First off, let me say, that most avid fans of the series, or at least the original Jaws, have probably gotten the 30th Anniversary release of the original film by now. As you know well if you are a proud owner of that two-disc set, that edition comes with many a special feature such as an archive booklet, ‘The Making of Jaws’, ‘From The Set’, outtakes, deleted scenes, and so on.
I wanted to be sure and let you know right off the bat, that I do own that release, and I was very happy with the special features that came along with it. I thought it was the most indepth multi-disc set that I own for any film, or so I thought so until I sat down and watched ‘The Shark Is Still Working’.
If you’re unaware of what ‘The Shark Is Still Working’ is, then you couldn’t have stumbled into a better thread as a Jaws fan.
Basically, this is a fully-blown, all-out nose-dive into the world of everybody’s favorite Great White. There’s no other way to put it without coming out and making myself sound obnoxious, but after sitting through it.. I feel almost as if I were there during the process of history in the making back in 74. While I felt pretty knowledgeable about the film itself from the special features on the 30th-Anni release, I found out quickly that there was still a lot to be told, and this documentary fills in the gaps.
It is a lengthy, and very entertaining ride through the world of terror down below, and even the above water woes of keeping the shark working, hence the title, and much, much more. From the ups and downs of creating the monster, to the impact it still has on cinema today, this documentary does not leave a table unturned.
The things that really reeled me in were the fact that Roy Scheider narrates you through the scenes, Richard Dreyfuss gets very animated as he tells you many stories that I’ll almost bet
you’ve yet to hear, and Steven Spielberg charms the fear right back into you as he gives you a commentary as to how the very stretched shoot went down.
I really don’t want to give much of it away, there are so many things inside this gem that will leave you with such a sweet after-taste in your mouth after you’ve finished watching it. Any fan of this film would be robbing themselves of what I see fit to call a ‘docu-phoria’ if they don’t take the time to see ‘The Shark Is Still Working’.
The film itself, Jaws, is an amazing piece of film history. It’s one of the only films that has ever truly carried over with me, but it certainly has. The Shark Is Still Working is the greatest compliment any film could ever imagine. It’s honest, it’s detailed, it’s interesting, it’s fun from start to finish. It’s more than a documentary to serve you facts about a film, it’s a work of art all it’s own.
I commend everyone involved in TSISW, they have done an amazing job, to say the very least. There is no doubt they share the same passion for Jaws as so many of us do, it’s very clear in their delivery. You can tell that they are fans like you and I, who wanted more, and went out there and got it for us all to enjoy. It is safe to say that I easily give this documentary two thumbs waaaaay up.
This has bar-none become my number one favorite documentary of all-time. It all boils down to one question… how much do you love Jaws? Therefore it’s getting a C because as a standalone, it depends GREATLY on your love of Jaws. As a documentary though, it’s an easy A.
