Jaws without Bruce the shark?
For those with a reverence for the classic Steven Spielberg shark thriller, the idea of replacing the practical effects model seems downright sacrilegious.
Richard Dreyfuss, who played Dr. Matt Hooper in the 1975 blockbuster, would like to see the film updated for a modern audience by using the latest CGI technology to recreate the iconic shark as it terrorized the beach town of Amityville.
“I think they should do it, it would be huge and it would open up the film to younger people,” Dreyfuss told Deadline in a recent interview. “Is that blasphemy? No, no, I don’t think so. The technology now could make the shark look as good as the rest of the movie.”
Jaws is credited with being one of the greatest movies of all time, being ranked in the Top 50 greatest by the American Film Institute. Despite being the highest grossing film of its time, one of the biggest detractors has been the shark’s appearance. From the awkwardly jointed jaw to its overall clunky movements, the film’s main villain has been mocked for looking fake since its first very appearance.
Save Bruce?
For many of the film’s biggest fans, however, the mechanical shark, nicknamed Bruce, made a lasting impression and has even garnered a cult-like following. The 25-foot mechanical shark was plagued with problems during initial shooting and had to be rescued on several occasions from the bottom of the bay. The pneumatic pumps that made the Bruce the shark move frequently failed, the “waterproof” neoprene skin became bloated and the metal frames quickly rusted and broke apart.
Because of the issues with the practical effects, the shark itself only made fleeting appearances until the final climactic scene, forcing Spielberg to use cinematic tricks and methods that would go on to define the movie. Dreyfus, however, would like to see the film with the shark playing the more prominent role in the cinematics.
“There are people who say Jaws is a perfect film otherwise and it is amazing what Steven accomplished with the challenges he had,” Dreyfuss said. “But you’re dead-right, I think you’re on to something. They should put the money in to CGI [to replace] that beast and make it come alive.”
