Posted on 09/18/2020 3:28:04 PM PDT by Capt. Tom
The blockbuster film Jaws has been a perennial favorite here on Martha’s Vineyard since its release 45 years ago.
The epic 1975 feature film, shot on the Vineyard in iconic places like the picturesque fishing village of Menemsha, pits a fictional seaside tourist town called Amity against a villainous great white shark whose fearsome triangular teeth—300 of them—bite and kill unsuspecting townspeople and summer visitors enjoying the local Atlantic Ocean waters.
Jaws played recently at a COVID-safe drive-in theater here, allowing viewers to scream in the privacy of their own cars.
The movie took a deep dive into the psyche of audiences—and ocean swimmers—creating a larger-than-life fictional movie monster that evoked perpetual fear of the great white shark.
“The book and film exaggerated the white shark’s behavior. The white shark in the film was far larger than normal—about 25 feet—while the largest animals in the wild are typically 15 to 18 feet,” says Greg Skomal, a fisheries biologist and well-known shark expert with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.
When Jaws came out, “relatively little was known about the white shark. We know a lot more now about white shark ecology, distribution and natural history,” says Skomal. Studies of the white shark species, Carcharodon carcharias, show its critical role in keeping the marine ecosystem in balance, exerting top-down forces on the food web that help hold other ocean species in check.
Nonetheless, when attacks do occur, they draw incredible publicity. In July, a wetsuit-wearing 63-year-old woman swimming in the chilly Gulf of Maine waters was killed by a great white shark—the first such death in Maine’s history. In September 2018, a 26-year-old man boogie boarding off Massachusetts’ Cape Cod was killed by a shark, the first shark attack fatality in the state since 1936.
(Excerpt) Read more at scientificamerican.com ...
Whoops — meant to say - one movie that went entirely the other way was “The Moonspinners: ... great book - horrid movie!
Why are you driving traffic to Scientific American?
You are a troll.
When Jaws came out, “relatively little was known about the white shark. We know a lot more now about white shark ecology, distribution and natural history,” says Skomal.
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Now we know Great White Sharks are mostly peaceful. Except if you splash the water. Or there’s any blood in the water. Or the shark is hungry. Or it’s nighttime. Or very bright and sunny.
Yeah, like the horny Matt Hooper/Brody’s wife bits.
/thank God
It is on my book shelf.
Never saw the movie, guess I should.
But yes the book is usually far superior to the movie.
ha.
Apparently we were all mortified by that subplot.
:D
The hysteria over shark attacks in Yellowstone is far far overblown as well.
Capt. Tom is trolling ....
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3884621/posts
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3884410/posts
Matawan NJ, too.
He was good in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
:)
“You’re going to need a moderately larger boat” just doesn’t trip off the tongue.
Yep - it’s one of the few books I’ve read where the movie was WAY better than the book.
—
Funny. I had the same reaction when I saw Forest Gump. Later went back and read the book and thought it was “meh”. Thought they actually reworked a much better story in the movie version.
I’m waiting for them to dissect the science behind “Gargoyles”.
There are shark attacks in Yellowstone national park?
Who knew??
Then you have just to to see Piranha 3D.
The first person killed off is good ole' Dicky Dreyfuss!
Don’t get too close to the geysers. They’re like mini sharknados!
Looking For Mr Goodbar, comes to mind.
Once is Not Enough is another.
No idea why my friend kept giving me that crap to read.
However, the one that *really* traumatized me for life was Go Ask Alice.
Who does the Hitler...I mean History Channel endorse?
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