MovieChat Forums > Jaws (1975) Discussion > How did the Ben Gardner guy die??

How did the Ben Gardner guy die??


Brody and Hooper fund his boat at night which was attacked by the shark. They show his corpse which was missing an eye. Did he just drown??

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I don’t know but they pulled a tooth the size of a shot glass out of the hull. 😀

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His corpse was intact. Later Brody says two people were killed by the shark but there were three incidents. It is never mentioned now Gardner died.

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Since he wasn't eaten I assume the shark sank the boat and he drowned.

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seems you are right.

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I always thought his head was severed?

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i didn't think so

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Freeze frame it, he's wearing a shirt.

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This is because the 'popped-out' head was filmed afterwards (for Pacing reasons) Which is why they only mention the tooth to Mayor Vaughan (and not Gardener's corpse)
It's mentioned in various 'making-of' articles (and as such, can be considered a 'goof')

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The head scene was filmed earlier, but in the early version it didn’t pop out. When Hooper approached the hole in the hull, the head was already there. Spielberg mentions in the making of documentary that he thought there was one more scream he could get, and that’s when they filmed the second version, done in Verna Field’s pool. Somewhere I saw Spielberg talking about how they filmed that several different ways, trying to get the timing of the shock right.

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It was not intact. He was at least missing an eye.

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I always thought Hooper had brass balls for diving at night like that.

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Well he had been drinking a lot but yes... the whole scene freaks me out. However many times I see it, I half expect the shark to show up while he’s in the water.

I guess Hooper had complete faith in that fish finder tech of his.

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Yep!

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Spot on. Why in the world Hooper is in that water -- at night -- is what takes this scene from suspense to horror. Just the THOUGHT of what's down there is enough to give someone a heart attack.

One more thought about this scene: I saw this as a 10 year-old, in the theater, in 1975 and I was terrified when Hooper swims to the ladder on the boat, then just hangs there. GET OUT OF THE WATER!

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Can't remember where I read this, but i believe he died of a heart attack

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