Strings and Ceiling Wax

directingfilm:

RIP Richard Zanuck 

For better or for worse, Richard Zanuck helped usher in the era of the contemporary blockbuster when he produced Jaws (1975).  Steven Spielberg was not the production’s first choice, but Zanuck was impressed with him after hiring him to direct Sugarland Express (1974).  Richard Zanuck gave Spielberg an incredibly long leash for a sophomore director; Jaws came in way over budget, well past the projected wrap date.  While he was not happy with the production, he saw something special in the final film and pushed to open it on more screens than any other film in history.  

Jaws set the nation afire and ushered in the demise of the niche Hollywood New Wave films that defined the 1960s and 1970s.  Bigger budgets, bigger risks, bigger openings, and, most importantly, bigger advertising budgets define this era.  It started with  Richard Zanuck and Jaws.  He died today.  He was 77.

~ü