While no one can deny the lasting impression that the movie Jaws has had on audiences around the world, what isn’t discussed very often is the impact that the filming of the blockbuster film had on the community of Martha’s Vineyard, and the legacy that it left there.
Matt Taylor’s coffee table book Jaws: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard tells the story of a town completely immersed in the filming of Jaws.
During filming the cast and crew stayed on the island, and lived in the midst of the locals. The islanders captured photos and footage that would be utterly impossible in the current closed-set, stay-away, Christian Bale yelling at people type of climate.
Islanders would bring cameras to the sets and snap away, the local children were cast as extras and parents were allowed to film them while they were on set, even the local marine mechanic was tasked with – and eventually became an integral part of – keeping the giant prop sharks working smoothly.
The book is filled with pictures of filming, props and items from the movie and hundreds of stories from people that were actively involved in thed production. Through those images and the personal recollections of local islanders, cast and crew, we’re told a story of not only how one of the greatest movies of all time was made, but the profound and lasting effect that it had on the citizens of the isle; making lifelong fans, collectors and historians out of many of them.
That is what makes Jaws: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard a great addition to the 2012 Biff Bam Pop! Holday Gift Guide!
You can order Jaws: Memories of Martha’s Vineyard from Amazon here or Indigo here.
