We’re gonna need a bigger boat, and apparently another documentary.
There’s always a lot of fun arguments to be had vis-a-vis what the greatest movie ever made might be. It’s the sort of thing that cinema obsessives (such as me) and normal people with families and responsibilities (such as you, presumably) alike can sink their teeth into. But when someone declares Jaws to be the greatest of all time, the response is generally “Look… fair.” because, well, it really is superb. Go watch it again. Take the day off. I’ll wait.
See? That’s why we’re celebrating elder wunderkind Steven Spielberg‘s second (or third, arguably – possibly fourth) feature 50 years later, with a brand spankin’ new retrospective documentary: Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story.
Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story Trailer
What’s the plot?
So, this guy in an old chicken coop writes a book about a fish, and later this kid from a broken home almost goes insane trying to turn it into a movie as he contends with a malfunctioning mechanical shark, an alcoholic star, studio pressures, and other sundry disasters. But it all turns out okay in the end – the movie became the first to ever gross $100m, changing cinema forever, and the kid became the greatest filmmaker of his generation. You know, that old saw horse.
Who’s in it?
A pretty impressive roster of production veterans and celebrity fans, including:
- Steven Spielberg, obviously.
- Lorraine Gary, who played Ellen Brody in three out of the four Jaws films.
- Carl Gottlieb, actor and co-screenwriter (his book, The Jaws Log, is essential)
- John Williams, score composer and absolute legend.
- Special effects maestro and Jaws 3D director Joe Alves.
- Wendy Benchley, widow of original Jaws author Peter Benchley.
- Ian Shaw, son of Jaws star Robert Shaw.
- Emily Blunt
- Jordan Peele
- J.J. Abrams
- James Cameron
- Guillermo del Toro
- Steven Soderbergh
- Robert Zemeckis
- George Lucas
- Cameron Crowe
When’s it out?
Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story is streaming exclusively on Disney+ from July 14.
What’s the vibe?
With the caveat that this is well-turned earth and we’re unlikely to learn anything too revelatory at this stage of the game, this looks pretty great.
