Great White | Through the Shattered Lens

Here Comes Shark Week

This upcoming week is Shark Week. At the risk of making the most obvious recommendation ever, Jaws (1975) is currently on Netflix. I doubt that I need to sell anyone on the film. Jaws is one of those films that everyone accepts is a classic. I’ll just say that every time that I watch Jaws, I’m surprised at how well it has held up over the years. I watched it a few weeks ago while flying to Hawaii and, even when viewed in less than ideal conditions, it still held my attention and made me jump a little. To be honest, I sometimes miss the Spielberg who directed Jaws. It’s such a fun and scary movie, all the more so because it was made by a director who clearly lived for film. Jaws is currently streaming on Netflix.

Jaws 2 (1978) does not get the same respect as the first Jaws, nor does it deserve it. That said, I can’t help but kind of like Jaws 2. If the first Jaws has a timeless quality to it, Jaws 2 is proudly a product of the 1970s. Jaws 2 has some pacing issues but it also features Roy Scheider going totally crazy at the end of the film. After giving a fairly subdued performance in the first Jaws, Scheider went all out for Jaws 2. Just listen to him yell at that shark! Jaws 2 is also on Netflix.

Jaws 3 (1983) is a bit of a guilty pleasure, largely because it was originally filmed in 3-D and the special effects are charmingly bad. Roy Scheider does not return for this one but Dennis Quaid shows up as Chief Brody’s son. This film was shot at SeaWorld Orlando but the main message seems to be, “Stay away from Seaworld!” For the record, I relate to Lea Thompson’s character. It can be viewed on Netflix!

The makers of Jaws: The Revenge (1987) decided to see what would happen if they made a Jaws film that centered on the least interesting character from the first film. With Chief Brody having died of a heart attack and one of her sons having been eaten by a shark, Mrs. Brody heads down to the Caribbean and is apparently followed by a shark. Its dumb but Michael Caine is charming and I’m a completist at heart. If you’re going to watch one this week, you might as well watch all four! Jaws: The Revenge is on Netflix.

Great White (1981) is an Italian film that was also released under the title The Last Shark. Directed by Enzo G. Castelleri, Great White was so similar to Jaws that Universal actually sued the filmmakers in an attempt to keep the film from being released in the States. To me, that’s always seemed like an overreaction. There were hundreds of Jaws rip-offs released after 1975. Great White is actually a pretty entertaining film. James Franciscus and Vic Morrow team up to take on a giant shark. The shark eats a helicopter. This film can currently be viewed on YouTube.

In Praise of Joseph Sargent

Jaws: The Revenge was directed by Joseph Sargent. Sargent would have been a hundred years old on July 22nd. Sargent was a classic, no-nonsense director who could handle many different genres. Here’s a few Sargent films that are not Jaws: The Revenge.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) is probably Sargent’s best film. Four criminals hijack a subway train. The police spend their time negotiating, arguing, and searching. It’s certainly my favorite example of the “New Yorkers Will be Rude To Anyone” genre. Featuring great performances from Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Jerry Stiller, and Martin Balsam, this is one of the great New York heist films. It can be viewed on Tubi.

Maybe I’ll Come Home In The Spring (1972) is a personal favorite of mine, a made-for-television film featuring a young Sally Field as a hippie who returns home and David Carradine as her controlling boyfriend. This is a lowkey but effective look at life in the suburbs and it features an excellent performance from Sally Field. It can be viewed on Tubi.

Tribes (1970) features Jan-Michael Vincent as a peace-loving hippie who is drafted and Darren McGavin as the drill sergeant who tries to turn him into a soldier. Jan-Michael Vincent is absolutely gorgeous in this film. It can be viewed on YouTube.

Odds and Ends

Paul Verhoeven celebrated a birthday a few days ago. The original (and still the best) Robocop (1987) is available on Tubi. Much like Jaws, it’s a film that has stood the test of time and survived countless imitations.

Finally, with the sequel due to be released on the 25th, this week is a great time to amuse yourself with the original Happy Gilmore (1996)! I love this film and I make no apologies for it. Bob Barker beating up Adam Sandler? Seriously, how can you not love this film? Personally, I’ve always felt bad for Shooter McGavin. Making him hit that ball off of Richard Kiel’s foot? Totally unfair! Happy Gilmore is streaming on Netflix.

Click here for last week’s movies!

Chances are this is going to sound familiar to you.

The 1981 film, The Last Shark (a.k.a. Great White), takes place in a small seaside community. A teenager goes out in the water, doesn’t pay enough attention to the surroundings, and ends up getting eaten. Local civic leader named Peter Benton (James Franciscus) wants to shut down the beach. A crusty old shark hunter named Ron Hammer (Vic Morrow) says that he can take care of the problem. However, Mayor William Wells (Joshua Sinclair) refuses to even admit that there’s a shark in the water. After all, sharks are not only bad for business but also could potentially keep him from being President someday!

However, the shark attacks continue. After his son is nearly eaten by a shark — a great white, to be exact — even the mayor is forced to admit that something must be done….

If you think that the plot of The Last Shark sounds like it has a lot in common with Jaws …. well, you’re right. And you’re not alone! Universal Pictures though that The Last Shark borrowed a bit too much from Steven Spielberg’s seminal film as well. In 1982, Universal filed a lawsuit to block the film’s distribution in the United States. Though the film played for a month (and grossed 18 million dollars) while the case worked its way through the legal system, a federal judge eventually ruled that The Last Shark was too similar to Jaws and, as a result, The Last Shark was not only yanked from theaters but it also didn’t even get a proper video release until 2013! Because of all this, The Last Shark has developed a cult following. It’s literally the film that the major studios didn’t want people to see. Of course, The Last Shark was neither the first nor the lat film to rip-off Jaws. It was, however, one of the few to make a good deal of money and I imagine that was the main motivation behind Universal’s lawsuit.

Interestingly enough, The Last Shark actually has more in common with Jaws 2 than with Jaws. Just as in Jaws 2, a bunch of stupid teenagers make the mistake of going after the shark themselves. Also, much as in Jaws 2, the shark manages to bite down on a helicopter and pull it under the water. A quality shark movie always features at least one helicopter getting destroyed. That the original Jaws become a classic despite not featuring any helicopter destruction is a testament to Steven Spielberg’s ability as a director.

As for The Last Shark, it’s a thoroughly shameless and undeniably entertaining film. Director Enzo G. Castellari (who directed several Franco Nero films and might be best-known to American audiences for directing the original Inglorious Bastards) keeps the action moving at steady pace and even manages to give us a few striking images of shark mayhem. (The scene where a man gets bitten in half manages to be both shocking and ludicrous at the same time.) James Franciscus appears to be taking himself far too seriously in the role of Peter Benton but Vic Morrow seems to be having a good time as the ill-tempered shark hunter.

A few other thoughts on The Last Shark:

Mayor Wells, who has presidential ambitions, also has a mustache and a haircut that makes him look like a 70s porn actor. (In fact, with the exception of James Franciscus, nearly every adult male in this movie has a mustache.) Whenever Mayor Wells walked through a scene, I found myself expecting to hear a lot of bass and plenty of wah wah on the soundtrack.

Secondly, it would appear that the best way to track down a shark is to drop a steak in the water. At least, that’s the lesson I learned from watching The Last Shark. There are actually a handful of scenes of shark hunters announcing that they’re about to go hunt for the shark and then holing up a steak. Forget about using blood or noise to attract your prey! Instead, just toss some spare ribs in the ocean and wait for the shark to show up!

Anyway, Italian filmmakers were always fairly shameless when it came to ripping off successful movies. In fact, one reason why I love Italian cinema is because of that very lack of shame. Whatever its flaws, The Last Shark is a film totally without shame and, for that reason, it’s more than worth viewing.