Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story

As one should expect from director Laurent Bouzereau, this is less a documentary film than an extended version of the bonus features he crafted for special edition DVDs and Blu-rays. Indeed, Bouzereau already created one of the best examples of this type of movie, and Steven Spielberg's legendary film was its subject. The Making of Jaws, produced for MCA/Universal Home Video's Signature Collection imprint special edition laserdisc, was released in 1995 to commemorate the film's 30th anniversary. A significant portion of footage from the video documentary is incorporated into this one. It's the usual talking-head reminiscences from cast and crew (Joe Alves, Carl Gottlieb, John Williams, Lorraine Gary, Jeffrey Voorhees, Jeffrey Kramer, Jonathan Filley) and appreciations by directors who were greatly influenced by the classic movie (George Lucas, Robert Zemeckis, Cameron Crowe, James Cameron, Jordan Peele, J.J. Abrams, Guillermo del Toro, Greg Nicotero), as well as actress Emily Blunt (who has nothing to do with Jaws, but who is starring in Spielberg's latest film and was just hanging around while this doc was being made, I guess?).

Since these are reflections on the legacy of the movie as much as its making, the subtitle, The Definitive Inside Story, is laughably false—The Making of Jaws is far more definitive. The ostensible reason for making this new documentary, aside from having something to screen on the film's 50th anniversary, is the focus on how Jaws initially caused people to fear sharks and hunt them to the point of endangerment, then later inspired scientists and conservationists to understand and explain the vital role these "monsters of the deep" play in the ecosystem of our oceans. Still, only about 10 minutes near the end is devoted to this topic—something author Peter Benchley devoted much of his life to after the success of his best-selling novel and the subsequent blockbuster film, and that his widow, Wendy Benchley (one of this film's producers and on-camera subjects) has continued.

Typical of Bouzereau's style, the film lacks a formal structure beyond the cursory chronological recounting of events. He doesn't build narrative sequences within the linear timeline for us to get swept up in. Of course, the behind-the-scenes stories of this unique and uniquely troubled production are fascinating in and of themselves; it's just that most of us who love the movie already know them all. Thus, this new film does little to justify its existence. Of course, Jaws is arguably one of the ten greatest movies ever made, and its unusual creation and unprecedented, lasting impact on cinema deserve and justify multiple behind-the-scenes documentaries. Still, it's hard to get too excited about this latest one, even if you are fortunate enough, as I was, to watch it on Martha's Vineyard, in an audience full of local celebrities, on the weekend of its subject's 50th anniversary.