‹ All movies

The Rewatchables ·

Jaws

year 1975decade 70sdirector Steven Spielberggenre Thriller
host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Sean Fennessey
All 14 categories

Most Rewatchable Scene · 27:59

The nighttime boat sequence, Indianapolis speech and ending

Bill Simmons: The opening attack and the diving discovery of a head are honorable mentions.

Bill Simmons: The beach attack, son mimicking his father, Indianapolis speech, Quint’s death and final shark confrontation are nominated.

The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie · 1:16:16

You’re going to need a bigger boat

Chris Ryan: The bigger-boat line is the leading choice, with its frequent we-versus-you misquotation noted.

The film

Jaws (1975)

Directed by Steven Spielberg · Thriller

124 minutes [ 2 ]

IMDb Letterboxd JustWatch Find on Rotten Tomatoes
Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Everything from the episode

In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.

31:53

Half-Assed Internet Research

An extraordinarily troubled shoot shaped the finished film

An extraordinarily troubled shoot shaped the finished film

In the discussion (23)
Approx. transcript time · 00:31:53Read transcript
  • Spielberg reportedly paid for the additional floating-head scare himself, filming a model in a pool clouded with powdered milk. — Bill Simmons
  • Spielberg reportedly tried to leave Jaws for Lucky Lady but was blocked. The discussion names its director as Stanley Donnan in the transcript and its cast as Liza Minnelli, Burt Reynolds and Gene Hackman, calls it a hit that has become obscure, and says Lucas recruited its British crew for Star Wars. — Sean Fennessey
  • Shallow ocean depth allowed recovery of the mechanical shark, which required continuous maintenance. — Chris Ryan
  • Spielberg reportedly regretted not using a tank, while the speakers defend the real ocean as essential to the movie. — Bill Simmons
  • Unwanted boats, soaked equipment and a sinking vessel contributed to a shoot expanding far beyond its schedule. — Bill Simmons
  • A reported anticipated crew prank prompted Spielberg to leave before the final shot. — Bill Simmons
  • The Making of Jaws is strongly recommended for its extensive interviews and production history. — Sean Fennessey
  • Visions of Light is cited for Michael Chapman’s account of rejecting fixed tripod shots because tilting boat horizons would make audiences sick, leading to fluid handheld work. The speaker is uncertain whether Chapman was Jaws’s camera operator and connects him with later Raging Bull cinematography. — Chris Ryan
  • Shaw’s drinking and antagonism toward Dreyfuss are described through production accounts and documentary recollections. — Bill Simmons
  • A reported escalating cash dare to jump from the mast ended when Spielberg intervened to protect the actor needed for filming. — Bill Simmons
  • The mechanical shark was reportedly named Bruce after Spielberg’s lawyer. — Bill Simmons
  • The tracking-and-zoom shot is admired as iconic, with concern that repeating it now would feel clichéd.
  • Mythbusters reportedly found that shooting the tank would not cause the film’s explosion.
  • A writer whose surname is uncertain in the transcript, heard as Gabbler or Gables, is credited with interpreting Dreyfuss as science, Quint as spiritualism and Brody as the common man. The speakers find the spiritualism label amusing and call the interpretation overthinking while enjoying the idea that the common man succeeds. — Bill Simmons
  • The Taylors reportedly used a smaller diver and cage to make real shark footage look proportionally larger. — Bill Simmons
  • Footage of an empty cage attack reportedly led to Hooper surviving; the shark’s accidental snag also entered the rewritten scene. — Sean Fennessey
  • Mrs. Kintner’s performer reportedly struck the actor for real across seventeen takes because a fake slap was difficult. — Bill Simmons
  • Benchley reportedly objected to the tank climax and was removed from the set; he also appears as a reporter. — Bill Simmons
  • A proposed Quint introduction mocking Moby Dick was abandoned when Peck reportedly withheld permission because he disliked his performance. — Bill Simmons
  • The extra head scare reportedly weakened the later shark scare, prompting a single-major-scare lesson; the speakers question whether that holds in the trailer-heavy present. — Bill Simmons
  • The reshoot reportedly cost Spielberg three thousand dollars; a tarp helped cover the milk-clouded pool. — Bill Simmons
  • The filming schedule went from 52 days to 155 days. — Bill Simmons
  • Shaw reportedly kept fleeing back to Canada because staying in the United States too long would mean paying taxes. — Bill Simmons
Share this discussion More Half-Assed Internet Research answers
42:42

Casting What-Ifs

Robert Duvall, Lee Marvin, Sterling Hayden and alternative Hoopers

Robert Duvall, Lee Marvin, Sterling Hayden and alternative Hoopers

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:42:42Read transcript
  • Duvall reportedly wanted Quint rather than Brody, but was considered too young for Quint. — Bill Simmons
  • Duvall as Brody draws mixed reactions, including disagreement about whether he seems New York enough. — Bill Simmons
  • Marvin and Hayden reportedly turned down Quint; Hayden is received enthusiastically. — Bill Simmons
  • Reed is another reported Quint alternative; the proposed Voight Hooper casting prompts relief that it did not happen. — Bill Simmons
  • Kline as Hooper is considered workable. — Bill Simmons
  • Heston is considered too commanding for Brody; Bottoms, Gray and Bridges are Hooper possibilities, with Gray judged strange. — Sean Fennessey
  • Heston reportedly resented the rejection and said he would not work with Spielberg. — Bill Simmons
  • Hayden’s tax situation is given as the reason he could not take Quint. — Bill Simmons
Share this discussion More Casting What-Ifs answers
49:50

Picking Nits

Mayor Vaughn’s risks and Quint’s decisions

Mayor Vaughn’s risks and Quint’s decisions

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:49:50Read transcript
  • The mayor’s willingness to risk deaths for beach business is questioned, with a defense based on the town’s compressed tourist season. — Chris Ryan
  • The objection returns alongside joking support for the mayor’s pro-business platform. — Sean Fennessey
  • Quint’s destruction of the radio traps the others in a dangerous mission when outside help would be preferable. — Chris Ryan
Share this discussion More Picking Nits answers
1:19:14

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Vaughn’s reelection, Quint’s missing decades and a possible sequel

Vaughn’s reelection, Quint’s missing decades and a possible sequel

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:19:14Read transcript
  • The mayor probably loses reelection, though a joking campaign defense stresses the rest of the tourist season and shared recovery.
  • Quint’s intervening decades are imagined through heavy drinking, trauma and shark hunting.
  • The barrel-and-harpoon plan is questioned and compared with the novel’s ending.
  • The status of Jaws 2 is disputed, leading to a forty-years-later proposal in which the youngest Brody is police chief and Alex Kintner’s younger brother is a vengeful mayor. — Bill Simmons
  • Hooper is imagined as mayor or head of an oceanographic institute, with a joke about adopting the mast-dare behavior.
Share this discussion More Probably Unanswerable Questions answers