JAWS (1975) - Behind The Scenes with Bruce the Mechanical Shark

A behind the scenes look into the making of Steven Spielberg's JAWS. Production Photographs. Music by John Williams. From the Signature Laserdisc.
Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
Zanuck / Brown, Peter Benchley
Jaws 1975

[@spottedzebra2]

I like how the actor from Jaws said "That mechanical shark is so life-like that in some scenes where I was supposed to act scared...I wasn't acting."

[@TripleTailsShow4500]

Which one?

[@reb-dom1ne]

There’s something about Bruce, he’s larger and the thing is regular great whites are torpedo shaped, while jaws is more bulky/tough looking. It’s a monster.

[@darthtyler100]

I would be scarred shitless if I was in the water with that thing swimming towards me. Even if I knew it was a mechanical shark, I would still be scarred.

[@thejarlofwhiterun3670]

Same here!

[@001GenLee]

Yep, and when Disney World's 20K under the Sea ride was still going, I heard that after hours, some of the crew members went swimming in the lagoon's water. I'd been scared shitless totally! lol

[@jtsharkey83]

I would swim to it and hug it

[@cassidyerickson7408]

Same dude! I would question if it was real or not

[@ouroldhouse3674]

I bet filming Hooper's cage scene was terrifying.

[@Sahluful]

Greatest shark movie of all time.

[@lauremehrkens5891]

Greatest movie, of all time!!! At least I think so.

[@longimanusisurus132]

No doubts!!

[@lloydkline6946]

❤ 1975 jaws 🎥 movie, ❤ robot jaws

[@roquefortfiles]

Bruce is legend. A mechanical prop is nearly as famous as the three lead actors. He's developed a cult following through the years. Bruce rules. The coolest and the first mechanical shark.

[@surrealist2k]

I thought the music score was the most genius thing about jaws.

[@gambinom5967]

I dont know about that. The music was fantastic but the most genius thing about the movie? Again I dont know about that.

[@shughy1]

2 notes a semitone apart striking fear in the heart of the nation 🤣

[@chgem.2658]

The music is inspired by the theme of the whale in Disney's Pinocchio.

[@MrUndersolo]

John Williams must have listened to a lot of Stravinsky.

[@hseverins]

This robotic shark looks still more terrifying than all other shark movies they made

[@nursenatedawg]

Henny Severins practical effects are better than CGI

[@chaseturknett]

@@nursenatedawg factual information my friend

[@nicoles7117]

The shark looks great for being made like 40 years ago!

[@rollydoucet8909]

It's amazing how much work goes into a film we watch in less than two hours.

[@somerrenee2428]

Is it bad that this mechanical shark freaks me out more then a real one? Something about a robotic shark

[@Marie87842]

I know exactly what you mean, I couldn't even bring myself to ride around in that things mouth let alone be in the ocean with it lol.😱

[@downlink5877]

I've been in the water with the Real McCoy several times. I'd far rather do that than be in the water with a mechanical one!

[@Marie87842]

+Downlink lol the mechanical one looks evil lol

[@Ingrid-vw2sm]

same thoughts here

[@jacobmarshmellofankilled8555]

Yea me too

[@roquefortfiles]

Bruce is just legend. If you're a Jaws fan you simply have to love him. He's just part of the Jaws lore. I could give a rats ass if they updated him to new whiz bang CGI. I wouldn't care. I think there are shots of the shark that look totally amazing and shots where he looks horrible. But Bruce simply "FEELS" like a shark. It works. And that's all you need.

[@markgodleman1549]

Couldn,t have said it better myself

[@markgodleman1549]

That was extremely funny.did u notice that the shark in the shit movie ''Ghost Shark'' looks a lot like Bruce from ''Jaws 2'' don,y know maybe it,s just me i only saw it in the trailer.Love the jowls (original Jaws fans know what i mean)

[@roquefortfiles]

calanthiarose This was the very first picture I ever saw of Bruce back in 1975. And I'll never forget it. Being 10 years old at the time and already a shark nut. It was the coolest thing i'd ever seen. A mechanical shark? are you kidding me?. I still kind of have that goofy adoration for him even today. Just from the cool factor back then. LOL The eyes in this photo always freaked me out just a bit. And that giant mouth. Chills. www.google.ca/search?q=bruce+the+shark+from+jaws&biw=1280&bih=611&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj0s_remd_JAhWDuYMKHVTOAIIQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=erJ6Y38Wkb3veM%3A

[@butchcassidy5440]

roquefortfiles Part of the lore??? Bruce is the lore, he is Jaws!

[@brittanyhall7394]

roquefortfiles love

[@Kains_Gaming_Channel]

Just seeing Robert Shaw in these pictures puts a smile on my face.

[@Thunder-acro]

Bruce turned my fear of the Great White Shark into fascination/admiration. Now I look for pics of sharks all the time. Thank you to the creators of this movie for giving us Bruce. Thank you to Peter Benchley for writing an outstanding novel. And thank you for uploading this video :)

[@livingdadream4616]

Bruce was the name of the prop shark really!!! That would explain why they named the shark in finding memo a great white Bruce haha

[@AspieMediaBobby]

@Aldyara Arkan And Speilberg named the mechanical shark Bruce because that was his lawyer at the time`s first name and there`s an old joke about lawyers being like sharks.

[@leedsfanzines5497]

A lot of people pretend they think Bruce looked bad. I don't believe them.

[@44excalibur]

It's amazing that they were actually able to make that primitive mechanism that kept breaking down look so realistic on screen.

[@victoriapedder6694]

I don't care what anyone says I think Bruce looks scary

[@lauremehrkens5891]

My most favorite movie, ever!!!! I was 14 yrs. old, when this came out. It’s been my favorite ever since.

[@nascarfan88ta]

Robert Shaw chilling with Bruce is great

[@rossdiamondthief6627]

What is it about this shark that makes it more terrifying than an actual shark??!!

[@dan_hitchman007]

It looks more like a deformed monster shark.

[@roquefortfiles]

I find what makes Bruce freaky is the dead black eyes coupled with the gigantic mouth. Its your nightmare version of a White Shark.

[@lipstikknleathr]

for years I was afraid to open up my eyes under water in the pool because I believed that if I did then I would be face to face with a shark with a huge grin full of jaws teeth 😬. I loved the movie so much that I drink my coffee out of a Jaws coffee mug. #1 movie of all time

[@allmadshere]

I'm glad I'm not the only one with a mechanical shark phobia! There's pretty much nothing on this green earth that would get me into the water with Bruce. But for some reason, I still like to look at him!

[@kristinschermann6581]

I'm actually glad that Bruce hardly ever worked, that made this film SO much scarier & terrifying- they always say "Less is more"! That shot of Bruce coming up under the guys boat (in the Pond right before he bites off his leg) gives you an idea of how big Bruce actually was- that scene scared me to my very core!! Having Bruce break down all the time actually worked to Mr. Spielberg's advantage. It almost looks kind of cheesy near the end, you can really tell it's mechanical.

[@jlero2568]

I remember watching Jaws for the first time ever on Halloween night 2019 on AMC and I loved it so much

[@iost5459]

It really holds up

[@shaunpenne1840]

Just even looking at Bruce with his head sticking out of the water between takes is somewhat chilling and unnerving! A Channel 4 programme 'The Top 100 terrifying moments of Film and TV!' has Chrissie's final swim as the most terrifying scene in Jaws! I respectfully disagree, it is a frightening scene! I think that the Shark cage attack scene is a lot scarier and terrifying, because for most of the film we are above water! This time with Hooper in the cage, there's nowhere to escape, the Orca is slowly sinking and the engine exploded! Plus we are in the domain of Jaws, we are in its environment!! The moment when Hooper searches for the Shark dart after Bruce bumped the cage then turns around, the close up of terrified eyes and a scream only to see a Leviathan with a cavernous mouth and sharp teeth heading right for Hooper is pure nightmare material!!! Jaws is and always will be a classic, it should be left alone!!!

[@MattStokess]

0:36! BEST SELFIE EVER :D

[@donpace6405]

Still the Greatest shark film ever no CGI just great Actors and hard work made this film a Hit🥰😍🤩

[@jjjillyeo]

1:06 Photo bomb.

[@tobyroberts7184]

I had so many great memories of this film. Jaws was made in the 70's and they still can't make a better film with all the technology they have today. All they use now is horrible CGI

[@galarprince]

Such a Great and Awesome Movie!

[@stangdude360rs]

44 years old still the best shark movie to this day! Shark looked realistic too! Well just forget about jaws 3 idk what that was 🤦‍♂️😂

[@spartan6459]

the shark is working, the shark is working!

[@brianekay4149]

JetTheHunter & the boat was sinking!

[@Rheisler1475]

this shark is more terrifying than any CGI shark today.. that shot scene that shows bruce swimming underneath the guy who's boat he capsized is horrifying!

[@matthewlipinski6844]

Jaws is one of my all time favorite movies. Bruce is a scary son of gun. It was named after Steven Spielberg's lawyer. Who first name was Bruce. Lmao it's true. Thanks for posting.🦈

[@heatherprior2240]

Cos like the shark, his lawyer did not work.

[@heatherprior2240]

And like the shark his lawyer didn't work either.

[@maybeitsalice]

1:03 the smile on that shark made me laugh

[@metronorthamtrakmatty8183]

Great whites Don’t Smile you Son of a

[@BritishRailways60163]

It loved to break down during filming, apparently it sank straight to the bottom the first time it was put in the water, took a team of divers to retrieve it

[@jerico641]

Love that shark; the only thing I wish they'd been able to do back then is to have designed his mouth where the jaws would actually jut out from the mouth when he took a bite. That's one of the most chilling things about great whites.

[@roquefortfiles]

They engineered the top gum to distend but the mechanism to operate it never worked. I think the shark looks 100x better with its top Jaws showing. I love the film to pieces and I so wish they had the top jaw distended on the sharks first appearance. The chum scene. Nothing screams "Great White" like those jaws jutting out against that white under belly.

[@jerico641]

@@roquefortfiles Yep, I can't argue with that; you know you're in the presence of a super predator when you see that. The weird thing to consider is that to the shark, it's just an fine-tuned evolutionary advantage for more efficient feeding, but our perception of it is sooooo frightening to us, in such a visceral, primitive way. And yeah, it is too bad the mechanism didn't work; I'd never heard that they had actually tried to do that!

[@roquefortfiles]

@@jerico641 Yes the top gum was engineered to descend. They got it working on a few shots. Brody on the mast if you look at Bruce you'll see the top jaw down. But like so many things they had problems w it.

[@jerico641]

@@roquefortfiles Wow, I never noticed that; I'll definitely check it out. You know, I know every line, shot and nuance from the movie, god knows how many times I've seen it ; ) This gives me a reason to check it out at least once more!

[@roquefortfiles]

@@jerico641 I would hazard a guess that if you put a type writer in front of me I could write the entire script from memory. Every character. Jaws is the only movie that got me on a plane (I hate flying) to go to Martha's Vineyard to tour all the locations.

[@randy65211]

It's a shame that the three sharks used in Jaws are no longer around.

[@arandomperson9381]

I would buy him.

[@sb61fury]

Bruce is an awsome shark

[@ronstewart6362]

I don't give a damn what anybody says!!! That shark looks real. Mabey the movements weren't perfect but for 1975 or 2075 that shark is scary as hell. The colors are absolutely spot on!!! It amazes me Nobody has tried to make a shark movie with a mech instead of CGI. No matter how good the effects are, it don't compare to a mech that was built in 1975.

[@LAJIRAFA66_ALT]

*cough *deep blue sea" *cough*

[@StraightUpMetalDetecting]

Heart attack. I would have a full blown heart attack. Saw JAWS in the theater at 4 years old and to this day it still scares the hell out of me.No way woulds I be anywhere near "Bruce".

[@fabiensanchez9082]

Reportage génial grand plaisir à le visionner un de mes film culte qui a marqué mon enfance merci

[@TheVeganBear]

I wouldn't even go in the pool with Bruce regardless how fake today he looks

[@mw3fanatic]

I think he still looks pretty damn real

[@TheVeganBear]

***** the shallows looked pretty good for cgi. I think if they did for deep blue sea and used mechanical sharks for close interaction with actors and cgi for distance shots it would look pretty good

[@mittens62aj77]

Same

[@rebeccageorge7050]

No matter what jaws is still terrifying and I've at lest seen it 10 times 😰😱😨

[@KevinJJCarpenter]

I think part of the terror behind Bruce is that he doesn't look exactly right. He's like a twisted version of a Great White Shark, and his enormous jowls emphasise his only desire: To attack and devourer everything. He shouldn't look like a real shark because he's a true monster, one of the last real ones we ever saw in cinema.

[@planesteve]

Robert Shaw knackered after doing Quint being devoured !!!:)

[@bighuge1060]

With the exception of being shot from a low angle facing the camera, the original shark looks so much better than the three sequel sharks. Even with the telltale jowls/jaw hinge, the proportions of this model looks excellent on film. Jaws 2's shark had a longer lower jaw that made it look off, Jaws 3's Humphrey Bogart gum exposing was goofy (although if used like a regular shark would (when biting down) might have worked, and Revenge's had a snobby upturned nose when in motion.

[@TheMan-rp1mp]

Brilliant film. Absolute classic!!

[@elphaba4674]

Imagine scuba diving and coming across that beast! 🤣🤣🤣

[@eccentricgamer4111]

Bruce was originally supposed to appear more throughout the film, but he kept breaking down, so fewer scenes with him were filmed. Funny how that worked out-NOT seeing the shark as much only made the film much more terrifying.

[@gillehrer2824]

To me the scariest thing in JAWS is not the shark itself, but the theme song and all these backgound sounds composed by John Williams! Am right or wrong? == (gilberto lehrer from brazil)

[@its_rick_james_bich2575]

You’d never see the talentless orca actor from free Willy interacting with the film crew and actors like this between takes!! Love Bruce!!👍🏽

[@britishmilitaria2947]

1.03 shark photobomb what a legend 😊

[@spooky-guy6425]

lol

[@00SynchronFan00]

bruce you scared us all but we love you!

[@denniswelsh9859]

Greatest film ever made.

[@stevebird6632]

I recall the first time we see the shark as Chief Brody is chumming, it really was startling how big the shark was compared to the Orca 🦈

[@dabspur8761]

absolutley amazin wat they pulled off wen u see wat they were workin with

[@davidoftheglen3447]

dAbSpUr 1882 It's a miracle the movie ever got made . It's my all time favourite !

[@dabspur8761]

Did Ye Aye ? its my all time fav aswell. everytime it comes on no matter what pt of the movie i will watch it. cud quote every line!lol

[@evanlusmann2689]

It bugs the shit out of me that this movie is almost out of the top 250 on IMDB.

[@snakeroy3467]

I'd rather swim with a real great white, than swim with that mechanical shark!

[@Romulan2469]

Erm, I don't think so...

[@passionatechrist3382]

Real sharks still attacks though.

[@EE-nj5fh]

@@passionatechrist3382 well thats by accident

[@fbiopptap]

@@passionatechrist3382 sharks don't attack for fun... They have electro waves which means they can sense muscles and have waves which means if ur splashing from up top they know ur there, Sharks don't attack us for fun. They think we're big fat seals from up top, and 95% of sharks take a bite and swim away and never come back... Ppl swim wid sharks 24/7 they won't attack it u don't attack... Edit: also did u know Phone's kill More ppl a year then sharks do, and Being Left Handed does as well... Ppl love dolphins but it's a fact that dolphins kill More humans a year then sharks do, Only 7 ppl roughly get attacked by sharks a year. We kill 70-100 million of them a year... We need these beautiful species in the ocean, they keep are ocean healthy. Like keeping the diseases and unhealthy Objects out... shark's could go extinct in about 1-2 years bcuz of ppl finning them... Ppl don't understand we need them, without them there's no hope for r oceans.

[@freddie3206]

Excellent movie!

[@mercmarc]

It seems like every classic movie ever made has been remade. Im surprised Jaws hasn't been done again.

[@65tosspowertrapl36]

Saw "Jaws" when first released at age 13. Didn't want to go swimming anywhere for a long long time.😟

[@anthonywhite3139]

Awesome 😊👍

[@enigma7784]

Some people say the shark looks fake but I'd never change a thing on Bruce the Shark 👍👏

[@ajurassicfan9557]

I like how Bruce was photo bombing in some of the photos

[@jesusalbertorodriguezgomez6244]

Una obra maestra del cine!!

[@davidtaylor328]

GREAT JOB BRUCE 👍🏻🦈👍🏻

[@rhettcorbett3346]

Fire you son of a ..... RIP Bruce. The most lifelike shark ever made. And hard as you try you can not see the shark platform or any hoses in any scene. Still watch it in 2023.

[@skeene_6824]

They should really prank some people with that

[@galarprince]

Seank C1tikal5000 I used to do it and I laughed like crazy XD

[@joeb2588]

I'd have a heart attack

[@reagz2515]

TAHTS WHAT I was gonna say

[@ShadowFox746]

I think I’d die from fear before the shark even got near me. I’ve had so many nightmares about Bruce since I was a kid that I think I’d actually die from fright seeing it irl, especially if I were entirely unsuspecting

[@aerozeppelin8605]

Skeene _6 3:58 I wonder if they played the jaws theme over the divers headset, especially with Bruce moving through the water😂

[@marcryan6581]

Best score ever 🦈

[@horrorwithkelly2403]

Bruce needs an Oscar for his performance. Best Hollywood shark.

[@TakeMeBackInTimetoProductions]

JAWS is the shark king movie Bruce is the mechanical shark theme

[@ButterflyAnnie988]

I wonder where this masterpiece ended up? I hope it’s in a museum.

[@williamshaw9047]

At least one was rescued from a salvage yard where it had been strung up as part of the business's sign. I think it's in the Academy Museum now...they had Greg Nicotero refurbish it. Three sharks were made for the movie, as well as a rig with a dorsal fin that could sink and raise.

[@RedElephantStampede]

Fuck CGI. There's only one Bruce...well actually 3 or 4.

[@troppie7823]

RedElephantStampede 3 and 4 were not cgi

[@thedukeofno]

1:03 Bruce is photobombing Robert Shaw

[@novlogsnovlogsjustvids2715]

BRUCE! U naughty shark lol

[@arthurmorgan7532]

Quint is taking a nap with Bruce, how sweet! 2:06

[@kennethconnolly2119]

Man i want him so badly best shark he looks real dont care what ya say looks more real than cgi sharks best shark ever still is to day

[@quantummojo2389]

i LOVE THIS MOVIE

[@ashfaq1999]

Legend.

[@godzillafan2058]

I don't know why people say Bruce looks fake because in my book he looks scarier than a real one

[@johannamartin2843]

the secrets of filming should never be shown .

[@nazurulhisyam6375]

Yes exactly

[@cassidyerickson7408]

Johanna Martin shut up imbecile

[@mercmarc]

yes they would, they would probably have Bob Goldthwait as Quint, Gilbert Godfried as Brody and Gary Busey as Hooper

[@andrewgray957]

Clarkson hammond n may are my 2nd fave trio after these 3 😆

[@TheMellowPumpkin]

It's stuff like this that gives me Submechanophobia

[@seedeeeichcosplay9337]

OMG ITS BRUCE FROM NEMO

[@cube_control]

what

[@JoseAlejandro-rl5zk]

Tiburon asesino nonbre cientifico carcharodon carcharias

[@crybabywaffles5838]

Is it weird that I think the sharks looks cute

[@franciscoroldan6065]

I realy love jaws

[@dawnagordon2333]

The shark is so real but at the shark also looks like look at me posing for pictures

[@johnnyskinwalker4095]

Seems like Robert Shaw was tired of moving around on his back screaming like a maniac. He must have done many takes. lol Is it just me or the shark looks scarier there than in the movie?

[@deathstar628]

worst case was the shark broke down again and everyone was just chillin while bruce was being patched up, lol

[@jtsharkey83]

Bruce is a badass

[@jamesunderhillunderhill2623]

Its amazing how scary bruce is in black and white. If you shot this movie in the 50s it might still have been successful

[@RaefonB]

It was and is a successful movie... But hell yeah, I agree: looks way scarier in these b&w images than it did in the final footage.

[@q.h.s5051]

Practical effects were always better than CGI. Imagine a Jaws film nowadays, he’d look like crap

[@Greavesy]

Better than cgi rubbish.

[@edwinthompson5844]

It might have been a fictitious 25 feet shark, but I am pretty sure that great whites of this size exist out there, it's just that they have been seen or recorded yet.

[@Slimdaniel]

1:05 Bruce: "Hey there!"

[@dzeronimo9997]

it sure took along time to make this movie, i mean like for that shark to move and shit....but the effects in the movie are sooo real that im actually getting a bit sad, cuz dat shark kills loved people :(

[@denizeprudencio5943]

ADORO ESSE FILME MUITO BOM

[@madmikeysaysrelax]

lol at 1:01 it looks like bruce is sneaking himself into the photograph

[@mutal3]

Michael Chapman the unsung hero!!!!!!! Hail Chapy sir

[@oogiegaming2907]

It sucks that they blew up that mechanical shark in the movie. I'd love to see the original mechanical sharks used in the movie in a museum.

[@rileyrichardson4024]

he's in museums