Jaws: one of the most recognizable images...(introductory) music...and lines in American cinema (see above). But even more than that...Jaws is a scary movie, with death and blood...but not to the nth degree like modern horror. It does what many have tried...but few succeeded: it stays with you. Like Hitchcock's Psycho, Jaws can be identified by its soundtrack and it's ability to scare you no matter how many times you've seen it.
Everyone knows the story. Its a beautiful night, a young girl and boy run along the beach, she strips down and dives into the water. Everything seems fine (other than the music), and then she is attacked and when the boy finally catches up she is gone. Shark attacks continue on Amity Island, including during a busy beach day. The local chief of police, Chief Brody (Scheider) wants to shut down the beaches, but it is tourist season and not possible. As people continue to die the local fishermen, armed with spears and guns begin their own bounty hunting missions to rid their shores of the sharks...
Brody eventually teams up with the only people who know how to find the correct shark (the locals killed a shark, but it wasn't the correct kind or size): Hooper (Dreyfus) a young oceanographer and Quint (Shaw) a shark-hating, boat owner who offers to kill the shark. Brody is afraid of the water, but his son was in the water during one of the shark attacks (in close proximity). Quint knows first hand what shark attacks look like. Hooper also knows first hand about what sharks can do. While the men disagree about everything they agree to sail together, and then Brody delivers the best line of the film "You're gonna need a bigger boat!"
Less-is-more is definitely the motto of this film. During the shark attacks the audience is shown the perspective of the shark (at the water level). We see the effects, but not the cause, for the majority of the film. And when the shark finally appears, he does not disappoint. I know the main reasons for this are mechanical issues, but showing the shark more would take away from the film. And then there is the score, those ominous tones that herald the approaching shark...gives me chills. The cast is excellent but for different reasons. Scheider is easy to identify with and is very honest in his actions. Shaw and Dreyfus also lend themselves to the characters they play, taking them over the top (Shaw) and intelligent enough (Dreyfus) to justify traveling with them. Looking at it now, even with all of the CGI and other technology, it is still fresh and relevant and that is the mark of a classic! Many "classic" films are overrated, but Jaws keeps its edge. It made a generation afraid to go in the water, and spawned numerous forgetable sequels (I haven't seen any...but I didn't see Jaws until a few years ago). With Scheider's death just yesterday it seemed to be the perfect time to talk about this film. Don't go in the water!!
Dude, it's quotable: who doesn't know the boat line? Come on now...
Rent it multiple times: yeah it's intense, but you can handle it...just don't watch it before you go to the beach
Jaws (1975) 124 minutes
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Roy Scheider as Police Chief Martin Brody
Robert Shaw as Quint
Richard Dreyfuss as Matt Hooper
Lorraine Gary as Ellen Brody
Everyone knows the story. Its a beautiful night, a young girl and boy run along the beach, she strips down and dives into the water. Everything seems fine (other than the music), and then she is attacked and when the boy finally catches up she is gone. Shark attacks continue on Amity Island, including during a busy beach day. The local chief of police, Chief Brody (Scheider) wants to shut down the beaches, but it is tourist season and not possible. As people continue to die the local fishermen, armed with spears and guns begin their own bounty hunting missions to rid their shores of the sharks...
Brody eventually teams up with the only people who know how to find the correct shark (the locals killed a shark, but it wasn't the correct kind or size): Hooper (Dreyfus) a young oceanographer and Quint (Shaw) a shark-hating, boat owner who offers to kill the shark. Brody is afraid of the water, but his son was in the water during one of the shark attacks (in close proximity). Quint knows first hand what shark attacks look like. Hooper also knows first hand about what sharks can do. While the men disagree about everything they agree to sail together, and then Brody delivers the best line of the film "You're gonna need a bigger boat!"
Less-is-more is definitely the motto of this film. During the shark attacks the audience is shown the perspective of the shark (at the water level). We see the effects, but not the cause, for the majority of the film. And when the shark finally appears, he does not disappoint. I know the main reasons for this are mechanical issues, but showing the shark more would take away from the film. And then there is the score, those ominous tones that herald the approaching shark...gives me chills. The cast is excellent but for different reasons. Scheider is easy to identify with and is very honest in his actions. Shaw and Dreyfus also lend themselves to the characters they play, taking them over the top (Shaw) and intelligent enough (Dreyfus) to justify traveling with them. Looking at it now, even with all of the CGI and other technology, it is still fresh and relevant and that is the mark of a classic! Many "classic" films are overrated, but Jaws keeps its edge. It made a generation afraid to go in the water, and spawned numerous forgetable sequels (I haven't seen any...but I didn't see Jaws until a few years ago). With Scheider's death just yesterday it seemed to be the perfect time to talk about this film. Don't go in the water!!
Dude, it's quotable: who doesn't know the boat line? Come on now...
Rent it multiple times: yeah it's intense, but you can handle it...just don't watch it before you go to the beach
Jaws (1975) 124 minutes
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Roy Scheider as Police Chief Martin Brody
Robert Shaw as Quint
Richard Dreyfuss as Matt Hooper
Lorraine Gary as Ellen Brody
This remains an all time classic. Loved it and will always remeber it. Great tension and build up scenes. Never bettered for this level of certificate
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