In the Year 1995,notorious Filmmaker Bruno Mattei made a B rated film that would soon be one of the most famous Jaws rip offs ever!
CRUEL JAWS
Of course Bruno Mattei wasn't hoping for fame from this Cheesy Flick,or at least I think he wasn't.But one thing most people don't realize,who were the actors?Of course the opening credits address most actors in the film,but do you ever think about their experience on the set of the film?Or even how they were cast!Well,I was fortunate enough to get in contact with one of the cast members,Natasha Etzler.I would like to go ahead and thank her for answering my questions,and thank two other Cruel Jaws actors,Sky Palma and Jay Colligan for at least replying to my question.
Q:Are you the same Natasha Etzler from the 1995 film Cruel Jaws?
A:Yes, I am the same Natasha. Can I ask why you have an interest in knowing more about the movie? Are you simply interested in learning more, writing a paper, or something else?
Q:I am going to make my own little page on my blog about it.What was the set and location like and was there a model shark?
A:Lets see, at the time I was seventeen. The director and production crew were from Italy. I believe the director died a few years back. From my understanding Bruna Mato, had a cult following with his movies.
We filmed at a few different locations. A house in Coconut Grove, Key Biscayne and in the keys. Oh yeah...also at Mast Academy High School in Key Biscayne.
No..there were no sharks. None that I saw at least. I believe they shot or took most of that footage from other places.
Some of the night scenes were actually filmed during the day with a smoke lens. It made it look as if it were night time. It was a bit funny. If you look at the night time scenes you will notice most of the stars are squinting from the sun.
I do have a copy of the script and of the movie. I actually didnt get to see the movie till close to three year later.
What other questions do you have?
Q:Bruno Mattei actually stole footage from Jaws 1 2 and 3.Do you remember this scene being filmed?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5W1GC3E3LU
A:Yup...that would be take on it. Certainly we didn't know that at the time of filming.
I remember the scene very well. It's funny how they edited it to look much more advanced then it was. Of course most of the footage was taken from other Jaws movies.
So are you a fan of the movie? How is it that you've decided to write a blog on this specific film?
Q:I plan to write about everyone of the casts experience of the film.Is it okay if I use your writtings in the Blog?Have you ever told anyone about being in a movie??
A:I suppose that would be okay.
For being seventeen, it was a lot of fun. I would think if given to do over again that I most likely would sign-up for it. Would I say that its a great movie...no.
I actually have never told anyone about being in the movie. I kind of thought that it would just fade into the background. However, with the wonders of the internet..it resurfaced. My husband loves to tease me about it. Apparently there is a pretty big cult following for the director.
I do remember Bruno screaming a torrent of angry Italian for a full minute. The translator would turn to us and say, " Bruno would like you to turn slightly to the right." Clearly it wasn't what was said, but it still was humorous none the less.
What other actors have you been able to connect with?
Q:I have been able to contact Sky Palma(Glenda) and Jay Colligan (Tommy)
How did you get the role in the movie?
A:I actually was trying out for a Nestle commercial. The casting people really liked me and decided to also audition me for the role of Gloria. After a few castings, I got the part.
At the time I mostly was doing commercials: Coke, Seven-Up, Sony, Music Videos..etc. It was my first movie role.
Q:You got lucky!Did you meet any of the other cast and did you become friends with them?
A:Actually I dated, for a bit, the guy who played my boyfriend in the movie. I suppose it was a bit of romance on the set. He was a really nice guy.
As for the rest of the crew, I was much younger then them so we didn't really get to know one another. Everyone seemed to get along though.
Q:Did you ever hear about the movie coming to Cinemas or did it air on TV?
A:I had heard that it was in the movie theaters in Italy, but of course I don't have confirmation on it.
I some what recall that the cast had gotten together to view the movie when it cam out to VHS. However, I was away at college in Boston.
I ended up ordering the movie online. That was the first time I had seen it.
Q:I only have the DVD copy which is the official release from Italy. Did any of the cast or you realize that the movie was to similar to JAWS at all?
A:Well certainly after I saw the movie the similarity was evident. I don't believe that any of the actors had an idea of where they were getting their shark footage.
I never kept in touch with any of the actors, so I can only speak for myself. I thought it was bold to take the actual footage from the other movies.
if you don't mind, I would like to see the blog when its posted. Thanks!
Q:I will make sure to send the link to you when the whole thing is finished.
When the movie was being made,did they call the movie Cruel Jaws or did they call it Jaws 5 or something else?
A:From what I recall it was supposed to be called Cruel Jaws. Yet it seemed as if it was always referred as Jaws 5. I will pull out the script and see what the title on it was.
Q:Okay.Thanks.
A:Evidently it was Cruel Jaws from the beginning, as that's the screenplay title. Here's a bit more trivia for you - the screenplay was written not only by Bruno Mattei, but also by Roberto Di Girolomo, Gianni Paolucci, and Bartolomeo Scavia. Maybe those guys have written other works you'd also be interested in.
Q:I think Cruel Jaws was probably one of Bruno's best movies.You said Bruno Mattei had a translator,was there ever a time where Bruno got mad about a mess up in the scene or something else?
A:Yes, Bruno frequently would start yelling and throwing things. It was pretty entertaining. He was a very passionate man. He seemed to really engross himself into the project.
I would like to thank Natasha Etzler for answering the questions asked.Happy 15th Anniversary Cruel Jaws!Look out for the next post to see the answers from Jay Colligan and Sky Palma!
CRUEL JAWS
Of course Bruno Mattei wasn't hoping for fame from this Cheesy Flick,or at least I think he wasn't.But one thing most people don't realize,who were the actors?Of course the opening credits address most actors in the film,but do you ever think about their experience on the set of the film?Or even how they were cast!Well,I was fortunate enough to get in contact with one of the cast members,Natasha Etzler.I would like to go ahead and thank her for answering my questions,and thank two other Cruel Jaws actors,Sky Palma and Jay Colligan for at least replying to my question.
Q:Are you the same Natasha Etzler from the 1995 film Cruel Jaws?
A:Yes, I am the same Natasha. Can I ask why you have an interest in knowing more about the movie? Are you simply interested in learning more, writing a paper, or something else?
Q:I am going to make my own little page on my blog about it.What was the set and location like and was there a model shark?
A:Lets see, at the time I was seventeen. The director and production crew were from Italy. I believe the director died a few years back. From my understanding Bruna Mato, had a cult following with his movies.
We filmed at a few different locations. A house in Coconut Grove, Key Biscayne and in the keys. Oh yeah...also at Mast Academy High School in Key Biscayne.
No..there were no sharks. None that I saw at least. I believe they shot or took most of that footage from other places.
Some of the night scenes were actually filmed during the day with a smoke lens. It made it look as if it were night time. It was a bit funny. If you look at the night time scenes you will notice most of the stars are squinting from the sun.
I do have a copy of the script and of the movie. I actually didnt get to see the movie till close to three year later.
What other questions do you have?
Q:Bruno Mattei actually stole footage from Jaws 1 2 and 3.Do you remember this scene being filmed?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5W1GC3E3LU
A:Yup...that would be take on it. Certainly we didn't know that at the time of filming.
I remember the scene very well. It's funny how they edited it to look much more advanced then it was. Of course most of the footage was taken from other Jaws movies.
So are you a fan of the movie? How is it that you've decided to write a blog on this specific film?
Q:I plan to write about everyone of the casts experience of the film.Is it okay if I use your writtings in the Blog?Have you ever told anyone about being in a movie??
A:I suppose that would be okay.
For being seventeen, it was a lot of fun. I would think if given to do over again that I most likely would sign-up for it. Would I say that its a great movie...no.
I actually have never told anyone about being in the movie. I kind of thought that it would just fade into the background. However, with the wonders of the internet..it resurfaced. My husband loves to tease me about it. Apparently there is a pretty big cult following for the director.
I do remember Bruno screaming a torrent of angry Italian for a full minute. The translator would turn to us and say, " Bruno would like you to turn slightly to the right." Clearly it wasn't what was said, but it still was humorous none the less.
What other actors have you been able to connect with?
Q:I have been able to contact Sky Palma(Glenda) and Jay Colligan (Tommy)
How did you get the role in the movie?
A:I actually was trying out for a Nestle commercial. The casting people really liked me and decided to also audition me for the role of Gloria. After a few castings, I got the part.
At the time I mostly was doing commercials: Coke, Seven-Up, Sony, Music Videos..etc. It was my first movie role.
Q:You got lucky!Did you meet any of the other cast and did you become friends with them?
A:Actually I dated, for a bit, the guy who played my boyfriend in the movie. I suppose it was a bit of romance on the set. He was a really nice guy.
As for the rest of the crew, I was much younger then them so we didn't really get to know one another. Everyone seemed to get along though.
Q:Did you ever hear about the movie coming to Cinemas or did it air on TV?
A:I had heard that it was in the movie theaters in Italy, but of course I don't have confirmation on it.
I some what recall that the cast had gotten together to view the movie when it cam out to VHS. However, I was away at college in Boston.
I ended up ordering the movie online. That was the first time I had seen it.
Q:I only have the DVD copy which is the official release from Italy. Did any of the cast or you realize that the movie was to similar to JAWS at all?
A:Well certainly after I saw the movie the similarity was evident. I don't believe that any of the actors had an idea of where they were getting their shark footage.
I never kept in touch with any of the actors, so I can only speak for myself. I thought it was bold to take the actual footage from the other movies.
if you don't mind, I would like to see the blog when its posted. Thanks!
Q:I will make sure to send the link to you when the whole thing is finished.
When the movie was being made,did they call the movie Cruel Jaws or did they call it Jaws 5 or something else?
A:From what I recall it was supposed to be called Cruel Jaws. Yet it seemed as if it was always referred as Jaws 5. I will pull out the script and see what the title on it was.
Q:Okay.Thanks.
A:Evidently it was Cruel Jaws from the beginning, as that's the screenplay title. Here's a bit more trivia for you - the screenplay was written not only by Bruno Mattei, but also by Roberto Di Girolomo, Gianni Paolucci, and Bartolomeo Scavia. Maybe those guys have written other works you'd also be interested in.
Q:I think Cruel Jaws was probably one of Bruno's best movies.You said Bruno Mattei had a translator,was there ever a time where Bruno got mad about a mess up in the scene or something else?
A:Yes, Bruno frequently would start yelling and throwing things. It was pretty entertaining. He was a very passionate man. He seemed to really engross himself into the project.
I would like to thank Natasha Etzler for answering the questions asked.Happy 15th Anniversary Cruel Jaws!Look out for the next post to see the answers from Jay Colligan and Sky Palma!
Great blog...Jaws is still one of my favorite films of all time and its great to hear about some of these lesser known films. Glad to see you tracked down that copy of Jaws 98 you were looking for...as a collector, I know what its like to finally get your hands on something you've been looking for. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteThanks :) Yeah Jaws'98 was a hard one to find after so many years of its release.And yeah,you should definitely check out the film THE LAST SHARK,you'll be surprise how close to Jaws it is.
ReplyDeleteIll have to check it out...the lower the budget, the better.
ReplyDeleteHey man, hope all is well. Just saw the trailer for Shark Night 3D...pretty pumped.
ReplyDeletesave bruce!!!!! i agree!!! i just bought my husband 2 cool jaws shirts for christmas. here's the links if anyone is interested. there were a few designs. i think there were under the movies catagory.
ReplyDeletehttp://stores.ebay.com/commonstitch?_trksid=p4340.l2563
Perfect look with "The Last Shark" poster in the blog! I really enjoyed the Cruel Jaws interview too and the info about the rare soundtrack to "The Last Shark". Do you know if it's available somewhere? I can't find it anywhere :(
ReplyDelete