Thank you, Steven Spielberg, for giving us a treasure trove of timeless classics that all began with this groundbreaking masterpiece.
Even a masterpiece like Jaws has its imperfections — after all, nobody’s perfect — but some of these quirks have only enhanced its legendary status.
The truth behind the iconic line
But when Jaws was first test-screened, everyone in the audience was so startled by the shark’s appearance that they were still screaming when Scheider dropped his iconic line. Because Speilberg didn’t want real audiences to miss the line, he & the editors extended the scene enough for people to settle back down and start paying attention again after seeing the shark; he also raised the volume of Scheider’s voice for good measure.
According to writer Carl Gottlieb, Roy Scheider also ad-libbed the iconic line ”You’re gonna need a bigger boat,” which only adds to the goosebumps-inducing magic of that scene.
John Williams eerie music
Composer John Williams’ eerie music made the movie a timeless classic.
But when Williams first played his score for Jaws to director Steven Spielberg, Spielberg couldn’t help but laugh, saying, “That’s funny, John, really; but what did you really have in mind for the theme of Jaws?”
Little did Spielberg know, that simple, iconic two-note tune would become a game-changer. Spielberg later admitted that without Williams’s score, the movie would have been only half as successful. And for Williams? It was the start of a legendary career.
