Tuesday, November 02, 2021
The ‘Jaws’ Shoot Was a Drama. Now It’s a Play.
The New York Times: When Ian Shaw was 5, he did something to make any movie fan jealous: He visited the set of “Jaws.” On location on Martha’s Vineyard, an assistant pulled back a huge sheet and young Shaw found himself staring into the gaping mouth of the man-eating shark that would soon become a cinematic icon.
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4 comments:
I truthfully, have never seen Jaws. So, I would have no clue that there were problems within the movie. However, I am really drawn to the idea of Ian Shaw playing the role of his father in a play. I think the concept of the play as a whole is fascinating, and I would be inclined to watch Jaws and then go see the production. Shaw’s concept of playing his father and using it as opportunity to address his father’s shortcomings is touching to me. I like his lens on the relationship between father and sons. No one really thinks about the problems making movies can cause for men with children, and the way the relationships are personally strained. In a lot of ways, it seems like a method of coping with, his father’s undeniable actions. I also enjoyed the end of the article where Shaw says that chaos can bread creativity.
Can they stop? Please? Can we just get new original works? Why is it so hard? There are people out there writing plays, writing relevant important plays that should be shared with the world. Jaws, is not one of those plays, however, I am seeing articles about it. Seeing this article made me realize that not only are producers uplifting stage adaptations of movies and isolating new works, but also journals and articles that report on theatre in the world. I often have to remind myself that just because Broadway is not putting on relevant works of theatre does not mean that no one is putting on relevant theatre. I often get stuck in the mindset that Broadway theatre is representative of all theatre, and it is not. Journals and articles are a great way to spread information about other productions that are happening in the world. It can help expose a larger audience to new and different types of theatre. That is why it is so disappointing to see that not a lot of articles do this, or recognize it. I also understand I might not be looking at the right articles, so I would like to be more research soon.
I think it is absolutely hilarious that they are making a play about all the ways the production of the movie Jaws went wrong. I knew that there were certainly issues during the creation of the movie, most notably with the mechanical sharks, but I didn’t know there was enough to create a whole play about it! It is funny to think about how much trouble was had with the production of Jaws, as it still went on to live in infamy in the world, and looking back at it now, the practical effects used look so corny and artificial. Granted, it was truly revolutionary at the time, but I would be interested to see what it would look like if it was remade today (not using special effects, though, I would like to see a modern take on the practical effects specifically). Also in reading this article, I learned of another issure in production that I had surprisingly never heard of – the boat sinking, taking two cameras with it. WHAT? I feel like this would be a more well known fact than the malfunctioning sharks. I think it is darkly hilarious that the boat sank, and that everyone was okay (including the film in the cameras!)
This seems like a very cool idea for a show that I would love to see. I only saw Jaws as a young kid, so I don’t remember much of it, but I do know it was a very good movie. Learning now that there was drama on set and that the interpersonal conflict, in part, helped make the movie that much better makes a behind the scenes story seem very compelling. I feel like this is a unique take on the movie-inspired play. There are so many musicals/plays based on movies now a days that a play not based on a movie but based on the filming of the movie seems like a breath of fresh air. Also, as someone who is into theater and storytelling, I love a good story about the creation of storytelling. I find that there is a level of authenticity that creators achieve when they create work based on the experience of creating work that is surprisingly relatable.
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