In this bonus section, I want to take a look at the first time we actually meet Matt Hooper as a character, which takes place during the chaos of the shark hunt scene. So here we go.
In the early draft of the script, Hooper locates Chief Brody and immediately begins lecturing him on the intricacies of shark behavior:
73 ANGLE - INCOMING FORMULA 22 73 Matt Hooper, a bearded, backpacking young man, is at the helm, peering ahead at the ragtag armada. He ties up, revealing for the first time a seven-by-four foot steel cage in the stern, drawing some attention.
(Hooper disappears for a couple scenes amid the chaos. - BH)
76 ANGLE - LANDING 76
Hooper sees Brody, up in arms about something, walking toward
him. Hooper starts to speak, but Brody veers aside and yells
over the pier at the loading boats.
BRODY
No dynamite! Hand that stuff over
or you'll never leave port!
MAN IN BOAT
It's fireworks. I read somewhere
it attracts 'em.
HOOPER
Sharks are equipped with two long
cords of nerve tissue that function
as a sort of radar for homing in on
underwater vibrations.
(to Brody)
Understand you're having a little
shark trouble.
Brody turns and walks away, Hooper barely keeping up with him.
HOOPER
I know you have a visitor off your
southern shores. I think it could
be my shark.
BRODY
It belongs to whoever catches it.
(to a late arrival)
You'll move this car to a parking
slot, mister, or it won't be here
when you get back.
HOOPER
Sir, I'm not with these others ---
BRODY
It's always nice to meet an educated
man.
HOOPER
I'm interning at the American
Museum of Natural History, but the
Oceanographic Research Institute in
South Africa is co-sponsoring my
thesis paper arm in arm with the
Natural Institute of Health and the
Marine Fishery Service.
Brody pauses to look hard at Hooper. A careless amateur trips and falls
into the harbor beyond him.
BRODY
I don't have time to help you with
your homework.
Brody goes over to lend a hand. Hooper persists.
HOOPER
I'm trying to prove that the shark
that killed Christine Watkins last
Friday was the same rogue that
savaged these.
Hooper pushes a mimeographed sheet in front of Brody. About
twenty names and addresses in all.
BRODY
One shark did all this?
HOOPER
(his excitement
multiplying as
he goes on)
The trail of a rogue shark leads
all over the world. This is only
a theory. It has never been authen-
ticated, but there is a wonderful
chance that the shark that killed
the Watkins girl and the man-eater
I tagged off the Great Barrier Reef
are the one and the same. Off and on
I've tracked it to New Zealand,
Santiago Bay, Cape Town South Africa
...uh...the Gulf of Guinea, then
West Palm Beach, Florida last
December -- and finally predicted
it would follow the warming Gulf
Stream into the Northern Seasonal
Zones, and release an attack pattern
along the Jersey Coast. I was off
by just three hundred miles. It
hit you instead.
BRODY
You'll pardon me i f I don't help
you get your Ph.D. while my town here
degenerates into some high-class
ghost resort.
Brody starts away. In the background all boats are heading
toward open ocean.
HOOPER
All I'm asking is for a little future
cooperation. I could predict future
outbursts of attack activity in the
area. Use me...Let me use you. I
scored 93 on my Orals, for crying
out loud!
BRODY
We've had two other attacks since
the Watkins thing, both fatal.
Could you kill it for us?
HOOPER
(honest response)
No sir, I couldn't.
BRODY
Then how do we begin to cooperate?
HOOPER
By letting me see Christine Watkins.
All right, you know the drill. What do we learn about Matt Hooper here?
- Physical description: Young, backpacker type, wears glasses.
- Has a boat with a dive cage. We can expect to see this cage used in the future.
- He's a shark expert. There's no missing that. He starts quoting shark facts as soon as he opens his mouth. He also gives his professional credentials up front.
- He's been tracking a man-eating shark, likely this shark, for months. He even tagged it, and has accurately predicted its pattern of travel.
- He kinda... likes talking about how smart he is. He got a 93 on his orals, for crying out loud!
- He can't kill the shark.
- He's needy. He basically is pleading with Brody to help him prove his theory.
We get it. He's smart. He tells us in three different ways in case we missed it. And he's also needy, almost whiny. I can't imagine this incarnation of the character really winning over the audience.
The second interesting thing for me is that Matt Hooper has a history with this shark. He and this shark go way back. He's literally been chasing this shark for months.
I'm going to say it straight: this is a terrible idea, for two big reasons:
- Giving Hooper a long history with the shark diminishes the protagonist/antagonist relationship between the shark and Brody. Brody suddenly feels like a little brother tagging along on date.
- It kills the mystery of the shark, changing it from an unknowable killing machine to a predictable, pretty well-understood creature. Still scary if you happen to be dog-paddling around Amity, to be sure, but not the boogeyman for the audience that it was until now. We're just lucky Hooper has resisted the urge to give the shark a cute nickname, like Harvey or Toothy McGee or something.
So, how does this scene change in the revised version? Quite a bit. But if you've seen the movie recently, you'll notice that a lot of Hooper's personality is still MIA. Let's take a look.
71 ANGLE LOOKING OUT TO SEA 71 Making its way through the channel towards the dock is a sleek, expensive runabout with the name Fascinatin Rhythm" on the stern. It's professionally handled, and rumbles in as it coasts in towards the dock area. Some other boats clear the way for it, zig-zagging in the harbor, causing an annoy- ing chop.
72 CLOSE ON BOAT 72 Matt Hooper, a bearded, bespectacled young man with an intent look, is maneuvering the vessel peering through his windscreen at the ragtag collection of seafaring loonies all around him.
...
75 BEN GARDNER AND HIS BOAT, FLICKA 75
Matt Hooper is gliding into the dockside, and Ben throws him a
line to help make fast as he moors. It's a small island of
courtesy in an otherwise discourteous mob. Hooper nods politely
as he ties his boat up and steps onto the dock.
HOOPER
Hello.
GARDNER
Hello, back.
He's standing near where Brody is finishing after his encounter
with the chummers.
Brody approaches Ben Gardner.
BRODY
You going out too, Ben?
GARDNER
Might give it a try. That three
thousand bounty beats working for
a living.
(yells to his Mate)
We ready?
The Mate nods "Yes" and starts to prepare to get under way.
Ben and his Mate move away from the dock, headed towards the
channel and the open sea leaving Felix and Pratt to scamper
around the dock looking for another ride.
76 ANOTHER DOCK AREA, CLOSE BY 76
A particularly awkward moment between a small sailboat and a
couple of powerboats. The sailboat is trying to hoist sail
to make it away from the pier under sail, a real yachtsman's
conceit, since Hornblower himself probably couldn't navigate
through this mess. Brody, a landlubber for sure, is trying
to direct traffic to untangle this new mess.
BRODY
Just back up! No, the other way!
Cut it to your left! Your other
left! The big boat, your front end
is out way too far. Little boat,
stay still!
Amidst all this, we can hear the angry shouts of the entangled
crews.
SKIPPER 1 (THE SAILBOAT)
Dammit, a vessel under sail has the
right of way!
SKIPPER 2 (MOTORBOAT)
You schmuck, you ain't under sail,
you're goddam drifting!
HOOPER
(stepping in to help)
Ahoy, sail! You got an oar? Well,
scull it out!
SAILBOAT SKIPPER
Tell that stinkpotter to belay!
MOTORBOAT SKIPPER
Tell that ragsetter I'm going to
poke him in the snoot!
HOOPER
Just cast off in turn and make for
the channel, OK?
BRODY
Thanks.
Brody starts back towards the shore, Hooper is by his side.
HOOPER
Excuse me, I wonder if you could
tell me....
Before he can finish, Brody spots something on shore that
moves him to shout to his deputy.
HOOPER
(noticing something)
Is that dynamite?
Brody looks, and stops by a boat that's about to cast off.
He holds out his hand.
BRODY
If that's dynamite, give it here,
or don't leave port.
MAN
Aw, c'mon, it's just fireworks.
Sharks like fireworks, it attracts
them.
BRODY
Hand it over.
The man passes Brody a cigar box filled with dynamite sticks.
Brody tucks the dynamite under his arm, and continues down
the pier. Hooper is still with him.
All around them are two distinctly different breeds; the
quiet pros, like Ben Gardner, in well-worn, comfortable
clothes, with efficient, sensible gear, and the amateur
crazies, with all manner of weapons and impractical, silly
tourist clothing.
76-A INT. DOCK SHED - DAY 76-A
Brody is on the phone, talking to his office, trying to get
Hendricks' attention. He throws a handful of washers at the
window.
HOOPER
There's a fantail launch out there
that won't make it beyond the break-
water.
BRODY
You're tellin' me. I swear, this
town has gone crazy.
HOOPER
Officer, I wonder if you could tell
me where I could find Chief Brody?
BRODY
Who are you?
HOOPER
Hooper, Matt Hooper. From the
Oceanographic Institute.
(holds out his
hand)
All right. What do we know about this version of Matt Hooper?
- Again, he has a boat. A "sleek, expensive runabout" named "Fascinating Rhythm." This Matt Hooper seems to have both money and culture. Also, amid the chaos of the amateur shark hunters, Matt handles his boat professionally.
- He's helpful: As soon as Hooper lands, he sees Brody struggling to direct boat traffic for probably the first time in his life. He gives quick, succinct directions to the boats to help them get clear. He also notices one of the boats carrying dynamite and alerts Brody.
- He's from the Oceanographic Institute.
We get some interesting new stuff in this version of script. Hooper's personality is far less nerdy, far less needy, and a bunch more helpful. All the stuff about Hooper's history with the shark has been thankfully excised. Also, the shark cage is no longer presented to the audience.
Instead of that heavy-handed bit of foreshadowing, though, we have something much subtler: the first person Matt Hooper meets upon arriving in Amity is Ben Gardner. In case you don't remember who that is, the link below should help refresh your memory (sorry, embedding disabled on this link; you'll have to do it the old-fashioned way):
Video: That's Ben Gardner's boat!
Personally, I think it was worth the trade-off. Not only do we get a moment of Hooper meeting Ben Gardner, but Gardner is also established as one of the non-crazies; a competent guy who knows what he's doing. His death ups the ante again on how dangerous this shark is.
As much as this scene has changed, a lot of Hooper's personality is still missing here; particularly his acerbic sense of humor. Take a look at this transcript of the final film. (The full transcript is available here.)
[Hooper disembarking]
Hooper:
Hello.Ben Gardner:
Hello back... young feller. How are ya? Say I hope you not going out with those nuts are ya?Brody:
Lady would ya? The weak top boat's gotta move out first. You have to move out or he can't get out at all!Hooper:
Boys, boys. Don't raise sail, your just going to luff with it. Do you have a paddle on the boat?Fisherman:
Yeah I got a paddle.Hooper:
So scull outta here.Brody:
Thanks.Hooper:
Officer, officer! Wait a second, wait a second! Just --Brody:
Hey! How many guys are you going to put aboard that boat!Fisherman:
Brody:
Yeah? Well that ain't safe!Hooper:
Easy! Watch it, that's dynamite.Brody:
Hey, what you gonna...what are you doing with that? Where are you going with that?!Fisherman:
I'm going on the boat.Brody:
Oh no, no, no! Please, please. Help get those guys out of the boat, will ya please?Hooper:
Sure. Gentlemen, gentlemen?! The officer asked me to tell you that you're overloading that boat.Fisherman:
Ah, get outta here! You ain't going there, what do you care? Hold on there.Hooper:
Well then, can you tell me if there's a good restaurant or hotel on the island?Fisherman:
Yeah ya walk straight ahead! Ha ha!Hooper:
Ha ha they're all gonna die.
HARBOUR OFFICE
Brody:
Polly, listen to me. We got some road block signs outside. Now you.. you... you gotta get somebody to help us. Yeah get those, get those road block signs out on the highway. Because we got more people down here than we can handle.Hendricks:
Ya?Brody:
What are you doing out there? These are your people, go and talk to them!Hendricks:
Those aren't my people! They're from all over the place! Did you see all the license plates out in the parking lot? Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey. I'm all by myself out there! Um, what happened to the extra help we were supposed to be get?Brody:
That's not until the fourth of July! Between now and then it's you and me!Hooper:
Ah, you know those eight guys in the fan-tail launch out there?Brody:
Yeah?Hooper:
Well none of them are going to get out of the harbour alive.Brody:
Lenny, that's what I'm talking about. You know their first names! Talk to those clowns!Hooper:
Everybody seems to be having a really good time today.Brody:
Tell me about it. Polly, I'll get back to you.Hooper:
Listen, could you tell me how I could find chief Brody?Brody:
Who are you?Hooper:
Matt Hooper. I'm from the, uh, Oceanographic Institute.Brody:
Oh for Christ's sakes! You're the guy we called. I'm Brody, I'm Brody!Hooper:
Oh ho ho ho, very glad to meet you.Brody:
Yea I'm glad to meet you too!Hooper:
Listen, I know you got a lot on your hands right now but uh...Brody:
What can we do for you?Hooper:
Well I think the best thing for me to do is uh...see the remains of the first victim; the girl on the beach?Brody:
Okay fine. Just bear with me will ya?Hooper:
Sure.Brody:
Thanks.
Did Hooper's personality emerge during one of the later dialogue polishes, or maybe through ad-libbing during the shoot. I wish I knew. But the final product adds some zing to the revised draft.
Hooper plays a critical role to building momentum in the final version of the film. If you stopped reading my other ScriptWalk entry to pop over here and read this, follow this link back to that entry.
Otherwise, thanks for reading!
(Photo cribbed from All That Comes With It, though I'm guessing the copyright is owned by Paramount.)
