MovieChat Forums > Jaws (1975) Discussion > Is Hooper, and not Quint, the real mania...

Is Hooper, and not Quint, the real maniac onboard?

posted 7 years ago by Quint (935)
30 replies | jump to latest

Hooper was protrayed like a spoiled rich kid which didnt care a lot of anything else then himself. Like for example when he risked the live of Brody just to get a scale for a picture. OR how he treated Brody as a cluesless guy from workign class.

Quint, on the other side, had this grumpy appearance, but his actions were well thought (at least til his past recaptured him and it was only his fight against the monster (of the past and present). He showed Brody how do knots. He understodd that Brody was a newbie onboard and realized that. He had reason for everything he commanded (when Hooper acted like a stubron 5yer old child most times) or did by himself. He had an overview about all the situation. Yes, he destroyed the communications, but that when his mind already went south ;) . But before that point Quint wqs the smarter and more likeable character then Hooper.

So was this either done purposely by Spielberg. Or was it only/also sourced by the amazing play of Robert Shaw? Or do I misinterpret something at this two characters?

Its also interesting how Brody never became part of the community at the famous Indianapolis scene. He tried to part of the speech, when he showed for a moment an old wound. But then he stopped again.

[–] ebhaynz (3525) 7 years ago

I think Spielberg is showing what 3 humans resort to under stress on a small boat. At first it's a fun, but serious, adventure. Then, there's the quick reality that they're in a battle with a cagey monster. And then we see the desperation of these men and how they deal adversity. We do see a good amount of teamwork, some betrayal and anger, but in the end all the men respect each other and their actions against a very formidable foe.

After killing the Shark, Hooper comes back up to the surface and finds Brody. He asks "Quint?", and Brody simply says "No". Hooper instinctively knows that Hooper gave the shark all he could muster.

[–] Otter (24464) 7 years ago

I disagree. Hooper may have had his little quirks, but when the crunch time came you knew for sure that he was on Team Humans. Quint, not so much, he was definitely out to kill the shark but IMHO he would have had no problem killing a human if the interfered with his shark-hunting

I always liked movie-Hooper, he was funny and clever in spite of his flaws, and I vaguely recall the book character was much less fun and had a bad relationship with Brody. That was probably changed so that the finale would be all about shark-vs-humans, not Hooper vs. Brody.

[–] TheUltimateHippo (2250) 6 years ago

They all had their flaws:

- Brody was just out of his element
- Hooper was a spoiled rich kid prick
- Quint let his pride get the best of him and in doing so he put the other two at risk and it ended up being his downfall.

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

I almost entirely agree with you.

Brody was just out of his element. Hooper was like many scientists, so immersed in his subject that he was out of contact with normal human feelings and social expectations.

But IMHO Quint wasn't just prideful, I think he was batshit crazy! I think he'd been slowly going nuts out on his one-man sharking boat, but since he usually behaved himself when he came into town, nobody realized how many ants short of a picnic he really was. He'd probably risked his boat and his life when pursuing a shark before, taken insane chances, but with no witnesses present. Maybe he'd even killed before, some poor schmoe got in the way of his pursuit of a shark out on the fishing grounds, and all anyone ever said was "Shame about Bob's head coming off in a boating accident" or something.

[–] TheUltimateHippo (2250) 6 years ago

That is definitely a good point, smashing the radio and stalling the engine was definitely an unstable move on Quint's part, I feel most of the problems that they ran into were a result of his actions.

What's very ironic though is the guy who knew the least about sharks was the one who ultimately defeated the shark. Hooper was too reliant upon technology and Quint was too full of himself and had too big of an ego to call for help.

Brody was able to defeat the shark by first of all using what he learned about sharks from the other 2 and by using his wits and his survival skills. He wasn't cocky, he wasn't reckless he approached the situation tactically and just used what he had at his disposal (the tank and the gun).

[–] kuku (3510) 6 years ago

Both Quint and Hooper are deeply human and at the same a warning about what Brody could become. You can notice that Brody begins to behave like Quint in the beach, when he's afraid of losing his kid and can't control his fears. Quint, indeed, is a character who is fighting fears that terrorize and control him. In another scene Brody begins to look like Hooper, when he starts to study sharks obsessively until his wife appears. Both cases Brody gets over it because he has a family: his kid and his wife.

Family is the essential theme in each and every Spielberg movie. Here is what makes a difference between Brody versus Hooper and Quint, both having no family that could save them. Both of them are isolated, losing contact with reality (Hooper in his ivory tower, Quint losing his mind), while Brody fights to save his family who in turn saves him of becoming like Quint or Hooper. Pure Spielberg at hist best.

Those were the days: nice storytelling, good characters that looked like real humans. Nowadays Brody would be an independent strong empowered white female that fights against a traditionalist sexist major. Hooper would be a black scientist who is not believed because he's black and Quint would be a nazi racist white supremacist that hates blacks and females. And the shark would be a white shark, of course, who likes to eat black people because it's a racist white shark ^_^

[–] Kendricks (2069) 6 years ago

"Hooper was protrayed like a spoiled rich kid which didnt care a lot of anything else then himself."
Have we seen the same movie!?

The first thing Hooper did when he arrived in Amity was to warn the idiots on the boat not to go out in this nut shell, as it is too dangerous. Later he did everything he could to find and kill that shark, so this nightmare finally ends. He even went into a puny shark cage, well knowing that this might be his end, judging by what the shark was capable of to this point. He was visibly scared shitless (they all got totally quiet, no more talking and of course the "I don't even have any spit left" scene).
How very selfish...

Your whole point is moot and in the end, there was only one maniac, if at all. Quint.
Quint went totally nuts by destroying the radio and knowingly killing the ships engine for no reason what so ever even after the shark has shown he could sink that boat easily, how brilliant.

I also do not see where Hooper was this "spoiled rich kid".
Yes he was young, comparably, and he had money he didn't really earn. So what?
Did he walk around shoving it into people's faces? No.
Did he treat others like lesser beings? On the contrary, he befriended Brody rather quickly, did he not?
That he didn't get along with the idiot mayor and his gang of fools, the pushover lying doctor who lied over the autopsy report later or Quint who was the actual "I'm so much better than you all" guy in this movie, is hardly a surprise.

Maybe you should watch the movie again...

[–] Quint (935) 6 years ago

Warning the others was mainyl to show to others what smart ass he is. And look at how he treated Brody. Thats the point I made. And indeed Quint was the maniac at the end (thats what I wrote). But he had at least a reason to go berserk (told in one of the best film scenes ever). Hooper on the other side was just some idiot/maniac which thought everyone is there for his service. And Quint stopped him right at the beginning of thinking so. Brody didnt.

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

You really have a bug up your ass about Hooper, don't you? Nobody else thinks he's that bad!

Okay, he's kind of annoying at first and very much out of place among the Islander fishermen, but he knows his shit and shows his expertise and strong stomach in his first scenes so it's okay if he fits in even worse than Brody. And I know the book made him out as a rich SOB but at no point in the movie does he act like a rich bastard, he never expects anyone to do anything for him or complain about anything around him - all he does is wince when Brody mistreats good wine, but then anyone who'd paid for a good bottle would. And in the end, he has the courage to get into the water knowing he probably won't come out again, so whatever his quirks he's basically okay.

Think about why you resent him so much, because you have yet to present a rational reason.

[–] Quint (935) 6 years ago

Im speaking about another bad guy aboard the Orca (beside Quint). He risked for example Brodys life for no reason. Hes therefor not a villain like you describe it. My opinion is that Hooper isnt as nice as everybody thinks.

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

Oh, nobody says he's NICE, particularly, but everyone else forgives him his little quirks. I myself actively like him, because he's funny and smart and dedicated, and even brave when he has to be.

You're the only one who hates him.

[–] Kendricks (2069) 6 years ago

"Hooper on the other side was just some idiot/maniac which thought everyone is there for his service."
How so?
You just claim all these things but you fail to explain them.
In other words: Nothing you say matters, until you finally add something to the table.

[–] Quint (935) 6 years ago

Already described it at the first posting. Its always an advantage when you are able to read.

[–] Kendricks (2069) 6 years ago

And people already told you it's nonsense.
You literally said "Hooper is an asshole because of some thing I made up!"

Not how it works.

[–] Stratego (29170) 6 years ago

Richard Dreyfuss was so annoying, it's a shame he didn't die like in the script.

[–] Quint (935) 6 years ago

Seems like he had to play the college smartass. And that way he never learned about empathy and treated Brody like a peasant.

[–] ecarle (14979) 6 years ago

In the book, Hooper is more of a handsome muscular young stud type -- think Jan Michael-Vincent at the time -- and upon coming to Amity Island, he soon has an affair with Mrs. Brody(complete with graphic sex, then required in bestsellers) and soon he and Brody are having fistfights on the boat. And of course, Hooper in the book gets eaten in that shark cage.

Spielberg and his collaborators threw all of that away. No affair with Mrs. Brody, no sex, no fistfights with Brody. ANd he's not hot and handsome young stud. Instead, Spielberg(I think) brilliant converted Hooper into a rather elfin Supernerd -- a stand-in, I think, for Spielberg himself AND for all the film geek nerds in the audience to relate to. (I say this with affection, and membership myself.) All that said, Richard Dreyfuss DID have many female fans(many of whom chased him around the Martha's Vineyard shooting location) and a certain sexual charm and braininess that helped make Hooper a better character than "on paper." Also, Dreyfuss had the ability to act, occasionally, Hooper's shame(versus Quint) or fear about the situation.

As I recall, early on , on shore, Quint makes some comment to Hooper that suggest Quint thinks the young man "lacks manners." Quint isn't ENTIRELY against Hooper just because Quint's a bad macho guy.

I've always thought that Jaws brilliantly put each of the men at odds in some way with the two other men:

Quint and Hooper are experts at sea. Landlubber Brody is not.
Brody and Quint are of middle- to working-class roots. Rich kid Hooper is not.
Brody and Hooper, for the duration of the film, are sane. Quint, by the end, is not(not when he smashes that radio.)

Thus, the trio consist of several "two against one" scenarios, with a certain tension in each one. And yet, ultimately the three bond and come together to fight the shark and save their lives. Well, two of their lives.

[–] Quint (935) 6 years ago

Interesting analysis. Havent read the book ever. Goog to know background form the book.

[–] MIchiganJFrogg (-35) 6 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

You know, you're absolutely right about all the two-against-one Dynamics!

Never realized that, and it's probably one big reason the "three men in a boat" part of the movie works so well.

[–] lennonforever (2453) 6 years ago

Wonderful analysis- three very fine actors who complement each other to the max!

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

He didn't treat Brody like a peasant. On shore he treated him like a professional and an ally, while at sea he treated him like a guy who knew nothing about boats, sharks, the ocean, marine biology, or deep-sea fishing. Which is exactly what Brody was.

[–] atd8vii (592) 6 years ago

I wouldn't say that any of his actions in the film were really maniacal, a bit cocky yes, but nothing he did really put any ones life in danger. You have to remember that this movie is grounded in reality and Hooper being somewhat of a shark expert had no reason to think that Brody's life would be in any danger if he walked to the end of the pulpit for a photo. Sharks don't normally attack boats like that, and if anything the rough tide would have got Brody in more trouble than the shark would have.

Hooper was actually very conscious of doing things safely and when Brody pulled the wrong line and released the air tanks he showed genuine concern for his safety and lashed at him for being unintentionally reckless. Quint was definitely the more dangerous of the two, severing their radio contact and blowing the motor on the boat put all their lives in serious danger.

As for your next point I think that it really wasn't Hooper's responsibility to babysit Brody because he was as Quint said, there to drive the boat. Quint was reluctant to even have him on board in the first place and made it known that he was captain so he was and should have been the one to teach Brody and set him in motion. In the book, Hooper is much more of a reckless brat but they scaled down his character quite a lot and him a bit of a hot shot but still sensible if that makes sense. I think it was definitely Spielberg's intention for them both to be sea hardened and good at their roles, but clash personally because both thought they knew better than the other and couldn't agree to disagree.

[–] Quint (935) 6 years ago

But the shark attacked in that movie like that ;) . So within this movies universe it was lifethreatening. And yes, oerhaps "maniac" is overstated, but I think not many realized that Quint was perfectly fine ..... before he became a maniac ;) (but even that turn is reasonable knowing his story). But Hooper had no reason being "cocky".

[–] MrZoolook (442) 6 years ago

Before even getting on the Orca, during the scene where kids use a cut-out fin as a prank, Hooper asks Brody "Did everyone got out (the water) alright? Was anybody hurt?"

Hardly sounds like the asshole you make him out to be.

[–] RazoulGoozleSmog (169) 6 years ago

I'll add my 2 cents, even if it's been said before in this thread.

I think Hooper has more heart than the OP makes him out to be. Like a previous poster mentioned, Brody was out of his element that was why he hired Hooper to come onto the island, and why he eventually went on to hire Quint. Hooper did care for Brody, it's just that Brody doesn't know much about this subject at all, remember Brody was still new to Amity Island and he just moved from being a cop in NYC. Hooper was a little bit angry when he did the autopsy on the girls arm but that's only because this was serious business, and probably a little bit angry that the town officials were trying to sweep the whole attack under the rug by calling it a "boating accident". I think as the movie goes on, Hooper starts to see the Brody is really the only one who cares, and never tries to put up a fight with his knowledge. Like when the local fishermen caught the tiger shark and everyone thought the problem was solved, Brody was the only one who would listen to Hooper's remarks about the bite radius not matching up. The Mayor was very apt to let the whole thing go, in his eye one shark was as good as another.

I always liked Quint and Hooper's relationship, one of my favorite lines in the movie is when Quint grabs Hooper's hands and says "You got city hands Mr. Hooper, been counting money all your life." They hate each other and are always trying one-up each other, but at the same time they both share the same interests in life (but for different reasons) and are able to find common ground with each other, and even Brody is able to find common ground with them for a little bit, "Show me the way to go home bumbumbum" Quint likes to tease Hooper about his expensive technology that he brought on board, but towards the end, Quint doesn't know what else to do but to let Hooper breakout the shark cage. Brody, again, is out his element but does everything he can to help, like the scene with the pistol.

[–] Quint (935) 6 years ago

What I stated was the Jooper didnt gave so much about the newbie Brody as Quint. K, Quint went then nuts and everything went down form that point on. But before that happened I would say that Quint treated Brody more like a person then Hooper.

And BTW Perfect analysis about an awesome movie!

[–] RazoulGoozleSmog (169) 6 years ago

I get what you're saying, but I do think Hooper cared a little more for Brody than Quint. That scene when Brody pulls the wrong line and accidentally lets loose to the oxygen tanks,

"Dammit Martin!" Hooper yells at him, acting a little mean towards him, while Quint eases the mood and makes a joke. But then calmly shoots Brody with "Hey Cheify, next time you just ask me which line to pull." I always thought Quint called him Cheify instead of Chief to mess around with him, and lets forget Quint teases Brody before Brody enters the boat while he hugs his wife goodbye.
I think Hooper was feeling a little on edge, and was obviously offended at how Quint treated him, and was maybe taking his anger out in not so adult ways. Hooper has a childlike sense of humor during some moments of the film, a more smart, but ultimately a much more passive sense of humor than Quint's. But he had his moments, he brought wine over that night they found out the tiger shark wasn't the actual shark, so he must've known Brody was going to be in a hard place at that time, and needed someone around that understood the situation at hand. "You know you're going to be the only rational man left on this island after I leave."

I see Quint as the mean father of the group, which is funny cause Quint looks a lot like my own father hahaha. He's loud and hard on others, always making inappropriate jokes, trying to teach lessons to the other two whenever he can. But he had it his way, Quint would have done the shark hunt all by himself, because he was that cocky about the whole situation.

[–] RazoulGoozleSmog (169) 6 years ago

The scene with the pistol, Brody fires 6 rounds into the shark, but does nothing. Some people might laugh at the scene like, "haha! Of course that's not going to do anything!" But I see that part as Brody just trying to do everything he can to help. Even if it seems like nothing at all, I think it just shows that he's just as passionate about the situation as much as Quint or Hooper.