The Jaws Two Log

Ray Loynd's The Jaws 2 Log is a quick yet mostly detailed look at the making of the first sequel to the super thriller Jaws. Because Loynd did not work on the movie and only observed, it lacks a certain insider feel to the commentary and reads like a more in depth (or just plain wordy) making-the-movie magazine. What is most interesting is how everybody involved with Jaws 2 seemed to be doing this movie with the certain knowledge that A) a sequel to Jaws, the most popular movie of all time at that time, was inevitable, B) said sequel could never, ever measure up to the event/impact the first movie was, and C) if `they' (i.e. Zanuck, Brown, Scheider, et al) did not do it, then someone else would and that someone else would also get all the cash that would undoubtedly pour into the studio coffers. So making the sequel, even with the full knowledge that it would in no way measure up to the first movie, was pretty much a no brainer for all involved, though some are noticeably guilty of trying to make a fairly standard (albeit entertaining) summer cash cow sound more important than, in the end, it really was. That understood, it is nice to see that they at least attempted to put their best foot forward, even though they all stumbled a bit (especially the first director, John Hancock, who departed the movie after only three weeks of filming), and tried to make the best movie they could with what they had. In my opinion they succeeded, Jaws 2 is, at least, a lot of fun to watch. Jaws fanatics like me will most likely consider this little marketing tie-in a must have and, to general move buffs, I recommend it highly. Tons of behind the scenes and movie photos as well.

In an easy, rollicking style as infectious as a sea chanty, scriptwriter Carl Gottlieb brings the reader into the world of filmmaking. Playing Protective Uncle to "the kid" Steven Spielberg, he cameoed in JAWS during the Martha's Vineyard spring days while writing and re-writing the script at night. And in reading the log, we run into the source of the many instances of humor which caught the first-time viewer by surprise. Gottlieb was obviously one of the main sources who generously breaded this sea delicacy with the rare humanity that the kind-hearted people of Martha's Vineyard roll out with the welcome mat to the visiting off-islanders. He wrapped it in the family of Chief Brody and all those other potentially tasty morsels who frollicked in the surf before each shark attack. Anyone lucky enough to be able to lay hands on this out-of-print account will be able to learn some of the real secrets why and how this summer blockbuster managed to emerge from the merely action-packed offering to becoming one of the few great American classics by portraying true Americana with the kind of characters we like to thing might live just down the block. Anyone who appreciates the true art of good filmmaking should hunt this book down, reverently patch it up, and prepare a special, permanent place on a shelf for it--after giving it a good and thorough read!

Although the book is out of print, I managed to purchase a copy at a college booksale. "The Jaws Log" (by Carl Gottlieb) gives readers a rare look behind the scenes in the difficulty of filming "Jaws." Moreover, we are given brief, but informative backgrounds on the main characters (Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfus, and Roy Scheider). With the advancements in the latest DVD edition of "Jaws" set to release for July 11 with its "deleted scenes," we are given more through this text where author Carl Gottlieb explains why certain scenes were cut--including his own character (himself) who played a background newsreporter in the movie. Included in the book is a diagram of the mechanical shark, and how it was operated in the water. The book is most intriguing, but spends more time on the technicalities of film-making--making a more in-depth read than a simple "making of" story depicted on television. Above all, I liked the book for its personal touch from Gottlieb's narration about his feelings concerning the film production. There are a great deal of facts about the movie that you would never obtain from "making of" featurettes.