Jaws: Memories from Martha's Vineyard: A Definitive Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Greatest Suspense Thriller of All Time

by Matt Taylor

Overview

The filming of the blockbuster film Jaws is regarded as a landmark event in both the history of motion pictures and the quaint New England island of Martha's Vineyard, where the geographic isolation necessitated the hiring of hundreds of locals to work as actors and laborers.

Among this virtual army of hometown participants were numerous professional and amateur photographers, each with full access to the production's inner workings—for the first time ever this compiles their behind-the-scenes photographs and stories into a treasure trove of Jaws rarities.

Included are a foreword by director Steven Spielberg, interviews with production designer Joe Alves, screenwriter Carl Gottlieb, location casting director Shari Rhodes, and more, providing an unprecedented all-access pass to the creation of some of the most memorable and terrifying scenes in film history. This unique compendium is the first to focus on the production's local participants, telling their stories at last.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781781163023
Publisher:	Titan
Publication date:	09/25/2012
Edition description:	Expanded
Pages:	312
Sales rank:	538,740
Product dimensions:	11.98(w) x 10.36(h) x 1.06(d)

About the Author

Matt Taylor is a fifteenth-generation resident of Matha's Vineyard. Jaws: Memories from Martha's Vineyard, his first publication, is the culmination of a lifelong passion for art, film and New England history.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“An astonishing behind-the-scenes anthology of pictures, recollections, and anecdotes.”  —Steven Spielberg, director, Jaws

“A gorgeously produced coffee table book; much more than a mere series of pretty stills, Taylor’s work ambitiously offers what amounts to a nearly scene-by-scene accounting of the making of one of history’s most-beloved films.”  —Kirkus Reviews

“You'll spend hours picking through beautifully written stories, quotes, and captions for behind-the-scenes tidbits you won't learn anywhere else.”  —Field & Stream

“Taylor's remarkable book is an exhaustive, no-stone unturned, absolutely un-put-downable saga of the shoot that took over the island and the lives of its denizens. If you're a fan of moviemaking in general or Jaws in particular, you absolutely cannot be without this book.”  —Michael Gingold, managing editor, Fangoria magazine

“A book that even the biggest Jaws-a-holic among us (and there are plenty) will drop everything for.”  —Yankee magazine

“The book is chock full of anecdotes and is bursting with more than 1000 pix shot by residents that have never been seen before. This behind-the-scenes beauty is an absolute must have.”  —Michael Rogers, LibraryJournal.com

“The original 'summer blockbuster' has now been given a gorgeous, colorful treatment in Matt Taylor’s tome Jaws: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard. Gorgeous to look at, informative and enlightening to read, and surely a pleasure to revisit in the years to come. Unbelievably recommended.”  —Andy Dursin, Film Score Monthly

“It is charming and as handsome and thorough as any book about a film production could hope to be.”  —Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune

Editorial Reviews

One of the most wonderful celebrations of one of the most wonderful films.” – J.J. Abrams

"There are bookshelves stuffed with behind-the-scenes memoirs and photos from the making of movies, but few are as comprehensive (and interesting) as Jaws: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard. The oversized book, packed with thousands of images, tidbits of trivia, and interviews, tells the story behind the making of one of the 20th century’s most iconic movies, but, in a unique twist, from the perspective of the locals." – Wired Magazine

"The volume is so impressive that Spielberg himself penned the foreword, in which he seems truly grateful for the anecdotal history provided by Taylor." – Kirkus

"The book is chock full of anecdotes and is bursting with more than 1000 pix shot by residents that have never been seen before. If you’re a JAWS nut, then you’re going to need a bigger book shelf, because this behind-the-scenes beauty is an absolute must have. I’ve got the paperback edition, but there’s also a killer deluxe boxed Limited Edition hardcover with a DVD containing 8mm behind -the-scenes footage of the JAWS production, which was shot and narrated by Islander Carol Fligor, plus a 1″x1″ piece of the fiberglass hull of the Orca II (a.k.a., sinking Orca) used in the movie with a note of authenticity from owners Lynn and Susan Murphy (how freaking cool is that!)." – Library Journal

"It’s a treasure trove of riches for those of us who love the movie Jaws, and the many stories told by the people who were there make for a brilliant package – gorgeous to look at, informative and enlightening to read, and surely a pleasure to revisit in the years to come." – Film Score Monthly

"this fantastic book provides an unprecedented all-access pass to the creation of some of the most memorable and terrifying scenes in film history!" – Nerd Locker

"This is by far the best film book in the Guide this year...the way this book is laid out is incredible. It details an almost day to day accounting of the famously troubled production and has some of the most incredible on-set photographs ever. It’s a brilliant book for a brilliant film" – aintitcool.com

"The wealth of behind the scenes photos is astonishing and the level of detail still blows my mind. An amazing making of book." - Ain’t It Cool Holiday Gift Guide

From the Publisher

Loaded with archival material, Taylor's coffee table book captures the impact a major Hollywood production can have on the area in which it was filmed, as well as the people who live there. There have been dozens of books about the making of Steven Spielberg's wildly influential 1975 film Jaws, but never before has the production been so exhaustedly chronicled from the viewpoint of the outsiders--the men and women of Martha's Vineyard whose lives were turned upside-down by the making of the movie. It's shocking that this many black-and-white photographs of the filmmaking process were even taken during the much-chronicled production, let alone that Taylor and his team were able to track them all down and, most importantly, provide context and continuity to link them into a gorgeously produced coffee table book; much more than a mere series of pretty stills, Taylor's work ambitiously offers what amounts to a nearly scene-by-scene accounting of the making of one of history's most-beloved films. The volume is so impressive that Spielberg himself penned the foreword, in which he seems truly grateful for the anecdotal history provided by Taylor. Divided into six chapters that cover events from the pre-production in the winter of 1973 to the film's release on June 20th, 1975, the book intercuts archival material, such as newspaper clippings from the era and hundreds of never-before-seen photos taken by local bystanders, with interviews from both sides of the production--the locals and the filmmakers. The result is a remarkable collection of viewpoints that chronicles how a film can impact a locale, from the men and women cast as extras to the mailman derailed by street closures. It's a wonderfully diverse array of interview subjects, not merely focusing on the people credited at the end of the film. Taylor has taken his love for a specific film and turned it into something greater--a beautiful compendium of not just memorabilia, but commentary on the importance of community in the art of filmmaking.

Kirkus Reviews