When do we first see the shark in Jaws?

With the shark in Steven Spielberg’s Jaws only getting 4 minutes of screen time (approximately 3% of the film’s total run time), less is proved to be more. Spielberg uses the cover of water, John Williams’ classic score and attack aftermath images to prime our imaginations as to what this particular, aquatic son of a bitch is capable of.

This wasn’t always the vision for Jaws. The shark was to be seen much more - see image below of outtake from Alex Kintner attack scene. However, Bruce the animatronic shark was the bane of the production as he just didn't work.

The salt water was absorbed by the rubber skin, ruining the carefully sculpted shape, and also played havoc with the then state-of-the art mechanisms that brought the shark to life. The result was a scheduled 55 day shoot ballooning to an incredible 159 days.

Having to use the shark less was a blessing in disguise as it not only heightened the tension but also the anticipation of the shark’s great reveal. And like all great movie antagonists (the shark was ranked the eighteenth greatest villain on the AFI's list of 100 Heroes and Villains), the moment of the shark’s great reveal would be key to the story.

But when do we properly first see the shark in Jaws? It’s a hotly contested topic by movie fans. Some say it’s the iconic “bigger boat”’ moment, others the split second glimpse we get as the shark is chomping on the arm of the hapless estuary victim as you can see from our recent Twitter poll below.

So let’s take a look at some of the key shark moments from Jaws and attempt to find the definitive answer.

Chrissie Watkins

This scene was filmed using a harness and pulley system rather than any practical shark effects so no shark is visible.

Alex Kintner

Having already killed Pipit the dog a few moments earlier, the third shark attack victim is Alex Kintner. This is the first time in the movie we see any of the shark. Form the shore, we see an ambiguous shape appear to rise and then roll, revealing what looks to be fins.

The shot lasts just under a second before cutting back to a couple on the beach alarmed at what they think they’ve just seen. The distance of the shot and the deliberate placement of the kids splashing in the foreground make it hard to tell exactly what we are seeing (seaweed?). It could be argued that is is the first time we ‘see’ the shark in Jaws but for me, it’s a glimpse rather than a proper look.

The Jetty / Holiday Roast

This is one of my favourite sequences in Jaws. You know these two local clowns have come up with possibly the worst shark catching plan of all time, yet we don’t anticipate how intense this comical situation gets. It also offers us another, if not extremely brief glimpse of the tip of shark’s dorsal fin as it takes off with the holiday roast before disappearing under the waves. Perfectly edited by Verna Fields, as in the Alex Kintner attack, the shot of the shark lasts around a second. Is it a proper look? Absolutely not. But serves to implant the shark in our minds a little deeper.

The Estuary

The attack on the Good Samaritan in the red rowing boat is one of the most intense sequences in cinema. This a fact. I will fight anyone on this topic lol. It also features one of my favourite shots in the whole movie. The key to this sequence is in the build up of the shark and the super smart use of distance. The scene starts with the shark being spotted entering the pond (where we know Michael is sailing). From a few hundred yards, we see both the dorsal and top tail fin cruising.

After bandana girl raises the alarm, the next time we see the shark is as it elegantly slides beneath the water with an oblivious Sean Brody playing in the sand a few yards away. One of my favourite shots in the whole movie. This a clever shot as not only are we closer to the shark, but placing Sean in the foreground gives us some sense of scale. This shark is a monster.

Now the shark has chosen its prey, his dorsal fin shows he’s in full attack mode and is honing in like a missile.

Yet, after four shots we are still only seeing fins. However, the next shot of the shark once the rower is in the water is first time we get a look at more than just fins. The stuff of nightmares and often sighted as the scariest moment in Jaws.

Chills. How scary is the shot below of the shark coming in for the kill? The fact we know the Good Samaritan is oblivious to his likely imminent and grisly demise makes it all the more terrifying.

Spielberg and Fields could easily leave the attack there (they do cut away to sunbathers hearing the screams) but they go back to the attack for the shot many people consider to be the first time we get a proper look at the shark.

Partially obscured by the water, most of the shark’s head is not visible, however what we do see is clear as a July 4th Independence Day.

Bigger Boat

Probably the most famous scene in Jaws, the '“bigger boat” moment is usually said to be the shark’s first proper reveal. Not prefaced by an incoming fin or John Williams’ signature score, the shock adds to the scare and Roy Scheider’s delivery of the immortal line ‘You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” cements it as one of the greatest moments in modern cinema. Horror master Stephen King naming the ‘bigger boat’ line as the best in movie history.

After the “bigger boat” moment, the amount of shark we see gradually increases, climaxing in the terrifying underwater cage battle with Hooper and then the shark crashing on to the back of Quint’s crippled Orca.

Defining when the moment we first see the the shark in Jaws is not easy. There are strong arguments for at least 3 shots - the shark approaching the estuary victim under cover of water; the shot when the shark’s head is out of the water, pulling the estuary victim under and the classic “bigger boat” moment.

For me, I think it’s the bigger boat moment as all other shots are designed to give us glimpses of the shark (sure you can freeze-frame the movie during the estuary shots), whereas the bigger boat moment is crafted in a way to make sure we get a good look at the shark. We see much more of it - it is clear of the water and Bruce looks tremendous. The shark is no longer in our minds, its before our very eyes.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Words by Ross Williams

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