The VHS Tape Is Still Working: Over 30 Years of JAWS (Brotherly) Love
It began with a Video Home System (VHS) cassette tape. You remember those right? Our grandfather who visited every year from Florida would always bring tapes of movies he recorded on cable TV. Most of the time it wasn’t anything an 8 and 6-year old boy would be interested in. But this time was different. “JAWS” it read across the bottom line of the label. Yes, it was the fourth movie recorded on that tape so we had to fast forward through the first six hours or so. But when we finally got to the feature attraction it was a terrifying and fascinating ride that had us wanting to watch over, and over, and over again.
For me, no movie had ever evoked such a visceral and emotional reaction up to that point. I was having nightmares about the shark from the film breaking through the wall and terrorizing my brother and I in the middle of the night. I was scared to even sit on the toilet in fear that it would come up through the pipes and attack. At times, I was petrified to even dip my toes in a swimming pool. But yet, I kept wanting to watch it. Steven Spielberg’s buildup throughout the film is nothing short of brilliant (as we know you don’t actually see the shark until more than half the movie is over) because he manages to keep you on edge of your seat the entire time based on what you don't see. But other than simply provoking fear, why else did it resonate with us so strongly? Part of it was the fact that it hit home–literally. Our father, who passed in 2021, and with whom we had an incredible bond with bore a slight resemblance to Roy Scheider. I think subconsciously we viewed our dad as Chief Brody–a resourceful, law-abiding, family man who would do anything to protect the ones he loved.
“Roy Scheider always minded me of our dad,” said my brother Joseph. “Calm, cool, and gets the job done. He blows the shark’s head off and then electrocutes him in the sequel. Yeah, that’s dad!”
That was always part of it. The other aspect is that as we got older we learned more about the art of filmmaking and just how much of a genius Spielberg was and is. The whole production remains fascinating to me and is part of motion picture industry mythology. My brother and I would become interested in making short films and finding new ways to tear apart our house, much to the chagrin of our parents. Over the years, I would consume any piece of literature or video that discussed the making or legacy of Jaws. I would drag friends and family to the theater to watch it whenever they brought it back. And it’s now officially the one movie I watch every July 4th to kick off the summer season.
As far as scenes that resonated the most, I’ve always admired Quint’s USS Indianapolis speech for the incredible writing and acting it showcased (and even memorized it for a high school monologue). The shark attacking the boat during the film’s climax and Quint’s demise is a technical marvel to me. But the scene that remains my favorite is probably the fourth of July beach/pond attack scene–especially the end of it when Brody is staring out into the ocean almost as if to say, “okay you messed with my family, I’m coming for you.” He doesn’t have to say any words–you can just see it in his face. It was a subtle bit of acting from Scheider but my favorite in terms of emotional impact.
As my brother and I continued to dabble in creating funny videos and short films, we adopted a puggle named “Adrian” in 2016. She is perhaps the most food-driven living creature we had ever encountered. She’s jumped onto countertops, stole frozen chicken breasts, downed plates of Christmas cookies, and rummaged through the trash–all after we put in safeguards to prevent it from happening. But it didn't matter. She was and is an eating machine.
That’s why we decided to create this trailer/short film for our “Puggle.” We hope you enjoy it.
If you’re wondering, we lost the VHS tape over the years during one of our many moves. However, I’d like to believe another pair of siblings found it (and forced their parents to buy them a VHS player) and are experiencing what we did. And I guess DVD or Bluray is acceptable too.
P.S. My brother loves Jaws but still considers “E.T.” to be Spielberg’s greatest film (I disagree and yes that’s a conversation for another day).
“Farewell and adieu to you, fair Spanish ladies…”
Words, video and images via Pasquale A. Gatti, Jr.
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