Latest news with #AmblinDocumentaries
Forbes
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
How 'Jaws' Redefined Movie Tech And Ocean Awareness
Director Steven Spielberg on the set of Jaws with the mechanical shark in the background. 'Jaws' is one of the most iconic and instantly recognizable movies ever made. When it premiered in 1975, it didn't just terrify audiences—it reshaped filmmaking technology and introduced groundbreaking techniques that changed cinema forever. National Geographic's new documentary, Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story, provides a fascinating look into the tools, tech, and improvisation that helped a young Steven Spielberg turn catastrophe into cinematic innovation. Directed by Laurent Bouzereau and produced by Amblin Documentaries in partnership with Wendy Benchley, the documentary offers an unfiltered view into how Spielberg navigated major technical hurdles. I spoke with Benchley about the documentary and the legacy of the movie. Most famously, the mechanical shark—nicknamed "Bruce"—failed so often it became a liability. Spielberg adapted by filming from the shark's point of view, a now-iconic approach that turned absence into tension. 'The genius of Steven,' Benchley notes, 'was knowing when to show less and let the audience imagine more.' Tech Trouble at Sea The film also revisits lesser-known tech struggles, like camera malfunctions from saltwater exposure and the logistical nightmare of ocean shooting. These details underscore a core point: innovation doesn't always start with new technology. Sometimes, it starts with failing technology and a director who's willing to think differently. From Fear to Fascination Incorporating never-before-seen footage from Spielberg's and the Benchley family's archives, the documentary also unpacks the unintended impact of the film on marine life. "We were horrified that some people took 'Jaws' as a license to kill sharks," Wendy Benchley recalls. "We determined then and there to learn about sharks ourselves and fight for their protection." Turning Data into Defense Benchley has since become a global advocate for ocean conservation, helping to drive tech-enabled approaches to protect marine ecosystems. 'We can now track illegal fishing vessels using satellite data, and follow shark migration patterns online in real time,' she explains. 'Technology has been a game-changer for ocean advocacy.' A Legacy of Curiosity That transformation—from shark villain to shark protector—is one of the most compelling narratives in the documentary. Benchley says the legacy of Jaws includes a 30% spike in marine science enrollment at universities shortly after the film's release. 'Peter got thousands of letters from young people who wanted to be the next Matt Hooper,' she says. 'That fascination led to real science.' "Jaws @ 50" premiers on National Geographic on July 10. Creative Impact, Then and Now The documentary also showcases modern filmmakers—including J.J. Abrams, Jordan Peele, and James Cameron—explaining how Jaws shaped their creative process and technical approach. Their reflections show how Spielberg's improvisation set a new benchmark for cinematic problem-solving. Final Cut Fifty years later, Jaws @ 50 reframes a pop culture milestone as a masterclass in creative adaptation. It's a reminder that great storytelling isn't about having the best tools. It's about knowing what to do when those tools break—and turning that breakdown into something unforgettable.
New York Post
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
How to watch ‘Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story' premiere for free
New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change. It's been a summer of celebration as 'Jaws' turns 50, but only one authorized documentary will take you behind the scenes into the making of the original summer blockbuster. 'Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story,' from Steven Spielberg's Amblin Documentaries, premieres tonight on National Geographic. In the new doc, Spielberg and Wendy Benchley (wife of the late Peter Benchley, who wrote the novel 'Jaws') open their archives to debut some never-before-seen footage, including home videos and outtakes. Spielberg even sits down to discuss the production 50 years later, including weather delays, malfunctioning mechanical sharks, and the fear that it would end his career. Advertisement 'jaws @ 50': what to know When: July 10, 9 p.m. ET July 10, Where: tk tk Channel: National Geographic National Geographic Streaming: DIRECTV (try it free), Disney+ (beginning 7/11) Additionally, new interviews with cast, crew, filmmakers, and shark advocates round out the documentary. It's the movie you know, with a story you've never heard before. Here's how to tune in. 'Jaws @ 50' documentary release date Advertisement 'Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story' premieres tonight, July 10, at 9 p.m. ET on National Geographic. Where to watch 'Jaws @ 50' documentary for free If you don't have cable, you'll need a live TV streaming service to stream 'Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story' for free. One option we love is DIRECTV, which comes with five days free and starts at $59.99/month, with plenty of subscription options that include National Geographic. You can also take advantage of a free trial of fuboTV (seven days) or Hulu + Live TV (three days). Other places to stream 'Jaws @ 50' 'Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story' will begin streaming on both Disney+ and Hulu on July 11. Hulu offers a 30-day free trial for new users. 'Jaws @ 50' trailer Advertisement Where is 'Jaws' streaming? 'Jaws' is currently streaming on Peacock ($7.99/month+). You can also rent 'Jaws' on Prime Video for $3.79. Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Writer/Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping and New York Post's streaming property, Decider. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she's also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews
San Francisco Chronicle
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
‘Jaws @ 50' shows why Spielberg's blockbuster changed movies forever
Without 'Jaws,' we might never have gotten the summer movie blockbuster season, Steven Spielberg's career or 'Shark Week.' To commemorate, National Geographic has 'Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story,' premiering Thursday, July 10. It's the centerpiece for the cable network's annual Sharkfest programming event. Co-produced with Spielberg's Amblin Documentaries, this golden anniversary tribute to the movie that changed Hollywood covers much of the ground (and water) that previous documentaries have, including director Laurent Bouzereau's 1995 'The Making of 'Jaws.'' New material includes excerpts from a recent interview with Spielberg, not to mention a who's who of other filmmakers — James Cameron, George Lucas, Guillermo del Toro, Steven Soderbergh, Robert Zemeckis, Jordan Peele, Quentin Tarantino, J.J. Abrams — who testify how the shark movie changed their lives. Other fresh perspectives come from talks with Martha's Vineyard residents who participated in the notoriously troubled production. Special effects maven Greg Nicotero describes how he rescued the mechanical shark Bruce from a junkyard and restored the 26-foot monster that now hangs at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles. There's previously unseen archive footage and scenes from Bouzereau's recent ' Music by John Williams ' film too. Shark and oceanographic experts abound. But 'Jaws @ 50' is mainly noteworthy as a comprehensive, if sometimes surface-skimming, compendium of everything there is to know about Peter Benchley's bestselling source novel, the 1975 movie, its phenomenal box office and cultural impact and why it remains relevant — as well as a near-perfect fright film — today. Some of the most compelling moments are the emotional ones, like when Spielberg reveals how his aesthetically confident 27-year-old self was nonetheless riddled with anxiety as the open-water shoot dragged on and busted his budget, while Bruce, which was built for fresh water use, kept malfunctioning in the salty Atlantic. The director claims he had post-traumatic stress disorder for years afterward. Archive clips of stars Richard Dreyfuss and the late Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw show how the human elements — most of which Spielberg chose to cut from Benchley's book — found their way into this template for modern mechanized movie mayhem. We've heard about it a million times, but it remains fascinating to see how Shaw's USS Indianapolis monologue and Scheider's 'You're gonna need a bigger boat' line were crafted to leave such indelible impressions. But we shouldn't get carried away like a naked moonlight swimmer with humanistic stuff. The most interesting aspects of 'Jaws' have always been technical, logistical and scary. 'Without these people, you wouldn't give a hang about the shark,' Spielberg says, dubiously, about the (admittedly sometimes memorable) hundreds of local extras and bit players who portray the film's townsfolk and beach-going chum. But c'mon, Steve, it was always the shark. Zemeckis — a Spielberg acolyte who achieved massive success himself with techno breakthroughs 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit,' 'Forrest Gump' and the 'Back to the Future' trilogy — accurately notes that 'Jaws' 'supercharged the language of cinema.' Still, at no point in this triumphal, authorized documentary is it suggested that the film's unprecedented, nine-figure commercial success may have done some cultural damage. Sure, 'Jaws' made movies fun again, as they hadn't been for some time before. But along with 'Star Wars' two years later, it set Hollywood on a path away from a decade of challenging artistic work and toward less demanding, digestible entertainment. Bob Strauss is a freelance writer.
Fox News
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
‘Jaws' at 50: How ‘perfect film' drove public fascination with sharks and still makes us afraid to swim
As Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" celebrates its 50th anniversary on Friday, Hollywood film experts and those closest to the movie are reflecting on the "perfect film" that still inspires love and fear for the ocean and sharks half a century later. "When 'Jaws' hit the world, there is just no doubt that it caused a lot of fear and excitement, but it also got people really interested in the ocean and in sharks," Wendy Benchley, the wife of late "Jaws" author Peter Benchley, told Fox News Digital. Benchley, an ocean conservationist and former New Jersey councilwoman, recently partnered with Spielberg's company, Amblin Documentaries, to help produce "JAWS @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story." The documentary, which will premiere July 10 on National Geographic, looks under the hood of the classic adventure-horror movie that is perhaps the definitive summer blockbuster. It features archival footage, some taken from Benchley's own collection, as well as interviews with Spielberg, the cast and crew, shark experts, and ocean conservationists. Weeks ahead of the documentary's premiere, Benchley spoke to Fox about the enormous impact the film has had on American culture since its debut in 1975. Adapted from her late husband's novel of the same name with a screenplay co-written by him, it not only changed Hollywood and pop culture forever but altered many people's views of sharks and the ocean at large. "I do think it's true that Jaws, the book, and the movie created this astonishing phenomenon, and sharks became – people feared them, but they also were excited – people were interested in them, and it jump-started research," Benchley said. "It definitely jump-started interest in the oceans and in sharks," she declared. Benchley mentioned the excitement she's personally encountered over the years thanks to her husband and Spielberg's film. "Just hundreds and hundreds of people, every time I give a speech, they all come up and say, 'When I was a child… I just loved sharks, I was so fascinated in them, and now my children and grandchildren are the same.'" Benchley also talked about some of the initial stigma that Spielberg's terrifying film generated about sharks in general, saying she was disturbed by that effect. "But there was this fear that came, and there was an uptick in the number of shark tournaments. And people seemed to take this fiction, this novel, as some kind of license to kill sharks. So that just horrified Peter and me," she said. However, Benchley mentioned that this fear of sharks inspired her and her husband to dedicate their lives to educating people about the importance of sharks and our ocean environments. "We worked for years, and we worked along with hundreds of other people who were scientists and doing expeditions and creating the knowledge that we now have to know where the sharks are and the really positive influence they have on the ocean," she said. As far as why she believes "Jaws" is such a beloved film to this day, the ocean conservationist told Fox that it's the combination of good "monster" and a "powerful story." "I think it's a good story and a powerful story. And I do think that we love our monsters, as E.O. Wilson said," Benchley said, quoting the famous American sociobiologist. "You have a creature that could hurt you and harm you, and you don't know how to control it, or you don't know how to get rid of it," Benchley continued. "And so that was the power, that was the tension of the movie." With an all-star cast led by Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw and Roy Scheider, and an unforgettable villain in the little-seen great white shark terrorizing a northeastern beach community, "Jaws" was a box office smash that launched Spielberg to directing stardom. Hollywood film critic Christian Toto told Fox News Digital that"Jaws" is a "perfect film." Mentioning some of the famous onset issues that plagued the production, including an often-faulty great white prop, he continued, "Yes, Bruce the Shark malfunctioned and lacks the 'wow' factor that modern special effects teams can muster. The film remains an unparalleled treat, and the limited time we actually see the shark makes it even more thrilling." He praised the film's classic cast and director, stating, "The trio of Chief Brody, Quint and Hooper represent the male spectrum - from Alpha Male to the refined intellectual. That adds an extra layer to the thrills. A young Steven Spielberg showed a maturity behind the camera that belied his years." "The ending is iconic, and even the tiny moments matter. What could be more human than Richard Dreyfuss' Hooper saying, 'I've got no spit,' as he prepares to meet the shark face-to-face?" Toto continued, also making sure not to forget the film's memorable soundtrack. "That John Williams score ... perfection." Toto said today's fare doesn't measure up to "Jaws." "'Jaws' would thrive in any era. Great movies stand the test of time. Modern blockbusters may offer more razzle dazzle, but it's near impossible to replicate the greatness in 'Jaws.' Fifty years later, some of us are still afraid to go into the water, and we can thank 'Jaws' for that," he said. Ross Williams at "The Daily Jaws," a website dedicated to news, history and trivia about the classic film, said the movie is still so culturally relevant because "it taps into something primal—and it never lets go." "At its core, Jaws is about fear: the fear of the unknown, of nature's raw power, and of losing control. Spielberg didn't just make a shark movie—he made a myth. That fin breaking the surface is now as iconic as Dracula's cape or the lightsaber's hum," Williams said. When asked why "Jaws" is still better than many of the summer blockbusters that followed it, he said, "In an age where modern blockbusters often bombard the senses, Jaws pulls you in by what it doesn't show. The shark barely appears in the first half—but the tension is unbearable. Spielberg used limitations as fuel for suspense, letting imagination do half the work. And that makes it timeless."
BreakingNews.ie
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
First official Jaws documentary to examine film's impact 50 years on
The first authorised Jaws documentary is to examine the film's impact on the perception of sharks to celebrate the film's 50th anniversary. Jaws At 50: The Definitive Inside Story will feature interviews with director Steven Spielberg, Ian Shaw, the son of Robert Shaw – who played professional shark hunter Quint, and Lorraine Gary who played Ellen Brody, along with other cast members, when it airs on National Geographic and Disney+. Advertisement The 90-minute documentary will also feature home videos and rare outtakes from Spielberg and writer Peter Benchley's personal archives, and a behind the scenes look at the making of the movie, including its malfunctioning animatronic shark and Spielberg's fears the film would end his career. The feature will also look at the wave of shark fear from the public following the movie's release, and will look at the novel which started the story through interviews with Benchley's wife, ocean policy advocate Wendy Benchley and their children. Famous fans including JJ Abrams, Emily Blunt, James Cameron, Cameron Crowe, George Lucas, Steven Soderbergh, Guillermo del Toro and Robert Zemeckis will also speak about the film along with marine experts. Jaws At 50: The Definitive Inside Story will be directed by Laurent Bouzereau, and will be produced by Spielberg's Amblin Documentaries and Nedland Films. Advertisement The documentary will be released on July 11 (Universal Studios/PA) The documentary frames Jaws, released in 1975, as the 'first summer blockbuster', with the movie being the highest-grossing picture of all time until the release of Star Wars two years later. Jaws tells the story of a man-eating shark, named Bruce by the film's crew, that attacks beachgoers at a resort town on Amity Island, and the attempts of police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and professional shark hunter Quint (Shaw) to hunt it down. The film, based on the 1974 novel by Benchley, was followed by three sequels, and has inspired theme park rides at the Universal Studios theme parks as well as video games. The documentary will premiere on July 11th at 8pm on National Geographic and will stream the same day on Disney+. Advertisement
