This was the first movie Steven Spielberg ever directed. It was made for ABC’s Movie of the Week, and he was determined to shoot the entire thing on location.

He was given 10 days to shoot, which was essentially impossible. His superiors told him that if he could stay on schedule for the first few days that he could keep shooting on location, but if he screwed up, he’d have to come back to the studio.

He stayed on schedule, and the movie wrapped in 13 days, which just floors me. Spielberg admits that he probably couldn’t do it again now, citing his youth, naivete, and hunger as the forces that got him through.

I didn’t enjoy the movie, but it just wasn’t up my alley. It’s interesting to watch such an early Spielberg piece, however. He was great at building tension even at this stage of his career, and a lot of the shots are reminiscent of Jaws.