Jaws
The cinematic oeuvre of Steven Spielberg is one to behold. Undoubtedly the most financially successful filmmaker of all time (by far), a closer look at many of his biggest films reveals major flaws in his storytelling and style, from a super sappy artificial sentimentality that overwhelms much of the true meanings of the films themselves, to an almost Michael Jackson like predilection towards making precocious kids generally be both the smartest and most relatable characters in his work (E.T. is most guilty of this). For a guy who has been said to take much inspiration from Kubrick, he exhibits not so much his idolâs ability to expand the thought processes through cinema itself, but rather to dazzle audiences with spectacular special effects and beautiful cinematography. But his films are always known to generate big grosses at the box office, so whatâs his secret? Probably the fact that Spielberg is without a doubt the most EFFICIENT director in the history of the medium. Given any script and a predetermined amount of money, he always completes his projects on time and without going over budget, with an impeccable gift for avoiding the pitfalls that plague other filmmakers, mostly through careful, precise planning prior to filming down to the very last detail of production. And yet, when one looks at the absolute very best work of his entire career, one must go all the way back nearly to the beginning in 1974-75, when the novice young director found himself in a situation where he was said to be in way over his head in a chaotic production where he almost always found himself at odds with both the cast and crew, and of which he has half jokingly said on the record that he didnât even know what was actually going on most of the time during filming. While many on the set were convinced that the film was going to be a massive failure simply because Spielberg didnât seem to know what in the hell he was doing, somehow in the post production process he managed to pull it all together, aided by an amazing and iconic score by John Williams, and came out with this, an edgy, harrowing action thriller with lead performances that were just as iconic in their own right. In addition, it managed to perform smashingly at the box office thus becoming the first true âblockbusterâ, and also was the first film to break the $100 million mark to become the highest grossing movie of all time at that time. All impressive feats coupled by the fact that Spielberg obviously took notes on what not to do on any film sets he would be on in the future, regardless of the fact that this still remains his best and most accomplished piece of work even if under duress, garnering a Best Picture Oscar nomination for what many say was a simple adventure story done right. Based on Peter Benchleyâs then very recent novel (considered to be quite trashy and pulpy by those who have read it compared to the movie), the story is really quite simple. A rogue Great White Shark moves in on a resort community, and starts killing and feeding on various swimmers who go in the water off the beaches at the worst time possible, right before the big money Fourth Of July weekend. The Mayor (Murray Hamilton), a blustery fellow who still manages to look snazzy in an awful business jacket sporting little anchors (he comes off more like a carnival barker than a community leader in that getup) decides that he wants to cover the whole thing up and resolve it as quickly as possible so as not to affect the tourist season and cause the local businesses to lose money. So to that purpose he turns to the local law enforcement, the townâs Police Chief who used to be a New York City cop before settling down to this seemingly cushy job in this small, sleepy little beach resort community. It is here that we have the first of our three iconic leads in the massively underrated for his whole career Roy Scheider, a guy who always did solid work in every role he had but truly shined here as Martin Brody, a laconic yet strong figure of authority who starts to feel a bit overwhelmed by the idea of such an inhuman killing machine moving in on his turf. It is Scheider who really carries the film more than anyone else, playing the part as an Everyman who desperately tries to play the voice of reason and common sense even as he is consistently overruled by the circus clown Mayor and his stooges. In time, a little boy is killed, and the grieving mother places a modest bounty on the head of the shark, which brings in a slew of eager fishermen looking to collect, along with an oceanographer played by a young Richard Dreyfuss, an upper class dweeb looking to make a name for himself by catching and confirming the fact that a Great White has defied the laws of nature and is active in these waters. Dreyfuss was always well liked by audiences for the manic yet comical nature that he brought to his roles, and his Matt Hooper is no exception in his canon, a phenomenally smart guy (when it comes to sharks) whose patter carries a distinct sense of humor even when he finds himself being talked down to by others. Of course, when the shark proves too wily to allow itself to be captured, the townspeople are forced to turn to the one fisherman in the town held in the highest regard by them for his toughness, knowledge, and durability (for a higher price than originally offered) in Robert Shawâs legendary Quint, still considered among the most popular and memorable characters in movie history, embodied perfectly by Shaw in a crazed, rambling turn that carries such power with less screen time than the other two stars that the lack of an Oscar nomination seems almost inexplicable, fueled no doubt by Shawâs known heavy drinking and eccentricities offscreen that helped him turn this character into one of the most larger than life performances in screen history, a guy who enjoys the challenge of hunting sharks due to him being a survivor of The U.S.S. Indianapolis whose crew was mostly attacked and eaten by sharks after being torpedoed by The Japanese. Set in their mission, the three of them head out into the ocean to hunt the killer shark, which consists of nearly the entire second half of the film, with Scheider, Dreyfuss, and Shaw being the only ones onscreen during this time and making their interactions, squabbling, and male bonding an exceptional joy to watch, and meanwhile we come to realize that the shark theyâre hunting has an intellect and a power unheard of, even going so far as to employ an actual STRATEGY in confronting and dealing with his three adversaries (an idea that was hammered home in the later sequels, where the possibly reincarnated sharks were literally presented as having motives and thought processes in their quests for revenge). This unrealistic yet fascinating dynamic of another species other than humans employing such methods only adds to the unpredictability of the whole enterprise, as this is not just some aquatic creature going about its business, but an evil, calculating being with possible supernatural imbuement (The Devil?) that makes it doubly dangerous to contend with, and dangerous it is for our three leads who canât even relax at night in the cabin below deck and have a few drinks without their prey sensing that their guard is down and thus launching a sneak attack that is deliberately designed to sink the boat. In the end, all kinds of mayhem ensues in the last 10 minutes, with one of the leads going down and another being put out of commission so that the final one on one showdown can have the proper amount of impact. And thatâs really what this is all about in the end: An incredible adventure story about three men on a hunting expedition out in the wilds of nature, albeit on the ocean, to catch and destroy something that they all know is inexplicable, pure evil in order to preserve the lives and livelihoods of those they left behind to wait and wonder. And with it came the invention of the modern day popcorn movie by a guy who came to perfect and epitomize them, but still never did it better than the way he did it right hereâŚ
10/10