As summer time arrives our thoughts begin to drift to sun-drenched beaches and the deep water beyond. I don’t know about you, but when I think about the beach, the first thing that comes to mind is not bikini-clad women or the men strutting their stuff, it’s the water and the distinct possibility that a shark is lurking nearby, all thanks to Jaws, which was released on this day on this day (June 20th) in 1975.
Directed by Stephen Spielberg and written by Carl Gottlieb and Peter Benchley, based on his novel, Jaws forever changed the way we see sharks. It made some fear the water, others (like me) it made them want to get into the water more than ever.
Did you know that there is a scene from Jaws that never made it onto the film? The reason, it was deemed too graphic, too shocking for audiences to handle. It shows the death of Alex Kitner, a young boy. You may remember the mother that slapped Brody after her son (Alex) was killed when he didn’t shut down the beach. Recently, a still from the scene resurfaced on the internet, renewing interest in the clip.
The edited scene that you saw in the film shows a little gore, but nothing like the deleted scenes that shows Jaws extend out the water to grab the boy and pull him under, and a fountain of blood shoot up into the air. We will warn you, the scene is brutal.
There are several deleted scenes that you may have missed, here are a few of them.