JAWS 2: The biggest differences between the book and movie
Hello, Islanders,
Like many youngsters in early 1978 I waited with baited breath at my local book store (The Book Nook on Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa) for the novelization of the upcoming film JAWS 2 to hit the shelves. I eagerly paid my $1.95, took it home and, like a shark in a feeding frenzy, devoured it in one sitting. I loved the darkness in the story…the intrigue of the mafia. I also loved the fact that Sean Brody had a new friend. Imagine my surprise when I saw the film for the first time and realized that the story I read wasn’t the story on screen.
If you pick up the novelization of JAWS 2, you will notice that printed on the cover are the words “Based on the Screenplay by Howard Sackler and Dorothy Tristan.” Wanting to have the book on the shelves prior to the film’s release, the studio contracted author Hank Searles to adapt what they assumed would be the final screenplay. They could not foresee that original director John D. Hancock would be released from the project and, along with him, Tristan, his screenwriting wife.
By the time Carl Gottlieb was brought back to reshape the script, Searles had begun work on his adaptation. To start over meant that the book would not be ready in time for its planned release. So, for those of you who have not read the novel – and I highly recommend it – here are some of the noticeable differences between the page and the screen.
1. It’s dark. Amity is practically a ghost town thanks to the events that took place in JAWS. Trying to get the town back on its feet, Mayor Vaughn enlists the help of some “guys from out of town.”
2. The mafia. It seems the Mayor’s friends have more then a little interest into the new construction on Amity Island. There was a brief hint of mob affiliation in Peter Benchley’s original novel so, if ou also read “Jaws,” this subplot should not be too big a surprise.
3. The shark is female. This is something that Dorothy Tristan created, inspired by an episode she once had with a rattlesnake. That the shark is pregnant and constantly feeding is a major part of the shark’s personality. SPOILER ALERT – the shark’s offspring makes an appearance at the end of the story.
4. Ellen Brody. In this version there isn’t a lot for Ellen to do. Not sure if this was planned from the start or a suggestion from the producers. Per director Hancock he and Tristan were asked to incorporate Ellen into the story in such a way as to her being out on the ocean when the shark is finally confronted. Producer’s Zanuck and Brown nixed that idea and, as those scenes were done away with, there wasn’t a lot of Ellen Brody left.
5. Baby seal. Just to up the cuteness factor, Sean Brody finds an orphaned baby seal on the beach and takes it home to raise it until it’s old enough to release back into the water. Cue the SPOILER ALERT above.
The book is well written, with author Searles doing his best to capture the feel of the original novel, even including characters from Benchley’s book who didn’t appear in the film.
Along with the Marvel Comics adaptation, this is as close as you’ll ever got to Hancock’s vision for JAWS 2. And what an intriguing vision it was.
Words by Michael A Smith. Michael is co-author of Jaws 2: The Making Of The Hollywood Sequel. You can order the book by contacting Michael at OsFanMike@aol.com.
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