Robert Shaw's Explosive Moments on the Set of Jaws: A Case Study
What’s the perfect summer movie? JAWS, of course! In my opinion, JAWs is one of the greatest films of all time but it was born from a volatile environment, who was it who said - Chaos is the fuel that ignites the fire within, pushing us towards greatness. With never-changing script re-writes, cast fallouts and mechanical failures in the sea off Marthas Vineyard its a wonder this film was ever made.
Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece led to a new style of suspense in film, which was quite by accident. Where the filmmakers had to come up with creative ways to solve Bruce the shark’s constant malfunctioning - this just shows that when you are faced with failure, greatness can emerge.
I’ve been a JAWS fan all these years, I have always been fascinated with this film, it’s possibly one of the few movies that’s better than the book. I’ve come back to it time and time again, may be for me it take me back to my childhood in the 1970’s where it was a ‘treat’ to watch this masterpiece, my eyes would always be shielded when the two alpha sharks, Quint and Bruce would face off. My top 3 films were all made in the 1970’s - so is there a case for childhood films staying with you for the long term.
So, let’s now go to Amity Island where a shark is terrorising the local population who are soon to be celebrating a bumper tourist season for July 4 and a ruthless Mayor who will do anything to make sure the celebrations go ahead until his own son is nearly taken by the shark itself.
Our heroes of the story
Brodie, Chief of Police - the classic, unwilling hero, a New Yorker getting used to trivial crime on an island, his fear of water which he needs to overcome to defeat the shark.
Quint, the belligerent, old-school and difficult but skilled Captain.
and Hooper, the rich, intelligent young marine biologist who brings with him modern gadgetry - the perfect antagonist to Quint.
This set up is PURE DYNAMITE.
All the actors in the film portrayed their part perfectly. But none more so, than British acting legend Robert Shaw.
Born on August 9, 1927, in Lancashire, England he originally turned down the role of Quint - he famously said ‘JAWS was not a novel it was a story written by a committee, a piece of sh*t’. Lee Marvin and Sterling Hayden could not step up to the role. Shaw was perfect for the part.
Robert Shaw, nown for his exceptional acting talent but also for causing significant problems on set. Here are some of the key issues he caused during the production of "Jaws":
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