Jaws 3D par Romain Néophyte

Qui aurait pu soupçonner qu’ une simple vidéo d’ un spot TV de Jaws 3D puisse me mettre dans un tel état? Pourtant ce dernier ne nous offre que deux malheureux plans tirés du film de Joe Alves (le reste étant composé de séquences des deux premiers films de la saga) afin de respecter, on l’ imagine, le secret qui entoure ce nouveau chapitre en relief. La vraie surprise est que les quelques secondes nous montrant le grand requin blanc brisant la vitre de la salle de contrôle proviennent d’ une version antérieure au Theatrical Cut que l’ on connait sur le bout des doigts…

Sur votre droite, un petit comparatif réalisé avec les moyens du bord qui devrait vous aider à y voir plus clair. Bien évidemment, j’ apporterai toutes les réponses à vos légitimes interrogations dans les semaines à venir (avec storyboards et photographies à l’ appui). En espérant que Danielle Versé puisse nous aider dans notre quête de vérité!

Pourquoi l’ infatigable Tony Manero (John Travolta) de Staying Alive se retrouve en couverture de ce magazine canadien alors que l’ article concernant le film de Stallone ne s’ étend que sur trois pages? Une broutille face aux 17 pages couleurs consacrées au fantastique Jaws 3D. 17 pages composées d’ interviews de Bess Armstrong, Louis Gossett Jr, Dennis Quaid et Joe Alves bourrées à craquer de révélations et d’ anecdotes croustillantes. A cela, ajoutons une brève intervention de Rupert Hitzig et des tonnes de photographies dont la moitié est tout simplement inédite (rappelez vous celle de la queue du monstre dans la Neptune Room)! Bien évidemment, je distillerai ce matériel tout au long des prochains mois histoire de ne pas griller mes dernières cartouches trop rapidement… Si vous êtes malgré tout du genre impatient, consultez régulièrement les sites de ventes aux enchères. Votre compte n’ en souffrira pas…

« Romain, je trouve que tu n’ as pas été particulièrement sérieux depuis le début de l’ été… Peu d’ articles, de nouveautés… Serais-tu sur le point d’ abandonner ce formidable projet ? » Il faut bien avouer que j’ ai un peu de mal en ce moment à trouver une heure ou deux pour actualiser le site… Mais alors que j’ étais en train de mettre un peu d’ ordre dans mes archives Jaws 3D, je suis tombé sur cet article tiré d’ un quotidien espagnol de 1983. Et comme cette coupure presse consacrée à la sublime Bess Armstrong ne parle que très vaguement de Tiburon 3 / El Gran Tiburon (quelques lignes sur la relation entre la jeune actrice de 29 ans et les cétacés…)  je me suis dit que c’ était le moment idéal pour la partager avec l’ ensemble de la communauté Jaws 3D. Vous l’ aurez compris, le site tourne légèrement au ralenti ces dernieres semaines… Mais soyez rassuré d’ apprendre que  je viens à l’ instant d’ achever l’ enregistrement de mon quatrième album! Tout devrait donc rentrer rapidement dans l’ ordre… Quoi qu’ il en soit, mon absence n’ a eu visiblement aucun effet sur la fréquentation du site qui a tout simplement explosé!

Il est primordiale pour un site comme le notre d’ aborder le moindre aspect de la production de Jaws 3D. Ne soyez donc pas étonné de voir à la une de Jaws-3d.com un article entièrement consacré à la caméra 16mm du couple Fitz Royce/ Tate (visible dans deux scènes importantes du film) et à son créateur: le sympathique Jim Bailey d’ Orlando. C’ est donc très gentiment que Jim a accepté de nous raconter son parcours et sa participation au troisième volet de la saga:

« In 1956 at age 28 I left England as a Machinist/mechanic for Canada. . Having a great interest in photography and always looking for new subjects to film. I became a certified SCUBA diver.
Back then there were very few ways to take a camera underwater. So, I had to make a housing.
With a friend/partner we designed an aluminum one for his 120 roll film camera, and I pushed to make one for my Bolex H16.
Like most under funded partnerships, we parted amicably. And I went forward with the 16 MM.

This turned out to be my entry into most things oceanographic, and put me in touch with the top people in that field. (More later.) In 1967 the Canadian Government sponsored a country wide exhibition of new products designed in Canada. And my prototype was sent to all these shows, and eventually given a ‘Design 67’ award.
Of course I had a full time job. I had a small lathe and drill press in my basement which was OK for the small parts, but I had to borrow a much larger lathe for the main castings. Getting into any real production, was just not in my budget. But I finally managed to find the money for 5 sets of castings. This was such a radical design that when I advertised it in Skin Diver Magazine they called it the ‘Bowling Ball’
The later units were motor driven and a 200 watt light and adjustable arm added. A time lapse unit was also offered. All from a rechargeable 30 volt 4 a/h battery.

I was almost on my way! In order to get some real experience and tests with the (Then named ‘JubaMarine 16’) I signed up for an Underwater Photo Course in Florida. The people that had organized it, after seeing my ’bowling ball’ were so impressed, instead of a mere student I was treated almost as faculty. Here I met those people that were to be a great influence in my life. To cut to the chase the housing was seen by a man that wanted to create jobs in central Florida, manufacturing underwater housings.
After meeting him I was offered a job to set up his plant as design and production manager. His company was ‘Sea Research & Development, Inc. The Research side was being phased out, and all effort was on manufacturing. There were problems with his existing products and after two years decided to close up, but was kind enough to make it easy for me to buy the company. ‘Thanks Bill.’. We never looked back…

Here my wife Inez and I was in sunny Florida, with a real machine shop, and a house that went with the job. She had her garden, and each weekend we would dive Florida’s fabulous springs and sinks, and with the eventual purchase of a boat got to the Bahamas almost every long weekend. Easily the best fifteen years of our lives.
I mostly made custom Underwater Housings in Plexiglas and had an order to make one for a photographer working on production of the movie Jaws3 D. The producer had seen my orange aluminum 16 MM housing and wanted to use it (It would have been a much more colorful prop, being orange, and matching the -in film actors costume).

 But it meant a lot of work to get it into working order and they were not prepared to pay my rental rate. The Housing you see in the film was the Plexi one. Some time after the production was completed, the customer brought it back for some changes, but never came back for it, and I have it still.
My website www.waterhousings.com says it all. 50 years non stop… At 83, I now make only Water housings. Much less hassle. »

Merci à Jim pour sa générosité et sa disponibilité. N’ oubliez pas de visiter son site et gardez bien en tête le contenu de cet article la prochaine fois que vous aurez l’ occasion de revoir Jaws 3D!

« Romain, les interviews c’ est sympa mais moi si je viens ici c’est surtout pour les fantastiques pièces de collection que tu possèdes! » A l’ heure d’ aujourd’hui, je te dirai qu’ il est aussi difficile de dénicher un court entretien avec un des activistes de Jaws 3D que de tomber sur un nouvel objet à la gloire du film de Joe Alves. Espérons que ces trois 35mm Slide aux couleurs de la chaine de télévision américaine Showtime sauront satisfaire votre soif de connaissance. Comme vous l’ aurez certainement remarqué, les photographies, envoyées à la presse spécialisée pour promotionner les passages TV,  n’ ont pas grand chose d’ exotique (l’ aileron, Louis Gossett Jr pendu au téléphone et nos soigneurs tentant de sauver la vie de Baby Bruce…). L’ immense majorité des fans aurait bien évidemment préféré un cliché inédit du monstre ou Bess Armstrong dans sa sublime combinaison anti-requin ! Mais qu’ importe… Le collectionneur qui sommeil en nous s’ en contentera.

C’ est avec un plaisir non dissimulé que je vous invite à lire cette interview exclusive d’ Ed Horwitz qui a très gentiment accepté de participer à votre site préféré. Désormais solide producteur hollywoodien (en ce moment la série TV Seriously funny kid) , Ed Horwitz a débuté sa carrière aux côtés de Robert Altman avant de rejoindre la famille Alan Landsburg à partir de 1980. Pour le compte de l’ ALP, il exercera en 1982 le rôle de Line Producer sur le troisième volet de Jaws. Il nous raconte:

Interview in English

1/ Alan Landsburg launched the Jaws 3 project in October 1980 from an idea of ​​guerdon Trueblood. The concept of a third Jaws in 3D is envisaged a year later when Joe Alves is approached. When did you join the production and have you contributed to the artistic aspects of the film (casting, locations …)

I was a staff member of Alan Landsburg productions at the time we did Jaws 3D. My role was a line producer on the second unit production. However, I was producing a documentary on missing children in Orlando at the same time they were shooting Jaws 3D so I was on the set a few times duting initial production, but then I oversaw production on the second unit and pick ups in Los Angeles.

2/ Jaws 3D had great difficulties with the choice of 3D cameras (optimax III, stereovision and Arrivision3D). The first week of shooting was not used in the film because of the quality of the Stereovision system. Do you remember that period? Do you feel the anxiety as a member of the production?

I definitely do remember when there was the problem with the first week of shooting. The movie was very inexpensive for a movie like this so having a wasted week of production was not good news at all. No one was very happy about it.

3/ Can you comment on the case PSE / Praxis (electronic compositing VS. FX optical printer)? Do you think (as many observers) that the special effects of the firm PSE (deleted in editing) were higher in quality than the FX of Praxis (from the theatrical cut)?

Unfortunately I don’t really know anything about this. Sorry

4/ Alan Landsburg has considerably shortened Jaws 3D to realize more screenings per day (Joe Alves speaks about 20 minutes) . Do you think this choice has greatly affected the quality of the final film?

Alan was a great producer and he and his partner Howard Lipstone were even better businessmen. Being as the film was not a true work of art, I actually think it probably made the film more watchable.

5/ Do you feel the embarrassment when you talk about Jaws 3D or do you think the movie is not as bad as the critics may say.

I’m not embarrassed at all about the film. There are plenty of not so great movies that have become more popular in later years and live on that way. As a matter of fact, all these years layer we’re still writing and talking about it. There are thousands of films everyone forgets, but because of good people like you, this film will live on.

THANKS FOR LETTING ME HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THIS. I AM STILL IN TOUCH WITH ALAN LANDSBURG. DOES HE KNOW ABOUT ALL OF THIS AND YOUR COLLECTION? I’M SURE HE’D LOVE TO IF HE DOESN’T.

THANKS AGAIN….Ed Horwitz

This interview is in English. Do not use translation software... Toujours aussi sympathique, John Putch a accepté de s’ étendre quelques instants sur sa carrière d’ acteur et réalisateur. Je vous laisse en profiter:

1/ You had 14 years to the release of the first Jaws. Were you a fan of the franchise when you were hired on Jaws 3D? Have you seen the two films before the shooting to help you interpret the character of Sean Brody?

I was a total Jaws fan and I re-watched the prior two on VHS before going in to audition. I was blinded at the possibility of being in a Jaws movie, so I did not care about the script. And what would i know about quality, I was only 20. The only thing I really had to go on from the first 2 movies were that Sean Brody was afraid of the water. The rest was brother stuff which was in the script.

2/ Do you remember your audition? Did you know that you would have to perform some stunts and spend much time in the water (and into the arms of Lea Thompson)?

My auditions were intense. I went several times. I was paired up with different girls. I remember going to one of the auditions and seeing Jennifer Jason Lee studying her lines to audition. I was completely intimidated by her beauty and talent. She was also just off the success of ‘Fast Times At Ridgemont High’ co-staring with a buddy of mine Robert Romanus. (bob has been in a lot of the films I direct)

I was paired up with Lea in the final auditions. We read the scenes many times and acted them out in the production office at Alan Landsburg’s building in west LA. I remember being very relaxed and comfortable with the role, so I had a good time riffing on the material and coming off realistic. Lea was so sweet and new. I think it was her first feature film. She was fresh out of Pittsburgh or PHilidelphia. She hooked up with Dennis Quaid pretty quick. Next thing we knew they were engaged. A funny Lea story: I remember how they kept hinting that for the international version they wanted Lea to do a topless scene. She was rightfully mortified and declined. She mentioned that if they forced her to do it, she would draw giant black X’s on her boobs so they couldn’t use the shots, or clean it off. I thought wow, this girl is right and she’s got a good game plan to avoid being nude in the movie. Less than a year later she is completely nude opposite Tom Cruise in ‘All the Right Moves’.

Over the years I’ve run into Lea here and there. She also did some directing at a TV movie house I was working at were I directed Poseidon Adventure. Everytime I see her I wait to see if she recognizes me before saying hello. Once I stood next to her talking for 5 minutes before she figured out it was me. She’s a talented director, I hope she keeps it up.

3/ Can you say something about the strange game of STAND-OFF? Is this a pure invention of the production or a popular game in the early 80’s?

It must have been one of the big bar games of the times. It was in the script. I remember i had to defeat my buddy Carl Mazzocone (location manager) in the scene before Lea came up and took me on. Mazz is the bearded dude who I beat. He happens to be producing the new ‘Leatherface 3D’ franchise in Shreveport, LA right now. I think I put you in touch with him a few years ago. He is a great behind the scenes anecdote resource for you. Let me know if you need his email again.

4/ History tells you became intimate with the water skier Jackie Kuntarich during filming. Can you confirm?

Where did you hear that obscure bit of trivia? That’s a good one. And yes, I flipped my lid for Jackie and we had a wonderful love affair over the course of that shooting. Then spent Christmas together in ’83. What a gorgeous and delightful person. All of the skiers were fun and nice folks. There was a boat driver/manager named Sharkey Schwartz who we hung out with a lot. He was fun and worked the movie boats for us in the lagoon.

5/ I have most of your movies on DVD (Fugitive Mind, Tycus, spoiler, American Pie 7, the wave, the Poseidon …). Are you proud of all of your work as well as an actor and director? How to locate Jaws 3D in your career (high or low?)
I love all the B movies that I’ve acted in and now directed. I was so serious as a young director on movies like Tycus and Intrepid (Deep Water) that I had no time to laugh and enjoy how outrageous they were. But now I can reflect on them with great humor and I love remembering all the crazy shit we did as low budget film makers back then. If i ever write a book, I’ve got a whole chapter just for the great Dennis Hopper. My good director friend Jeff Burr put me in Spoiler after we directed together at Saban. (Big Bad Beetleborgs).
Jeff is just finishing Alien Tornado. Jeff is sort of a legend in the horror fantasy world. Step Father 2 put him on the map.

When Bess Armstrong and I sat through a screening of Jaws 3D at universal one day before its release, we both looked at each other when it was over and said…. »let’s get drunk » cause we knew our careers might be over. So I was very defensive about it when it came out. Although it was a box office hit, I was not too proud of it. But now! I’m so glad to have been apart of cinematic history no matter the quality of the film. I love that it is so B like. I am proud of it. Fun. Nothing but fun.

The best films I’ve made are my own Indie movies. . Like Mojave PHone Booth and Route 30 . The latter being so sucessful in the state of Pennsylvania, that I have decided to make it a trilogy. The 2nd film is due out next fall (2012). Its called Route 30, Too! and will have many B elements in it. Spaceships and ghosts duke it out in south central, PA. Route 30 Too. Those are my best work as a writer and in many ways a director. And the total budget combined of all three mentioned above is under 200K. So you could definitely put them in the non A category.

Thank you for everything, John.

Thanks, Romain. Remember if you come to California ever, let us know. I’ll assemble the Jaws 3D alumni for a visit with you.

Vous ne souhaitez plus rien laisser au hasard? Vous aimeriez connaitre l’ actualité de Jaws 3D à la minute près? Vous envisagez de pénétrer les moindres pensées d’ un fan compulsif déjà trentenaire? Une seule adresse: http://twitter.com/#!/RomainJaws3D … Bien qu’ hermétique au concept de réseau social, ce gadget à la mode devrait juste me permettre de vous parler de choses qui n’ auraient, en temps normal, aucun intérêt sur le site (mention de Jaws 3D dans un article, mes avancées et projets, la programmation TV et l’ actualité de personnalités liées au film…). Je ferai en sorte de rédiger les messages à la fois en Français et en Anglais pour que personne ne puisse se sentir délaissé. Même si je reste assez sceptique quant au succès d’ une telle entreprise, j’ espère qu’ elle saura tant bien que mal répondre à vos légitimes attentes… Quoi qu’ il en soit, le site www.jaws-3d.com fête demain ses deux ans. 24 mois passés ensemble et plus de 300 articles à la gloire de ce troisième volet mésestimé. Avec une affluence de près de 3000 visiteurs par mois, le site reste encore assez confidentiel mais prouve néanmoins l’ existence d’ une vrai communauté Jaws 3D à travers le monde! Un puissant lobby qui devrait commencer à faire pression sur Universal pour un éventuel Bluray 3D… Pourquoi pas?

Contact: neophyte.punk@gmail.com

A l’ heure où nous parlons, notre ami John Putch doit être en train de souffler les bougies de son cinquantième anniversaire! Toujours très occupé, John est actuellement sur la post-production de son dernier film Route 30, Too! tourné en Pennsylvanie (d’ où John est originaire) dont la sortie est prévue pour l’ année prochaine. En attendant, vous pourrez voir en vidéo d’ ici le mois de novembre le dernier opus de la franchise Beethoven (avec Curtis Armstrong, un des acteurs fétiches de notre Sean Brody préféré) produite par Universal qui sera un authentique conte de Noël typiquement ricain… Une fois de plus, John participera au site www.jaws-3d.com dans les prochaines semaines et reviendra sur son rôle dans le film de Joe Alves mais aussi sur sa carrière en tant qu’ acteur et réalisateur à Hollywood depuis plus de 30 ans… En attendant, je vous souhaite à tous de bonnes vacances car je pars quelques jours histoire de me changer les idées… Espérons que la rentrée sera riche en informations et autres pièces de collections. Happy Birthday, John!

Les documents Sharkfacts (une compilation d’ informations sur nos amis les requins…) ont toujours fait partie de la panoplie promotionnelle de la saga et ce, depuis 1975. Le troisième volet réalisé par Joe Alves, malgré son peu de rigueur scientifique, n’ échappa pas à la règle (on se souvient du promotion power traité ici même). En témoigne ce panneau installé à proximité du monstre des Dents de la mer aux Universal Studios de 1983 à 1987. Comme vous pouvez le constater, le texte est identique à celui rédigé pour le film de Steven Spielberg (et pour cause, le logo Jaws 3-D n’ est qu’ un simple sticker)… Bien évidemment, les fans que nous sommes auraient aimé quelques ajouts comme 15: les requins peuvent reculer lorsqu’ ils sont coincés dans une pompe à filtration ou 16: le Grand requin blanc peut se déplacer tel un missile s’ il se dirige vers une salle de contrôle remplie de victime potentielle.

En complément, je vous offre quelques clichés où l’ on distingue clairement ce tableau informatif aux côtés du requin mécanique de 25 pieds et de touristes visiblement peu effrayés… Il me parait  intéressant de souligner que ce panneau fut décoré aux couleurs du navet abyssal sympathique film de Joseph Sargent: Jaws The revenge à sa sortie en salles (un simple auto-collant comme vous pouvez l’ imaginer). Certaines photographies d’ époque nous montrent aussi que le dit-panneau était accompagné d’ une affiche de Jaws 3D au visuel sensiblement différent (cliquez ici) qui ne demanderait qu’ à rejoindre ma collection…