Released: June 1975
Director: Steven Spielberg
Rated PG
Run Time: 124 Minutes
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Cast:
Roy Scheider: Chieft Martin Brody
Robert Shaw: Quint
Richard Dreyfuss: Matt Hooper
Lorraine Gary: Ellen Brody
Murray Hamilton: Mayor Larry Vaughan
There have been many landmark movies released since the invention of the motion picture; far too many for me to list here. However, the 1970s was one of the biggest decades ever for the medium. It had some of the most spectacular ever made. It also saw the advancement of cinematic technology: Stuff that people had never seen before in movies. Some of the biggest movies ever made were released during this period. Movies like Alien, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Patton, Apocalypse Now!, The Godfather, Rocky, and the biggest event of them all, Star Wars. These movies ushered in a new golden age of film-making. They inspired film-makers and film-goers alike across the globe to pursue careers in the industry, or to write about the industry or just go see movies. Considering that the Vietnam War was a very sore spot for most people during that time, movies were a way for a lot of people to temporarily forget the war for two hours. While the movies that I just listed are fantastic, one of the movies that came out in 1975 was one of the most influential and terrifying movies ever released: Jaws.
This is not going to be one of my typical reviews where I discuss the story first and start from there. This is going to be more of a celebratory look at one of cinema’s greatest achievements in film and the film that basically launched Steven Spielberg’s career as a director. There’s a number of reasons why this movie works so well. For one: The story is minimal. It’s basically about a shark terrorizing people. That’s about as simple as a plot as you can get, but it works. It works because it’s not necessarily about the animal itself, but rather the people who are forced to deal with the shark, which is a Great White. The best films are often character-driven. It worked for Star Wars, Alien, and Rocky. That’s the best way to get people invested in a film, to make them care about the characters. If you care about the characters, you want them to survive, even if they actually don’t. The characters in Jaws are some of the most memorable characters in cinema history. Why? They’re well-written, well-rounded and handled realistically. However, it’s the actors that really give them life. Roy Scheider plays Chief Brody, a former New York cop who has basically retired to the island of Amity. He’s the every-man, he has a fear of the ocean, which makes his situation very…unusual. Richard Dreyfuss plays the affable Matt Hooper, who has been brought in to investigate a possible shark attack. I love the way Mr. Dreyfuss portrays hooper. The character is very earnest, slightly arrogant, but a decent person. Dreyfuss portrays that very well, while also giving the character a very nihilistic sense of humor. The real standout of the film, and most people will agree, is Robert Shaw as Quint. If there was a character and performance that helped define a movie, it’s Quint. This guy is a very colorful shark hunter that’s not afraid to put people in their place. The relationship between the three characters seems antagonistic at first, but over the course of the movie, they learn to work together to bring the shark down. Even the side characters like Ellen Brody and Mayor Vaughan are very memorable for different reasons.
The acting is fantastic, but let’s talk about how the film starts. The opening to Jaws is one of the most iconic and terrifying scenes that you will see in any movie. Seeing poor Chrissy get thrashed around by a shark that you don’t see, by the way, is one of the most blood-curdling scenes ever made. That scene alone made people think twice about going into the water. That also brings me to one of the most effective things about Jaws. You don’t see the shark until towards the end of the movie. That wasn’t necessarily the intention, but the shark that they had built for the movie was malfunctioning, so Steven Spielberg had to find a way to film around that issue. However, because the shark malfunctioned, Spielberg managed to create an experience unlike any other. You know the saying, “less is more?” I think the film would have been far less effective had the shark prop been working as intended. Jaws proved that you didn’t need to actually see the shark to scare the hell out of you. People’s imaginations did that for the film-makers. That’s the mark of a great film and great film-maker. Also, for a movie that was rated PG, it pulled no punches. Nobody was safe, and the scene were the young boy was killed by the shark was horrific. The body count wasn’t particularly high, but it didn’t need to be.
If there was ever a movie where music was important, it would be Jaws. John Williams’ theme for the film is easily one of the most iconic movie themes in cinema and music. Even if you had never seen Jaws before, you know that theme like the back of your hand. The way the music was used was extremely unique. Because the shark wasn’t working the way it was supposed to, they used a combination of music and camera-work to get the audience on the edge of their seats. It was used to make it seem as if the shark was coming after you. The theme has been used and parodied in so many movies, yet it doesn’t dampen the effect that it has on audiences. Kids across the world would imitate the them while they were playing in the pool, chasing their siblings and friends around. It’s so memorable and yet it’s so simple.
Jaws is one of those rare movies that I can’t really find a problem with. I guess if I had to find one negative about the film is the fact that the film got sequels. Three in particular, and none of them were particularly great. Jaws was lightening captured in a bottle. It has certainly inspired film-makers to try and attempt their own unique spin on the kind of movie that Jaws was. Every great movie has its knock-offs and Jaws is no different. Aside from the sequels, we got Piranha, Up From the Depths, and Alligator. People have been making shark movies for nearly 40 years, trying to duplicate the success of Jaws. Sadly, very few came close. The best shark movie since Jaws was The Shallows from 2016. But that film took a very different spin on the genre, and it worked well enough. That being said, Jaws is still the king of shark movies and it always will be. 42 years after the film’s release, it still has power. I have a co-worker who refuses to see the movie, because she’s scared of sharks and Jaws is responsible for that. It’s remarkable how effective the film still is after all this time. The characters, the acting, the direction, music and everything else in between has helped Jaws become one of the greatest movies ever made. I daresay, that despite production issues, Steven Spielberg has crafted a perfect movie. Spielberg has since gone on to make some of the greatest movies ever like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., Indiana Jones, and Saving Private Ryan, and it all hinged on the fact that the shark wasn’t working. It’s funny how small quirks like that can make a world of difference.
Jaws paved the way for film-makers like George Lucas, Eli Roth, Steven Soderburgh, and many others to make their own mark on the film industry. I’m not entirely sure that we would have had the movies that we have without it. 42 years later, Jaws is still scaring people out of the water. It’s great, but it’s also bringing attention to the natural world, and making people more curious about sharks. The film has done so much for movies and everything, that I can’t give it a score. It’s that damned good. If you haven’t seen the film, do yourself a favor and go see it right now. If you have seen it, go see it again.
Final Recommendation: What’re you waiting for? Go see the movie!