Under Paris: A Shark Film Motivated by Actual Tragedy
Though it seems impossible, Under Paris is remarkably similar to a real-life incident from 108 years ago that was claimed to have influenced Jaws. Under Paris shows sharks swimming from the Atlantic Ocean into the Seine in France, right in time for a triathlon along the river. Under Paris seems improbable, though, as there aren't really sharks in the Seine and there are quite a few reasons they wouldn't be able to travel that far inland. Less improbable, though, is a real-world catastrophe that occurred in 1916.
Though they have many things in common, Paris differs from Jaws in one major manner. Some viewers even say Under Paris is the best shark film since Jaws, and it turns out they have more in common than only their subjects. Although this 108-year-old tragedy is said to have inspired the first Jaws book, Under Paris apparently turned to it as an even more direct source. Under Paris might cope with some unusual shark behavior, but the basic idea, of sharks living in a freshwater river, isn't entirely unworkable.
Under Paris' Original Premise Isn't That Absurd Following Shark Attacks in New Jersey
Though far-fetched under Paris' theory—that sharks may swim up a river and attack people inland—this is not as crazy as it first seems. As reported in the Smithsonian Magazine, 1916 saw an explosion in shark attacks along New Jersey's coast. Five distinct people were bitten and killed; the last victims were assaulted in the freshwater, although somewhat salted, Matawan Creek, sixteen miles inland. At the time, it was a great mystery that drew public attention; still, a lot of unresolved issues surround the New Jersey shark attacks.
Mostly as it's so difficult to confirm the reality from other tales that were floating about at the time, the kind of shark responsible for the attack still hasn't been positively recognized. It's also quite rare since most sharks cannot often swim up a freshwater river, even if Matawan Creek does link directly to the Atlantic Ocean. The idea of the movie seems more realistic as Under Paris and the 1916 New Jersey shark attacks clearly have some similarities and since a shark actually has gone up a river to attack someone before.
Jaws Author Pete Benchley Denounced The New Jersey Attacks Inspiration (But The Connection Is Still Often Made)
Jaws is based on a Peter Benchley original novel with the same name. Though the New York Times claimed Benchley denied it, it was said he drew inspiration for that book from the 1916 New Jersey shark attacks. Still, Jaws shares some really comparable traits with 1916. Like in real life, Jaws started attacking people off the coast of New England after worrying a shark that had come far closer to shore than it typically would. The film even specifically referenced the New Jersey shark attacks, when Brody and Hooper were trying to persuade the mayor to close the beach.
Although Benchley disputed the 1916 shark attacks as a direct inspiration, the events of that year were most certainly still fresh in popular memory. Many would have paid close attention to the fact that the attacks occurred in freshwater, far from the ocean, and Benchley, like many others, would have known of them.
How Under Paris's Explanation Runs Against The Motives For The Actual Sharks Arriving Upstream In 1916
Under Paris and the 1916 New Jersey shark attacks, the circumstances were similar but the reasons were somewhat different. In actual life, nobody precisely understands why the shark attacked. They had no idea what animal was behind the attacks at the time, and the media and other sources developed some strange hypotheses ranging from implying it was a school of sea turtles to blaming German U-Boats in spearheading a marine predator into the United States. Though ichthyologists are more likely to assume it was just a very unique, one-off occurrence, there have been hypotheses in the modern era suggesting it had some physical abnormality.
Furthermore unclear is the kind of shark that precisely struck in 1916. Based on eyewitness accounts of the strikes, the accepted view is that it was a Great White. Modern ichthyologists, meantime, are increasingly dubious. Given Matawan Creek's freshwater and the size of some of the bite marks, they believe it could have been several sharks—one of which is a bullshark, a species of shark able of surviving in freshwater. Though the 1916 New Jersey shark attacks remain mostly a mystery and proof that actuality is often stranger than fiction is lacking a clear solution.
Under Paris: An Alternative View on the Shark Thriller
Though it sounds ridiculous, the concept of a killer shark going up a river attacking humans in a city has some startling reality. Under Paris, though, provided a somewhat clear explanation for the sharks' upstream movement. The major shark in the film, Lilith was a Mako, which cannot survive in saltwater. She carried several modifications, though, and one of them let her survive in freshwater. That helped to explain her survival in the Seine; Mika said she changed her behavior to survive because pollution and climate change drove her inland. Under Paris invites its viewers to suspend their incredulity and starts to stray from reality with that justification.
Under Paris is an unusual shark thriller that reinvigorates the genre with good narrative and strong actor performance. The unusual idea of the movie and its examination of the actual tragedy that motivated it make it an interesting and unforgettable viewing. Under Paris is evidence of the inventiveness of the movie business and its capacity to draw inspiration for gripping and provocative narratives from real-life occurrences.
