The first summer blockbuster, the big breakthrough for Spielberg, and the shoot that ended up tripling its schedule! Jaws is a monster of a film that changed not only the moviemaking world but also the beach-goer's confidence. It is as though we are born with the knowledge of this movie. As a very young child I genuinely believed the Jaws 'Dun...Dun' always played before a real life shark attack was about to take place, I hadn't even seen the film! Something said constantly about this movie is that the terror comes from not showing the shark but from simply suggesting it. Where and when is the shark going to pop up next? This was an idea that Spielberg developed mostly due to the issues with the repeatedly breaking mechanical shark but taken also from the master of suspense himself, Hitchcock. "There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it".
An important aspect of Jaws is that it shows the audience reasons to care for the characters rather than telling them to care. "Give me a kiss", "why?", "cause I need it". Chief Brody's (Roy Scheider) vulnerable side is very evident and so he is a man we can have sympathy for, we care about his family and so we care about him.
The film is also very aware of what it is doing to its audiences. Brody is transfixed looking at a picture-book about sharks; he can't believe what he's seeing. Though he jumps out of his skin when his wife (Lorraine Gary) comes up behind him. We saw this coming so it was not a shock for us but it is a joke on the film itself. It is almost a cliche today but It's one of those friendly nods to the audience letting us know our director is conscious of what we're going through together.
The hunt to get the shark doesn't actually start until over midway through the film. The film doesn't simply delay the hunt of the shark, it builds towards it. No one would argue that the first half of the film is slow or uneventful. A testament to the writer's brilliance of structure and timing, knowing when to unleash the beast.
This is Spielberg's first film where he establishes his trademark of guiding our eye throughout each scene without drawing attention to the craft. He captures multiple angles in one take to help keep a flow to the story and an intrigue in what the characters are saying to each other. Never allowing a moment to become boring. You feel like you are in the scene with the characters. The second that you notice the way he moves the camera or blocks the scene is the moment you fall out of the movie and become a viewer. We are just as helpless as Chief Brody as we watch Alex Kintner be torn apart from afar, a point of view from Brody's powerless position.
Finally, it is Brody who kills the shark, not Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) nor Quint (Robert Shaw). It is the protagonist who we have watched struggle for almost 2 hours with a beach full of people, a thoughtless mayor, and a 25-foot great white shark, 3 tons of him! It is a satisfying end. Brody kills the shark by himself while the mast of the boat sinks into the ocean like a clock hand ticking to its conclusion. Soon there will be nothing left on the surface as though the shark has consumed the film itself, but one perfect shot put a stop to that.
Overall, a masterful classic that still lives up to this day. Even most of the mechanical shark shots still remain stunning and sometimes horrific. The film stays away from fantasy and sticks itself in reality which is why so many become afraid of the sea after this experience. I would have loved to discuss the making-of process more but for any Jaws fans or anyone who is interested then I would suggest you read The Jaws Log, written by one of the screenwriters for Jaws, Carl Gottlieb.
An important aspect of Jaws is that it shows the audience reasons to care for the characters rather than telling them to care. "Give me a kiss", "why?", "cause I need it". Chief Brody's (Roy Scheider) vulnerable side is very evident and so he is a man we can have sympathy for, we care about his family and so we care about him.
The film is also very aware of what it is doing to its audiences. Brody is transfixed looking at a picture-book about sharks; he can't believe what he's seeing. Though he jumps out of his skin when his wife (Lorraine Gary) comes up behind him. We saw this coming so it was not a shock for us but it is a joke on the film itself. It is almost a cliche today but It's one of those friendly nods to the audience letting us know our director is conscious of what we're going through together.
The hunt to get the shark doesn't actually start until over midway through the film. The film doesn't simply delay the hunt of the shark, it builds towards it. No one would argue that the first half of the film is slow or uneventful. A testament to the writer's brilliance of structure and timing, knowing when to unleash the beast.
This is Spielberg's first film where he establishes his trademark of guiding our eye throughout each scene without drawing attention to the craft. He captures multiple angles in one take to help keep a flow to the story and an intrigue in what the characters are saying to each other. Never allowing a moment to become boring. You feel like you are in the scene with the characters. The second that you notice the way he moves the camera or blocks the scene is the moment you fall out of the movie and become a viewer. We are just as helpless as Chief Brody as we watch Alex Kintner be torn apart from afar, a point of view from Brody's powerless position.
Finally, it is Brody who kills the shark, not Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) nor Quint (Robert Shaw). It is the protagonist who we have watched struggle for almost 2 hours with a beach full of people, a thoughtless mayor, and a 25-foot great white shark, 3 tons of him! It is a satisfying end. Brody kills the shark by himself while the mast of the boat sinks into the ocean like a clock hand ticking to its conclusion. Soon there will be nothing left on the surface as though the shark has consumed the film itself, but one perfect shot put a stop to that.
Overall, a masterful classic that still lives up to this day. Even most of the mechanical shark shots still remain stunning and sometimes horrific. The film stays away from fantasy and sticks itself in reality which is why so many become afraid of the sea after this experience. I would have loved to discuss the making-of process more but for any Jaws fans or anyone who is interested then I would suggest you read The Jaws Log, written by one of the screenwriters for Jaws, Carl Gottlieb.