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===Casting===
===Casting===
[[Roy Scheider]] reluctantly returned to reprise his role as Martin Brody. He had quit the role of 'Michael Vronsky' in ''[[The Deer Hunter]]'' two weeks into the production because of "creative differences".<ref name="kach73">Kachmar, p 73</ref> Universal used Sheider's failure to fulfill this contractual obligation to force him to appear in ''Jaws 2''. The actor heavily resisted the film, claiming that there was nothing new to create and that people would be watching the film to see the shark, not him.<ref name="kach73"/> He even pleaded insanity and "went crazy" at [[The Beverly Hills Hotel]], but the stunt did not prevent him from appearing in ''Jaws 2''.<ref name="kach73"/> He made ''[[Marathon Man (film)|Marathon Man]]'' and ''[[Sorcerer (film)|Sorcerer]]'' to put as much time as he could between the two ''Jaws'' films.<ref name="kach74">Kachmar, p 74</ref> However, he was given an attractive financial package for appearing in ''Jaws 2''; he quadrupled his base salary from the first film, and negotiated points (a percentage of the film's net profits).<ref name="kach74"/> ''The Star'' newspaper reported that Scheider received $500,000 for 12 weeks work, plus $35,000 for each additional week that the schedule ran over.<ref name="kach74"/>
[[Roy Scheider]] reluctantly returned to reprise his role as Martin Brody. He had quit the role of 'Michael Vronsky' in ''[[The Deer Hunter]]'' two weeks into the production because of "creative differences".<ref name="kach73">Kachmar, p 73</ref> Universal used Sheider's failure to fulfill this contractual obligation to force him to appear in ''Jaws 2''. The actor heavily resisted the film, claiming that there was nothing new to create and that people would be watching the film to see the shark, not him.<ref name="kach73"/> He made ''[[Marathon Man (film)|Marathon Man]]'' and ''[[Sorcerer (film)|Sorcerer]]'' to put as much time as he could between the two ''Jaws'' films.<ref name="kach74">Kachmar, p 74</ref> However, he was given an attractive financial package for appearing in ''Jaws 2''; he quadrupled his base salary from the first film, and negotiated points (a percentage of the film's net profits).<ref name="kach74"/> ''The Star'' newspaper reported that Scheider received $500,000 for 12 weeks work, plus $35,000 for each additional week that the schedule ran over.<ref name="kach74"/>


Despite his reluctance, Scheider pledged to do the best job that he could, wanting to make Brody believable.<ref name="kach75">Kachmar, p 75</ref> However, the atmosphere was tense on the set, and he often argued with director Szwarc. On one occasion, Scheider complained (in front of extras) that Szwarc was wasting time with technical issues and the extras whilst ignoring the principal actors.<ref name="kach76">Kachmar, p 76</ref> A meeting was called with the two, David Brown and Verna Fields, in which Scheider and Szwarc were encouraged to settle their differences. The discussion became heated and a physical fight broke out, which Brown and Fields broke up.<ref name="kach76"/> The rift was also articulated in written correspondence. In a letter to Szwarc, Scheider wrote that "working with Jeannot Szwarc is knowing he will never say he is sorry or ever admitting he overlooked something. Well enough of that shit for me!" He requested an apology from the director for not consulting him.<ref name="loynd103"/> Szwarc's reply focused upon completing the film to the "best possible" standard.
Despite his reluctance, Scheider pledged to do the best job that he could, wanting to make Brody believable.<ref name="kach75">Kachmar, p 75</ref> However, the atmosphere was tense on the set, and he often argued with director Szwarc. On one occasion, Scheider complained (in front of extras) that Szwarc was wasting time with technical issues and the extras whilst ignoring the principal actors.<ref name="kach76">Kachmar, p 76</ref> A meeting was called with the two, David Brown and Verna Fields, in which Scheider and Szwarc were encouraged to settle their differences. The discussion became heated and a physical fight broke out, which Brown and Fields broke up.<ref name="kach76"/> The rift was also articulated in written correspondence. In a letter to Szwarc, Scheider wrote that "working with Jeannot Szwarc is knowing he will never say he is sorry or ever admitting he overlooked something. Well enough of that shit for me!" He requested an apology from the director for not consulting him.<ref name="loynd103"/> Szwarc's reply focused upon completing the film to the "best possible" standard.

Revision as of 16:44, 14 October 2009

Jaws 2
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJeannot Szwarc
Written byCharacters
Peter Benchley
Screenplay
Carl Gottlieb
Howard Sackler
Produced byDavid Brown
Richard D. Zanuck
Joe Alves
StarringRoy Scheider
Lorraine Gary
Murray Hamilton
Joseph Mascolo
Jeffrey C. Kramer
CinematographyMichael Butler
Edited bySteve Potter
Arthur Schmidt
Neil Travis
Music byJohn Williams
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
June 16, 1978
Running time
116 min.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$187,884,007

Jaws 2 is a 1978 horror thriller film and the first sequel to Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975). Directed by Jeannot Szwarc and starring Roy Scheider as Police Chief Martin Brody who must deal with another Great White Shark terrorizing the waters of Amity Island, a fictional seaside resort.

Like the first film, the production of Jaws 2 was troubled. The original director, John D. Hancock, proved to be unsuitable for an action film and was replaced by Szwarc.[1] Scheider, who only reprised his role to end a contractual issue with Universal, was also unhappy during production and had several heated exchanges with Szwarc.[2]

Jaws 2 remained on Variety's list of top ten box office hits of all time until the mid-1990s, and became, for a while, the highest-grossing sequel in history. The film's tagline, "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...", became one of the most famous in movie history and has been parodied and homaged several times.[3] Although there would be two further films in the series, Jaws 2 is generally regarded as the best of the sequels.[4]

Plot

Two divers photographing the wreck of the Orca, Quint's boat from the first film, are attacked and killed by a great white shark. The shark later attacks a water skier. The driver of the speedboat defends herself by first throwing a gasoline tank at the shark (accidentally spilling some on herself) and then igniting the fuel with a flare gun. The fire ignites the actual gas tank and the speedboat explodes, killing the driver and leaving the shark severely burned.

In addition to these incidents, a killer whale bearing large wounds is beached, which Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) suggests were caused by a shark. Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) doesn't believe Brody's belief that the town has another shark problem. Later, Brody spots a section of the ruined speedboat bobbing in the surf just off the beach. When he goes to retrieve it he encounters the burnt remains of the boat driver.

The next day, from atop an observation tower, Brody believes that he sees the shadow of a large shark approaching the bathers. He orders everyone out of the water, firing his gun and creating a panic, and is publicly humiliated when the shadow is revealed to be merely a school of bluefish. However, Brody's suspicions are further fueled when he also acquires prints from the diver's camera showing close-ups of the shark's eye. Brody's suspicions are not shared by the town selectmen and local developer Len Peterson (Joseph Mascolo) at a time when the town is enjoying a revival in its tourist industry. Vaughn, angry with Brody's performance on the beach, fires him.

The next morning, Mike (Mark Gruner) sneaks out of his house to go sailing with his friends, but his younger brother Sean (Marc Gilpin) catches him and insists he be brought along. On their way, the group pass a team of divers, led by instructor Tom Andrews (Barry Coe). Moments after entering the water, Tom encounters the shark. Panicking, he rushes to the surface, causing an embolism. Meanwhile, two of the teens, Tina (Ann Dusenberry) and Eddie (Gary Dubin), encounter the shark when it bumps their boat, causing Eddie to fall into the water and be killed by the shark.

Brody and Ellen (Lorraine Gary) find Tom being put into an ambulance and Brody suspects that something might have scared him below the water. Hendricks informs Brody that Mike is sailing with others, so he insists on taking the police launch to rescue them. Ellen and Hendricks join him. They find Tina's boat, with Tina hiding under a blanket inside, who hysterically confirms Brody's suspicions that a shark is responsible. Hendricks and Ellen take Tina to shore while Brody continues to search for the teens in the police launch.

All seems well with the teens until the shark appears, bumping one of the sailboats, and causing a panic which leaves everyone ramming into each other with their sailboats. Mike narrowly avoids being attacked; two friends save him and head back to shore for help. The rest of the teens remain floating on the wreckage of tangled boats, drifting away towards the open sea. A Coast Guard marine helicopter arrives and a line is rigged to tow them into shore. Before the pilot can tow them, the shark attacks one of the pontoons, causing the chopper to tilt and capsize. Sean falls into the water and is quickly saved by Marge (Martha Swatek), sacrificing herself to the shark in the process.

Brody meets Mike and he informs his father that Sean is with the others, who are drifting towards Cable Junction, a small island which houses an electrical relay station. Brody quickly finds them, but the shark appears and Brody runs the police launch aground on the rocks of Cable Junction. Brody tries to tie a rope line, but snags an underwater power line instead. Most of the teenagers are tossed into the water during the shark's next attack and swim to Cable Junction. Using an inflatable raft, Brody taunts the shark by pounding the power line with an oar, trying to entice the beast to bite on the power cable. The plan succeeds and the shark gets electrocuted and is killed. Brody paddles back towards the other teens at Cable Junction to await rescue.

Cast

Production

The studio demanded a sequel early into the success of Jaws.[1] The success of The Godfather Part II and other sequels meant that the producers were under pressure to deliver a bigger and better shark. They realized that someone else would produce the film if they didn't, and they preferred to be in charge of the project themselves.[5]

In October 1975, Steven Spielberg told the San Francisco Film Festival that "making a sequel to anything is just a cheap carny trick" and that he did not even respond to the producers when they asked him to direct Jaws 2. He told the audience that the planned plot was to involve the sons of Quint and Brody hunting a new shark.[6] Brown, however, says that Spielberg did not want to direct the sequel because he felt that he had done the "definitive shark movie".[1][7]

Howard Sackler, who had contributed to the script of the original movie but chose not to be credited, was charged with writing the first draft. He originally proposed a prequel based on the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, the story relayed by Quint in the first film. Universal Studios President Sid Sheinberg, however, rejected the idea.[8] On Sackler's recommendation, theatre director John D. Hancock was chosen to helm the picture.[9] However, Sackler felt betrayed when Dorothy Tristan, Hancock's wife, was invited to rewrite his script.

Sheinberg suggested to Hancock and Tristan that his wife Lorraine Gary "should go out on a boat and help to rescue the kids." When told of the idea, Richard D. Zanuck replied "Over my dead body." The next draft of the Jaws 2 screenplay was turned in with Gary not going out to sea.[10] Hancock says that this, and his later firing of another actress who turned out to be the girlfriend of a Universal executive, contributed to his own dismissal from the film.[10]

Hancock began to feel the pressure of directing his first epic adventure film "with only three film credits, and all small-scale dramas".[11] The producers were unhappy with his material, and on a Saturday evening in June 1977, after a meeting with the producers and Universal executives, the director was fired. He and his wife left for Rome and production was shut down for a few weeks. The couple had been involved in the film for eighteen months.[12] Hancock blamed his departure on the mechanical shark, telling a newspaper that it still couldn't swim or bite after a year and a half; "You get a couple of shots and [the shark] breaks."[13] Echoing the production of the first film, Carl Gottlieb was enlisted to further revise the script, adding humor and reducing some of the violence. It cost the producers more money to hire Gottlieb to do the rewrite than it would have if they had hired him in the first place.[14]

At this point, Spielberg considered returning to direct the sequel. Over the Bicentennial weekend Spielberg hammered out a screenplay based on Quint's "Indianapolis" speech. Because of his contract for Close Encounters of the Third Kind, however, he would not be able to film for a further year, a gap too long for the producers.[15] Production Designer Joe Alves (who would direct Jaws 3-D) and Verna Fields (who had been promoted to vice-president at Universal after her acclaimed editing on the original film) proposed that they co-direct it.[1][16] The request was declined by the DGA,[17] partly because they would not allow a DGA member to be replaced by someone who was not one of its members, and partly because they, in the wake of events on the set of The Outlaw Josey Wales, had instituted a ban on any cast or crew members taking over as director during production of a film. The reins were eventually handed to Jeannot Szwarc, best known for the TV movie Bug and Night Gallery and whom Alves knew from the Night Gallery days.[18] Szwarc recommenced production by filming the complicated waterskier scene, giving Gottlieb some time to write.[1] He reinstated the character of Deputy Hendricks, played by Jeffrey Kramer, who had been missing from the original script.[1] Many of the teenagers were sacked, with the remaining roles developed.[19]

Three sharks were built for the film. The first was the "platform shark", also referred to as the "luxurious shark". Production designer Joe Alves and special mechanical effects designed Bob Mattey were able to use the same mold for the shark as for the original film.[1] However, they had to redo the electronics as the originals had been left out on the lot. Mattey's design was much more complicated and ambitious than the original film. The sharks were named Bruce Two (after the shark in the original, named after Spielberg's lawyer), Earl and Harold, after David Brown's Beverly Hills lawyer.[20] The other 'sharks' were a fin and a full shark, both of which could be pulled by boats. "Cable Junction", the island shown in the climax of the movie, was a floating barge that accommodated the mechanisms of the 'platform shark'.[1] Like the first film, footage of real sharks filmed by Australian divers Ron & Valerie Taylor was used for movement shots that could not be convincingly achieved using the mechanical sharks.[1]

Although the first film was commended for leaving the shark to the imagination until two thirds of the way through, Szwarc felt that they should show it as much as possible because the "first image of it coming out of the water" could never be repeated.[1] Szwarc believed that the reduction of the first's Hitchcockian suspense was inevitable because the audience already knew what the shark looked like from the final third of the first film. Reviewers have since commented that there was no way that they were ever going to duplicate the effectiveness of the original.[1] However, the filmmakers gave it a more menacing look by scarring it in the early boat explosion.[1]

Like the first film, shooting on water proved challenging. Scheider said that they were "always contending with tides, surf and winds [...] jellyfish, sharks, waterspouts and hurricane warnings."[20] After spending hours anchoring the sailboats, the wind would change as they were ready to shoot, blowing the sails in the wrong direction.[20] The corrosive effect of the saltwater damaged some equipment, including the metal parts in the sharks.[20]

Susan Ford, daughter of then US president Gerald Ford, was hired to shoot publicity photographs.[21] Many of these appeared in Ray Loynd's Jaws 2 Log, a book documenting the production the film in the same way as Carl Gottlieb had for the first film.

Location

Martha's Vineyard was again used as the location for the town scenes. Although some residents guarded their privacy, many islanders welcomed the money that the company was bringing.[22] Shortly after the production arrived in June 1977, local newspaper the Grapevine wrote:

The Jaws people are back among us, more efficient, more organized and more moneyed. Gone are the happy-go-lucky days of the first Jaws, where the big trucks roved about the Island from day to day, always highly visible with miles of cables snaking here and there over roads and lawns. Gone are the acrimonious wrangles and Select persons over noise and zoning regulations and this and that. What is still here is money— about $2 million of it.[23]

Many residents enjoyed being cast as extras. Some people, however, were less pleased by the presence of the film crew and refused to cooperate. Only one drugstore allowed its windows to be boarded up for the moody look that Hancock wanted. "Universal Go Home" T-shirts began appearing on the streets in mid-June.[24]

The majority of filming was at Navarre Beach in Florida, because of the warm weather and that the water's depth was appropriate for the shark platform.[1] They company was at this location from August 1 until December 22 1977.[1] The production "was a boost to the local economy because local boaters, extras and stand-ins or doubles were hired. Universal brought in actors, directors, producers and their wives, camera and crew people who needed housing, food and clothing for the movie. Services were needed for laundry, dry-cleaning and recreation."[25] Navarre's Holiday Inn "Holidome" was used as the film's headquarters, with the ground floor converted into production offices, and some of the Gulf-front suites remodelled for David Brown and Roy Scheider. Universal rented 100 of the hotel's 200 rooms, spending $1 million.[25] Boats and parts for their maintenance were purchased from local businesses. One proprietor said that he sold "Universal approximately $400,000 worth of boats and equipment".[26]

Cable Junction Island was built on a barge so that the huge mechanism of the platform shark could go close to, or even underneath, it. On one occasion the set broke loose from its anchorage and had to be rescued as it drifted towards Cuba.[1] Real hammerhead sharks circled the teen actors during the filming of one shot. However, because their fictional personas were meant to be in distress, the crew (filming from a distance) did not realize that the actors were genuinely calling for help.[27]

The interior shots of the teen hang-out where they play pinball were filmed in the original location of the Hog's Breath Saloon on Okaloosa Island. This restaurant later relocated to Destin, Florida as its original building was susceptible to hurricane damage.[25] The production company had to seek dredge and fill permits from the State of Florida's Department of Environmental Regulation to sink the revised platform that controlled the shark on the sea bottom.

Principal photography ended three days before Christmas 1977, on Shalimar Bay, near Destin, Florida.[13] The actors had to put ice cubes in their mouths to prevent their breath showing on camera. The final sequence to be filmed was the shark being electrocuted on the cable.[1] In mid-January the crew reconverged in Hollywood with some of the teenage actors for five weeks of post-production photography.[13]

Jaws 2 cost $30 million to produce, over three times more than the original. David Brown says that they did not budget the film "because Universal would never have given a green light to a $30 million budget in those days."[7] The Marine Division Head for Universal on location, Philip Kingry, says that "It cost approximately $80,000 per day to make that movie."[26] When Kingry asked Brown what his budget was, the producer responded, "We're not wasteful, but we're spending the profit from Jaws, and it will take what it takes."[26]

Casting

Roy Scheider reluctantly returned to reprise his role as Martin Brody. He had quit the role of 'Michael Vronsky' in The Deer Hunter two weeks into the production because of "creative differences".[28] Universal used Sheider's failure to fulfill this contractual obligation to force him to appear in Jaws 2. The actor heavily resisted the film, claiming that there was nothing new to create and that people would be watching the film to see the shark, not him.[28] He made Marathon Man and Sorcerer to put as much time as he could between the two Jaws films.[5] However, he was given an attractive financial package for appearing in Jaws 2; he quadrupled his base salary from the first film, and negotiated points (a percentage of the film's net profits).[5] The Star newspaper reported that Scheider received $500,000 for 12 weeks work, plus $35,000 for each additional week that the schedule ran over.[5]

Despite his reluctance, Scheider pledged to do the best job that he could, wanting to make Brody believable.[29] However, the atmosphere was tense on the set, and he often argued with director Szwarc. On one occasion, Scheider complained (in front of extras) that Szwarc was wasting time with technical issues and the extras whilst ignoring the principal actors.[21] A meeting was called with the two, David Brown and Verna Fields, in which Scheider and Szwarc were encouraged to settle their differences. The discussion became heated and a physical fight broke out, which Brown and Fields broke up.[21] The rift was also articulated in written correspondence. In a letter to Szwarc, Scheider wrote that "working with Jeannot Szwarc is knowing he will never say he is sorry or ever admitting he overlooked something. Well enough of that shit for me!" He requested an apology from the director for not consulting him.[2] Szwarc's reply focused upon completing the film to the "best possible" standard.

Time and pressure are part of my reality and priorities something I must deal with.
You have been consulted and your suggestions made part of my scenes many times, whenever they did not contradict the overall concept of the picture.
If you have to be offended, I deplore it, for no offense was meant. At this point in the game, your feelings or my feelings are immaterial and irrelevant , the picture is all that matters.
Sincerely, Jeannot[30]

Many extras were recruited from Gulf Breeze High School. The students were paid $3 per hour, well above the minimum wage at the time, and reveled in being able to miss classes.[31] Casting director Shari Rhodes, requested members of the Gulf Breeze band performed as the Amity High Band, seen in an early scene in the film showing the opening of the Holiday Inn Amity Shores 'Amity Scholarship Fund Benefit'. "The GBHS band consisted of approximately 100 members, and band director John Henley chose 28 student musicians, including the section of the band known as Henley's Honkers."[31] Universal scheduled their involvement for mid-afternoons to prevent them missing too much time in school.[31] Universal made a contribution of $3,500 to the school and the band for their part in the film.[31] Several other GBHS students were hired as stand-ins or doubles for the teenage actors to appear in the water scenes and to maintain and sail the boats.[32]

Music

Untitled

John Williams returned to score Jaws 2 after winning an Academy Award for Original Music Score for his work on the first film. Williams says that it was assumed by everyone that "the music would come back also and be part of the cast ... it would require new music, certainly, but the signature music of Jaws should be used as well".[33] He compares this to "the great tradition" for repeating musical themes in Hollywood serials such as Roy Rogers and The Lone Ranger.[33] In addition to the familiar themes, director Szwarc says Williams also composed a "youthful counterpoint to the shark that is always around when the kids are sailing or going out to sea. It was very inventive".[33]

Szwarc said that the music for the sequel should be "more complex because it was a more complex film". Williams says that this score is broader, allowing him to make more use of the orchestra, and use longer notes, and "fill the space" created by the director.[33] Williams used a larger ensemble than for the first film, and "the orchestral palette may have been broader or had longer notes".[33] Delays in shooting meant that Williams was forced to start working on the score before the film was completed. Szwarc discussed the film with the composer, showing him edited sequences and storyboards. The director praises Williams in being able to work under such difficult conditions.[33] Critic Mike Beek suggests these time constraints enabled Williams "to create themes based on ideas and suggestions, rather than a locked down print."[4]

Critics have praised Williams' score, comparing it favorably to the original. Williams "uses a few basic elements of the original—the obligatory shark motif, for one—and takes the music off in some new and interesting directions."[34] The score is "more disturbing in places" than the original, and "Williams fashion some new and hugely memorable out to sea adventure music."[34] Because Jaws 2 "isn't a film that requires subtlety ... Williams pulls out all the stops to make it as exciting and hair raising as possible."[34]

According to the liner notes on the soundtrack album, Williams' "sense of the dramatic, coupled with his exquisite musical taste and knowledge of the orchestra definitely stamp this score as truly one of his best." It is "brilliantly performed by a mini-symphony made up of the finest instrumentalists to be found anywhere."[35] Mike Beek makes positive comments about the film, saying that "the music certainly elevates it to a level it would otherwise never have achieved."[4] The cover of the album features a different image than the main theatrical poster; instead of the water skier sequence, the album depicts the scene with Eddie and Tina.

Reaction

File:Jaws 2 teaser.jpg
The teaser poster for Jaws 2, bearing the famous tagline

Jaws 2 was the most expensive film that Universal had produced up until that point, costing the studio almost $30 million.[5] According to David Brown, the film made 40% gross of the original. This was attractive to studios because it reduced market risk.[1] The film became the highest-grossing sequel in history, succeeded by the release of The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. It opened in 640 theaters, making $9,866,023 in its opening weekend.[36] The final gross for Jaws 2 was $102 million, making it the fifth highest grossing film of 1978. It stayed on Variety's list of top ten box office hits of all time until the mid-nineties.[37]

Jaws 2 inspired much more merchandising and sponsors than for the first film. Products included sets of trading cards from Topps and Baker's bread, paper cups from Coca-Cola, beach towels, a souvenir program, shark tooth necklaces, coloring and activity books, and a model kit of Brody's truck.[38] A novelization by Hank Searls, based on an earlier draft of the screenplay by Sackler and Tristan, was released, as well as Ray Loynd's The Jaws 2 Log, an account of the film's production.[38]

Although the film was initially met with mixed reviews, most critics agree that this is the best of the Jaws sequels.[4] On the film's Rotten Tomatoes listing, 58% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 19 reviews.[39] DVD Authority says "After this one, the other Jaws movies seemed to just not be as good.[40] One review says: "it's obviously not a patch on Spielberg's classic, but it's about as good as could be hoped for, with some excellent sequences, almost worthy of the original, several genuine shocks, a different enough story and some pretty decent characters."[34] The performances of Scheider, Gary and Hamilton are particularly praised.[4][38] George Morris for the Texas Monthly preferred Jaws 2 over the original because it is "less insidious in its methods of manipulation" and "because director Jeannot Szwarc streamlines the terror ... By crosscutting among the teenagers, Scheider, and the officials' efforts to rescue them, Szwarc works up enough suspense to keep the adrenaline going."[41] However, Morris' review is not entirely complementary. He would have preferred the shark to have been seen less, positing "producers and audiences alike seem to have forgotten that the greatest suspense derives form the unseen and the unknown, and that the imagination is capable of conceiving far worse than the materialization of a mere mechanical monster."[41] Similarly, a reviewer for the BBC complained that the additional screen time awarded to the shark makes it "seems far less terrifying than its almost mystical contemporary".[42]

Although many critics identify some flaws, often comparing Szwarc negatively to Spielberg, they say that "this sequel does have some redeeming qualities going for it that make it a good movie in its own right".[43] The presence of Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw are missed, especially since the teenage characters are labeled "largely annoying 'Afterschool Special' archetypes"[44] who are "irritating and incessantly screaming" and "don't make for very sympathetic victims".[42] Because of its emphasis upon the teenage cast some critics have compared the film to the slasher films that were rising in popularity at that time.[45]

The film's tagline, "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...", has become one of the most famous in film history.[38][25] Andrew J. Kuehn, who developed the trailer for the original Jaws, is credited with coining the phrase.[3] It has been parodied in numerous films; most notably the tagline of the 1996 feature film adaptation of the television series, Flipper, "This summer it's finally safe to go back in the water."[46]

DVD release

The film was released on DVD in 2001.[47] Many reviewers praised it for the quantity of special features,[44] with DVD Authority asserting that it had "more than a lot of titles labeled as 'special edition' discs".[40] It includes a 45 minute documentary produced by Laurent Bouzereau, who is responsible for many of the documentaries about Universal films. Actor Keith Gordon reminisces in a short feature, and Szwarc explains the phonetic problem with its original French title, Les Dents de la mer 2, as it sounded like it ended with the expletive merde (mer deux). This was combated by using the suffix Part 2.[48]

The disc also contains a variety of deleted scenes. These scenes show the animosity between Brody and his wife's boss, and the selectmen voting to fire Brody; the Mayor (Murray Hamilton) is the only person to vote to save him. These scenes were cut because they were slowing the pace of the film.[1] Also included is footage of the shark attacking the coast guard pilot underwater after his helicopter had capsized. The scene was cut because of the struggle with the ratings board to acquire a PG certificate.[1]

Although the audio was presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 mono, a reviewer for Film Freak Central comments that "Williams' score often sounds deceptively stereophonic".[44] The BBC, though, suggest that the mix "really demands the added bass that a 5.1 effort could have lent it".[49]

References

General

  • Kachmar, Diane C. (2002). Roy Scheider: a film biography. McFarland. ISBN 0786412011.
  • Loynd, Ray (1978). The Jaws 2 Log. London: W.H. Allen. ISBN 0-426-18868-3.

Specific

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s The Making of Jaws 2, Jaws 2 DVD, Written, directed and produced by Laurent Bouzereau
  2. ^ a b Loynd, p 103
  3. ^ a b "Andrew Kuehn, 66, Innovator In the Movie Trailer Industry". New York Times. 2004-02-03. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
  4. ^ a b c d e Beek, Mike. "Jaws 2". Music from the Movies. Archived from the original on 2008-06-02. Retrieved 2006-12-17.
  5. ^ a b c d e Kachmar, p 74
  6. ^ Baxter, John (1997). Steven Spielberg: The Unauthorised Biography. London: Harper Collins. p. 145. ISBN 0006384447.
  7. ^ a b Priggé, Steven (2004). Movie moguls speak: interviews with top film producers. McFarland. p. 8. ISBN 0786419296.
  8. ^ Loynd, p 24-5
  9. ^ Loynd, p 27.
  10. ^ a b Ford, Luke (2004). The Producers: Profiles in Frustration. iUniverse. p. 191. ISBN 0595320163.
  11. ^ Loynd, p 66
  12. ^ Loynd, p 70
  13. ^ a b c Kachmar, p 78
  14. ^ Loynd, p 36-7
  15. ^ Loynd, p 73
  16. ^ Loynd, p 74
  17. ^ Rosenfield, Paul (1982-07-13). "Women in Hollywood". Los Angeles Times.
  18. ^ Loynd p 75-6
  19. ^ Jaws 2: A Portrait by Actor Keith Gordon, Jaws 2 DVD, Written, directed and produced by Laurent Bouzereau
  20. ^ a b c d Kachmar, p 77
  21. ^ a b c Kachmar, p 76
  22. ^ Loynd, p 60-2
  23. ^ Loynd, p 62
  24. ^ Loynd, p 64
  25. ^ a b c d Allen, Betty Archer (August 7, 2008). "30 years later, Gulf Breeze still recalls 'Jaws 2' excitement". Gulf Breeze News. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
  26. ^ a b c Allen, Betty Archer (August 28, 2008). "Fade to black: Alas, 'Jaws 2' comes to an end". Gulf Breeze News. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
  27. ^ Gilpin, Marc interviewed for The Shark is Still Working documentary. Retrieved 7 January 2007.
  28. ^ a b Kachmar, p 73
  29. ^ Kachmar, p 75
  30. ^ Loynd, p 104
  31. ^ a b c d Allen, Betty Archer (August 14, 2008). "Henley's Honkers, Dolphin band lent Amity their sound". Gulf Breeze News. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
  32. ^ Allen, Betty Archer (August 21, 2008). "GB teens helped keep 'Jaws 2' water scenes moving". Gulf Breeze News. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
  33. ^ a b c d e f The Music of Jaws 2, Jaws 2 DVD, Written, directed and produced by Laurent Bouzereau
  34. ^ a b c d "Jaws 2". soundtrack-express.com. Retrieved 2006-12-17.
  35. ^ John Fadden Jaws 2 (Media notes). MCA Records. 1978. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |bandname= ignored (help)
  36. ^ "Jaws 2". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2006-12-17.
  37. ^ Kachmar, p 80
  38. ^ a b c d Kachmar, p 79
  39. ^ "Jaws 2 receives mixed reviews with a 58% rating at Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  40. ^ a b "Jaws 2". DVD Authority. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
  41. ^ a b Morris, George (1978). "With Its Teeth, Dear". Texas Monthly. 6 (8). Emmis Communications: 128. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  42. ^ a b Haflidason, Almar (2001-07-31). "Jaws 2 (1978)". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
  43. ^ "Jaws 2". DVD.net.au. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
  44. ^ a b c Chambers, Bill. "Jaws 2". Film Freak Central. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
  45. ^ "JAWS 2 (1978)". And You Call Yourself a Scientist?. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  46. ^ "Taglines for Flipper (1996)". IMDb. Retrieved 2006-12-17.
  47. ^ "Jaws 2 listing". amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  48. ^ The French Joke, Jaws 2 DVD, Written, directed and produced by Laurent Bouzereau
  49. ^ Haflidason, Almar. "Jaws 2 DVD (1978)". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2006-12-30.

External links

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