Peter Benchley's best selling novel swept the nation as it's readers learned of the adventures of Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) and a murderous shark. The fame of the novel increased even more, when director Steven Spielberg created a summer blockbuster based on Jaws. Both the book and the film are similar in many ways; however, Spielberg has tweaked the film in order to support the different themes he presents in Jaws. In this review, many of the differences between the novel and the film will be revealed, explained, and insulted.
Possibly the most insignificant, but important, change that was made has to do with the island itself. In Peter Benchley's version, Amity, the setting of the story, is a small island town on Long Island. However, in the film, Amity is it's own island. This insignificant detail, ignored by many, actually caught my attention, (for the main reason I live on Long Island) because it greatly magnifies many of the themes that are presented in both versions of the story. If, as Benchley intended, Amity was a small town on Long Island, Brody would have the option of ignoring the shark. Ignoring it would cause it to swim away, and start attacking another town on the island (I live on the north part of the island, don't worry). This eliminates the feeling of leadership that Brody has, for the adventure becomes optional. Another theme that is enhanced is Spielberg's motif of 'fear of water'. Brody, all his life, has been afraid of water. Moving to an island is considered a bad move for anyone of Brody's nature, but increases the fear Spielberg creates for his audiences. As the film progresses, Brody's character learns more of saving people (another theme introduced in the film), and eventually copes with his fear of water.
While many of the differences are minute, the death of Alex Kintner (Jeffrey Voorhees) is a big, noticeable difference. In the novel, the shark attack is [barely] noticed by one person, and the victim is unaware that he is now dead. However, Spielberg tweaks this to intimidate fear. A crowd materializes around Kintner for the film, causing panic and fear to spread when the death occurs. This becomes significant, for Brody is now considered to be correct all along. In the novel, he still has a hard time convincing the town that there is a shark problem.
Another noticeable difference between Benchley's and Speilberg's version, is the quest to destroy the shark. In the novel, Quint (Robert Shaw) specifically states why searching for the shark at night would be a bad idea. However, in the film, Quint specifically states why returning home would be a bad idea. This becomes an excuse for Spielberg to increase the fear in the film, for now the crew is in danger 24 hours of the day.
Many of the other differences become insignificant, such as the affair between Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and Ellen (Lorraine Gary), and have no relation to the film. The death of Hooper could be placed in this category, something that Benchley became enraged over. In Spielberg's opinion, the audience at this point is entranced by the film, and will believe anything that they are shown (thus, the absurd ending). This is the reason why Hooper does not die in the film. Upon hearing this, Benchley became so enraged, he had to be thrown off the set (which was twelve miles out to sea).
Novels and films generally don't mix and match very well. Faithful readers notice the multitude of differences between the two versions of the story. However, once in a while, a good pair surfaces and ensnares both readers and audiences in its jaws. For films like Jaws, the themes presented in both works create the perfect atmosphere for a shark thriller.
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