Carl Gottlieb

This book should really be titled "The Carl Gottlieb Log" as it mostly is about the author, and not the movie. Apparently, he was the most important part of the success of that movie, and his gossipy book paints everyone else as hot-headed drunkards who were not able to be as perfect as he. This narcissistic tome includes endless accounts of a scene that the author was in, but cut from the final picture. Included in the photo section of the book are SIX photos from this not-in-the-movie show more scene, FOUR of them are the author falling out of a boat. Some very important pictures that brought me great insight into the film.

If you love "JAWS" don't, I repeat, don't read this. show less

Duh-DUH. Duh-DUH. DUH DUH DUH DUH DUH DUH DUH! Don't go in the water!

If you're like me, you consider the 1975 film Jaws to be one of the best motion pictures of all time. Before the age of CGI and various special effects, then novice director Steven Spielberg had to depend on an often irritable and uncooperative mechanical shark, underwater film footage, phenomenally well cast actors and a superb script. And the rest, they say, is cinematic history.

Carl Gottlieb, one of the screenwriters on show more Jaws, recounts the several years long battle not only to get this iconic movie made but also the bumps and problems encountered along the way. Particularly fascinating, in my opinion, was that with the exception of one notable scene, Jaws was shot on the ocean. Fantastic for film viewing but not so much for the overtaxed crew who had to deal with sinking boats, choppy waters, weather and passing sailboats. And remember, this was a time when movies were primarily shot at the studios (or a water tank at the studio). And that aforementioned scene? That was the infamous "Ben Gardner's head" shot with Richard Dreyfuss . . . and that scene was shot at editor Verna Fields' pool (with help from a little milk to make the water look murky).

Also fun was reading about the two mechanical sharks (jovially nicknamed Bruce by Spielberg, who coined the moniker after his lawyer's first name) and the many difficulties they brought to the film set. Their problems were our reward in the end, as not seeing the shark, or only seeing quick glimpses, made it that much more frightening.

Spielberg is presented in a warm and extremely creative light by Gottlieb and his longstanding tradition of never being on set for the final day of filming is explained here (and started with Jaws). Interesting to note, as well, that Spielberg was not the first choice as director and was convinced throughout much of the filming that Jaws would be dead in the water and would bury his Hollywood career (which consisted of one film up to that point). Ah, how the tides turned.

The chapters on the casting of the central characters made for informative reading. Only Murray Hamilton as Mayor Larry Vaughn was the first choice actor cast with all others being second or lower choices. Could we really imagine anyone else but Roy Scheider as Chief Brody or, especially, anyone but Robert Shaw as the tough old Quint?

Gottlieb also shares behind the scenes friction between Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss, which translated well into their characters' animosity on film, as well as Shaw's well reported drinking and flying to Canada on off days to avoid taxes.

And remember Roy Scheider's famous line "You're gonna need a bigger boat?" Per Gottlieb, that line wasn't scripted but was improvised by Scheider.

Of particular interest is how the film was received upon release and how long it was in first run at the theaters (from June 1975 well into December 1975 - - unheard of today). In case you didn't know, Jaws was the first ever summer blockbuster, making over $100 million.

Gottlieb also provides updates on many of the central characters who are still with us - - you will be happy to know that Lee Fierro (Mrs. Kintner) still resides at Martha's Vineyard and is still acting in the local theater group and Jeffrey Vorhees, who played her son, Alex Kintner, owes a sandwich shop on Martha's Vineyard that serves an Alex M. Kintner meat sandwich.

I would recommend The Jaws Log to any film lover or anyone who wishes to have a companion to the phenomenal movie. You can't go wrong. show less

Great book on the whole project of making the Spielberg film. The book's author is also the screenplay writer and bit actor in the film. Fantastic explanations for how movies are made along with the technical phraseology of the business. I loved this short book because I'm a big fan of the movie but also because Gottlieb is an exceptional writer of clear prose and imaginative descriptions. I was envious of his effortless style and in two hundred and ten pages gives you all the details needed show more to appreciate how incredible this movie was to bring about. Spielberg was 27 when he made this movie which was over budget and over schedule. It was the original summer blockbuster (for better or for worse). Great production B&Ws throughout. I fear the ocean now in my old age but am still fascinated by Great White sharks and why God would create such sea creatures. Many pre-production meetings took place in Santa Monica and some post production was done in Catalina. The majority of the film was shot in Martha's Vineyard. The shark was constructed in the SF Valley. A valuable historical book, in my opinion. show less

First published in 1975 and updated periodically, this is the "Expanded Edition" from 2012. It's a behind-the-scenes making of what would be the first ever Summer blockbuster movie. Gottlieb was one of the screenwriters of "Jaws" and he played the part of the newspaper editor, Meadows, the guy in the loud jackets who gets all the men to pose with the dead shark on the pier (he had more scenes originally but actually cut most of them himself to tighten the story).
Working from his notes that show more he kept during pre-production and filming, he explains how the cast was found and how the location, a sleepy vacation town called Martha's Vineyard, was selected and all the problems they had with local government and sometimes, the locals. He discusses the now well-known problems with the mechanical shark and how young director Steven Spielberg had to shoot around it, and he discusses one of the most debated bits of movie dialogue ever, Quint's "Indianapolis speech", which Gottlieb credits to actor Robert Shaw, who took all the various versions by different writers and re-wrote it to be what was filmed.
For a "Jaws" fan like me, there was still some new information, such as I knew the dead shark on the pier was real, but didn't know that it, and several others, were killed for the scene.
The updates over the years are mostly in the Notes, with Gottlieb adding in new or contradictory information from others on the set, and "where are they now" updates on cast and crew. show less