A Morsel of Movie Magic and the Myth of Yum Yum Yellow
Fifty years ago, a great white shark arrived to dine in the fictionalized town of Amity, Long Island. The movie “Jaws” has been a feature of our summers for decades. Steven Spielberg began his incredible movie directing career with it in 1974, and many who saw that movie would forever be looking over their shoulder, if not just a bit, when swimming at the beach.
I did not see the movie in the theaters when fourteen, and somehow never viewed it from beginning to end until this past weekend. We watched it on the big screen with the film being accompanied by the Wilmington Symphony. The music’s score was written by John Williams, one of his first masterpieces and preceding his composition for “Star Wars” in 1977, which I did see back then.
I left the movie now educated and thoroughly entertained. It was a better story than I had thought it would be though the dialogue was at times dated. I also did not jump on any immediate plan to put my head under water in the ocean not for fear of sharks, but because I quickly came down with a head cold. The highlights of this past week have been catching up on cult classic movies in order to round out my upbringing. Never too old, they say. So, my take on two other blockbusters: Star Wars – not as good as I remembered. Saturday Night Fever - like visiting with an old friend, though seeing it was my first time. The music, dancing, and Travolta’s acting were just that good.
I’ve reflected on “Jaws” and sharks and Americans’ ability to scare the bejesus out of themselves from movies. The first claimed “blockbuster” movie chronologically closely followed scarier realities such as Nixon, Watergate, and Vietnam.
But should we be scared of sharks?
Elizabeth and I took a stroll on the beach this week, and a man fishing from the shore waved us away from his line. We were intending to walk respectfully under the high line, like we always do. I asked him, sort of, “What the hell?” He chatted with us that his line was for sharks only and that he didn’t want us to get hurt. His concern still doesn’t make much sense. I don’t know if he imagined that a great white would pull the line down on us, thereby entangling us and turning us into bait, or if he had delusions that the shark would wriggle up to the waterline and drag us under. I have concluded that, like the fisherman and shark hunter Quint in “Jaws”, this man was made of different stuff. He also probably got to see “Jaws” as a teenager and was forever changed. Unlike me.
But the fear of imminent danger from sharks just does not “hold water.”
The great white, tiger, and bull sharks are the only three of fifty shark species that have fatally attacked humans. There are fewer than one hundred attacks a year. Not much different outcomes than surfing deaths from drowning.
Humans are more dangerous to sharks than they are to us. Good to know if face to face with one.
Sharks cannot backup! Equally good to know, if behind one.
Sharks are color blind. But… can see well in black and white and have a good ability to discern contrast. If ocean swimming or diving near sharks, wearing contrasting colors is discouraged. The term “Yum Yum Yellow” is a misnomer because sharks cannot see yellow. But if you had on a dark wetsuit and were wearing a pair of yellow gloves, for example, and encountered a shark you may never need to buy another pair. Da dum. Da dum. Dadumdadum.