 | ‘Jaws’ remains the definitive thriller about man vs. nature, and one of the best pure entertaining rides you'll ever have with a movie. |
What can one say about the perfect Summer movie that hasn't already been said? Peter Benchley’s bestseller about a killer shark and a tourist beach town has become a film of consummate suspense, tension and terror. Director Steve Spielberg’s 1975 adapted classic ‘Jaws’, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw is well worth a re-watching.
Steven Spielberg's ‘Hitchcockian’ strategy all through the film is that the shark is more talked about than seen, and seen more in terms of its actions than in the flesh. "You're going to need a bigger boat" says the police chief famously informing the shark hunter, right after the first brief appearance of the man-eater in ‘Jaws’. Actually we don't see the shark over much but the results of its actions. The payoff is one of the most effective thrillers ever made.
The actors all deliver great work – Roy Scheider makes for a lead hero that's very easy to empathise with, Rochard Dreyfuss gives his character a fun sense of wit and manic energy, and Robert Shaw's work may border on being over the top but he imbues it with a gravitas that makes it quite believable.
The tale of a gigantic great white shark terrorizing a small community was an artistic and commercial hit on its release and is one of the most effective thrillers of all time. Bill Butler’s Panavision-Technicolor cinematography is excellent; one can almost smell the Martha’s Vineyard location. The film has also become most famous for its iconic and haunting John Williams soundtrack. The film actually won an Academy Award for best soundtrack and followed up with awards also for sound, film editing and of course also a nomination for best picture!
Awards not withstanding - the production of Jaws didn't run so smoothly. For one thing, some of the mechanical sharks built for this movie malfunctioned, something that could significantly delay the shoot. That is assuming, of course, that the movie would be filmed in the way originally planned, with frequent use of mechanical sharks. Thankfully, Spielberg was clever enough to improvise. He decided to change his filmmaking approach by having camera shots representing the shark's perspective, which obviously does not require any mechanical sharks. In retrospect, this is perhaps a better technique for a shark thriller, so the mechanical shark mishap was really a blessing in disguise.
‘Jaws’ remains the definitive thriller about man vs. nature, and one of the best pure entertaining rides you'll ever have with a movie. This was the first of the true blockbusters, the one that started it all. A great film by a great filmmaker - It'll forever make you think twice about swimming in deep water!
Steven Spielberg's ‘Hitchcockian’ strategy all through the film is that the shark is more talked about than seen, and seen more in terms of its actions than in the flesh. "You're going to need a bigger boat" says the police chief famously informing the shark hunter, right after the first brief appearance of the man-eater in ‘Jaws’. Actually we don't see the shark over much but the results of its actions. The payoff is one of the most effective thrillers ever made.
The actors all deliver great work – Roy Scheider makes for a lead hero that's very easy to empathise with, Rochard Dreyfuss gives his character a fun sense of wit and manic energy, and Robert Shaw's work may border on being over the top but he imbues it with a gravitas that makes it quite believable.
The tale of a gigantic great white shark terrorizing a small community was an artistic and commercial hit on its release and is one of the most effective thrillers of all time. Bill Butler’s Panavision-Technicolor cinematography is excellent; one can almost smell the Martha’s Vineyard location. The film has also become most famous for its iconic and haunting John Williams soundtrack. The film actually won an Academy Award for best soundtrack and followed up with awards also for sound, film editing and of course also a nomination for best picture!
Awards not withstanding - the production of Jaws didn't run so smoothly. For one thing, some of the mechanical sharks built for this movie malfunctioned, something that could significantly delay the shoot. That is assuming, of course, that the movie would be filmed in the way originally planned, with frequent use of mechanical sharks. Thankfully, Spielberg was clever enough to improvise. He decided to change his filmmaking approach by having camera shots representing the shark's perspective, which obviously does not require any mechanical sharks. In retrospect, this is perhaps a better technique for a shark thriller, so the mechanical shark mishap was really a blessing in disguise.
‘Jaws’ remains the definitive thriller about man vs. nature, and one of the best pure entertaining rides you'll ever have with a movie. This was the first of the true blockbusters, the one that started it all. A great film by a great filmmaker - It'll forever make you think twice about swimming in deep water!