Preview: THE SHARK IS STILL WORKING
By Norm Schrager at September 22, 2009 | 9:43 pm | Print
The making of Jaws is one of the great stories of 1970s cinema. An upstart director named Steven Spielberg (heard of him?) was practically drowning in troubles, including budgetary problems and an unreliable mechanical shark. Would the result be a pulpy genre movie? Heh. Jaws became an unstoppable cultural icon, an accessible thriller that redefined box office success (yes, even before Star Wars). In fact, adjust Jaws’ $260 million gross for inflation, and it’s the 7th biggest movie ever. The documentary The Shark Is Still Working looks at the film’s indefinable popularity and influence.
Although The Shark Is Still Working is a 2006 film, it’s just recently been receiving its due, premiering at the LA Film Festival earlier this year, and screening this past weekend at the Chicago United Film Festival. The Shark Is Still Working is narrated by Chief Brody himself, the late Roy Scheider, and the movie examines the impact of Jaws far beyond the world of film; even marine biologists discuss Jaws as the inspiration for their lifelong interest.
The official site for The Shark Is Still Working is a quick, headline-style look at where the documentary’s been and how it evolved (it dates back to July 2006). It’s unclear if and when the DVD will be regularly available, so check back to the site for the details.
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KimG, 11 months ago
There was an amazing article about the making of JAWS in Premiere Magazine many years ago. I wonder if the author or content had anything to do with this documentary. I will definitely check it out. Thanks for posting.
Norm Schrager, 11 months ago
KimG-
Not sure, I don’t recall that article.There’s been so much written and said about Jaws, it’s probably tough to keep track anyways…