Steven Spielberg cemented his status amongst cinema’s elite with Jaws, but the gruelling production process left the director traumatised.
The summer blockbuster will be celebrated in Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story, premiering on National Geographic next Friday, July 11.
This contemplative documentary takes viewers through the behind-the-scenes chaos of creating Jaws, with archival footage and personal stories from what became Spielberg’s career-making masterpiece.
The National Geographic production also features interviews with original cast members Lorraine Gary, who portrayed Ellen Brody, Carl Gottlieb, who played Meadows, Jeffrey Kramer, who played Hendricks, and Academy Award-winning composer John Williams.
Whilst the 1975 suspense thriller carved its place in movie folklore, the shoot was plagued with complications, reports the Mirror US.
The mechanical shark continuously broke down, whilst capturing scenes on the open ocean presented unexpected challenges.
These setbacks pushed the production considerably beyond its timeline and budget, causing Spielberg to fear Jaws might mark the end of his directorial career.
“It was logistically the most difficult movie I think I’ll ever make,” he reveals in the documentary. But the stress continued even after filming.
Once shooting concluded, the celebrated director endured years of recurring nightmares stemming from the punishing experience. “The success was fantastic but it didn’t stop the nightmares,” he confesses.
“It didn’t stop me waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat where the sheets would be soaking wet. We didn’t have the word PTSD in those days.
“And I had consistent nightmares about directing Jaws for years afterwards. I was still on the movie and the film was never ending.”
The 78-year-old filmmaker even began slipping away from his team to release his emotions privately.
He discloses: “When they brought one of the boats all the way back from Martha’s Vineyard and shipped the boat, the Orca, to the Universal back lot and put it in the water right next to the Jaws ride.
“I used to get in my electric cart without telling anybody, and I would sneak behind the trams, nobody could see me, and I’d just sneak on board the boat and I would sit in the cabin in that little leather red booth and I would just sit there and sometimes cry.”
He continues: “And I had nothing to cry about. The film was this phenomenon and I’m sitting here shedding tears, because I’m not able to divest myself of the experience.
“The boat helped me to begin to forget. That Orca was my therapeutic companion for several years after Jaws came out.”
In other parts of the documentary, the director acknowledges that whilst filming proved deeply distressing, he is indebted to Jaws for his career.
The blockbuster subsequently secured four Academy Award nominations, claiming victory for Best Original Score, Best Film Editing and Best Sound categories. The film also secured a nomination for the prestigious Best Picture award, though it was ultimately defeated by Milos Forman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Whilst devoted fans continue to argue that Spielberg was robbed of the Oscar, the filmmaker himself backs the Academy’s choice.
“Oh yeah, I would’ve voted for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest over Jaws for Best Picture, I would’ve done that,” he admits.
Adapted from Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel bearing the identical title, Jaws chronicles the pursuit of a deadly shark terrorising a coastal community.
Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story premieres Friday 11th July at 8pm on National Geographic and streams the same day on Disney+