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Oh yes - there was quite a lot of Jaws stuff going on around the 25th anniversary, I seem to remember. We had the soundtrack, the DVD and the updated version of The Jaws Log book. We were really lucky.

It's hard to believe the 25th is now over 20 years ago. The next big anniversary will be the 50th in four years' time. I wonder what treats will come along with that!!





I can relate. Not everyone "gets" film scores on CD, and I've had some funny looks over the years for the same reason. But like you I love them and I can't get enough of the Jaws score.

The thing I liked the most about the DVD release was the interviews with Spielberg and others talking about the mechanical shark and the footage of it. I had never seen any of that stuff before and it was really cool to see how they created the shark and the problems they ran into in that pre-CGI world of the mid- 1970s.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The thing I liked the most about the DVD release was the interviews with Spielberg and others talking about the mechanical shark and the footage of it. I had never seen any of that stuff before and it was really cool to see how they created the shark and the problems they ran into in that pre-CGI world of the mid- 1970s.

Yes, and definitely the same for me. It was really exciting to get that supplemental material about the making of the film, which you just didn't get with VHS.

I know the shark may not look that impressive compared with today's technology, but what they did had really never been done before. And it still works. I've watched numerous reaction videos of younger people watching for the first time and they still jump and scream at all the right places.

I'm fascinated by the making of the film, which is legendary. And those deleted and hidden scenes as well.

​

I don't believe I've ever seen this one before....

 

[DallasFanForever]

Those pictures remind me of when I first saw the film. I was a teenager and to me I just didn’t understand how everyone would say the shark looked fake. Of course, knowing what we know now and going by modern technology, I understand the comments but I think they did a wonderful job considering what they had to work with.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Those pictures remind me of when I first saw the film. I was a teenager and to me I just didn’t understand how everyone would say the shark looked fake.

Yes - it's the same for me. I was seven when I first watched the film and was too invested (and terrified) to question anything. I completely believed everything I saw.

Of course, knowing what we know now and going by modern technology, I understand the comments but I think they did a wonderful job considering what they had to work with.

Absolutely. Even when I've watched in recent years in unforgiving HD, I'm still bowled over by a number of moments where it just convinces. The way the shark is cleverly hidden or only partially seen for most of the film works in its favour as well (I know some of it was because the shark didn't work, but there were also a number of wise choices about not showing too much that most shark films aren't successful at).

It helps that everything was done practically, and so there's a real truth to it. Most of the time when they're out at sea, they're actually filming in the ocean. When the shark bursts through the window of the Orca at Brody, we're actually seeing it as it played out. It was a nightmare to shoot, and there's a lot they did then that would never be permitted now with health and safety laws. But the results are amazing.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I think the scene that gets me to this day is when we first see the shark. There’s no music, no buildup, and then there he is. And then Martin backing up with that look on his face, then Quint’s reaction as he looks out at the ocean and sees the shark for the first time. And then we see it swimming next to the Orca so we can appreciate its size. That scene literally gives me chills to this day. Mechanical shark or not, that scared me the first time I saw it and it still affects me now. I think it’s the best scene of the entire movie but obviously that’s very debatable.