Behind the Scenes of Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story

National Geographic’s annual SharkFest programming stunt returned over the weekend, kicking off with Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory. Promising over 25 hours of programming, the event continues to deliver the types of blue-chip specials Nat Geo is known for, showcasing these apex predators from a variety of different perspectives.

Billed as a “crown jewel” of the stunt’s lineup is Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story, premiering on July 10 on National Geographic and arriving the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. A unique hybrid, the doc, directed by Laurent Bouzereau, delivers a cinematic history of Steven Spielberg’s iconic blockbuster alongside a message about the importance of ocean conservation with an array of experts, among them executive producer Wendy Benchley, whose late husband, Peter Benchley, penned the novel upon which Jaws is based.

Produced by Amblin Documentaries and Nedland Films, “This documentary is the most honest telling of the making of Jaws,” Spielberg said in a message recorded for the world premiere last week.

Benchley was immediately drawn to Bouzereau’s pitch for the look back at Jaws; one that would focus on the positive impacts of the film, she tells TV Real Weekly. “The legacy of this film started right away,” Benchley notes. “It didn’t take 50 years. There was a 30 percent increase in marine applicants at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School immediately following the release of Jaws. Peter got thousands of letters from people across the world talking about how fascinated they were, how they wanted to learn more about sharks, whether it was educators or young people or grandparents. Yes, there was fear and an uptick in shark tournaments. Peter and I were just horrified that somehow people took this fictional book and movie as a license to kill sharks. That gave us added incentive to get out there and be with scientists and learn all we could and then help to educate people about sharks and how important they are to the ocean.”

Bouzereau is among those who were instantly moved by the blockbuster upon its release five decades ago. “I wanted to highlight the generational aspect of what Jaws means,” he tells TV Real Weekly. “The film is timeless for so many incredible reasons. It’s an auteur movie; it was the first time for me, as a kid, seeing it in France, that I recognized the name of a director and wanted to see everything that this man did. And being influenced by the Americana aspect. If it had been set in Miami, it would be dated today because Miami has changed so much, but this island [Martha’s Vineyard] hasn’t. It is the same. You can spot all the locations because they’re still there. So, he was able to freeze frame this slice of a story, and it made me want to move to America.”

Bouzereau assembled an A-list lineup of Hollywood directors to reflect on the legacy of Jaws, including James Cameron, Jordan Peele, J.J. Abrams, Steven Soderbergh, Guillermo del Toro and, of course, Spielberg himself. These aren’t talking-head interviews, Bouzereau stresses; “these close-ups are my action shots. Doing those incredible interviews and close-ups on a generation of filmmakers who are changing film history themselves or have already was essential. Each of them took a bite out of Jaws and made it their own.”

Bouzereau emphasizes, though, that the doc is more than just a film about a film. “I hope it is about the journey, about the courage of not giving up. It’s about the adventure of life. It’s about the triumph of the human spirit and invention in the field of cinema.”

Benchley, meanwhile, is hopeful that viewers will respond to the film’s messages about protecting these awe-inspiring creatures. “I hope [audiences will] understand, through the documentary, how important sharks are for the health of the ocean. We need our apex predators to keep the balance. I also hope they will figure out how they can support marine protected areas or nonprofit groups that are working on the ocean or the environment. This is the only planet we have. We need to work on it.”