Going down in history as the first summer Blockbuster, Steven Spielberg made a name for himself with this visceral, fear-inducing creature-feature that had even land-locked audience afraid to go into the water for years to come! As the first film to achieve $100 million in theatrical rentals, it not only set many box-office records, but it went on to earn three Academy Awards!
On the quiet shores of the quaint, seaside community of Amity Island, newly appointed Sheriff Martin Brody (Roy Schneider) discovers the remains of woman's body on the beach. When she's determined to be the victim of a shark attack, Sheriff Brody wants to close the beach, however Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) as well as some affluential local businessmen will not allow it, pointing out that the summer is their busiest tourist season and where they take in most of their annual income. Brody defers to their judgment, and that weekend, a young boy is killed by the man-eating shark. The dead boy's mother places a bounty on the shark, which attracts amateur hunters and fishermen from all over hoping to claim that reward money. When a local fisherman by the name of Quint (Robert Shaw) offers to hunt down the predator for a handsome fee, eventually the mayor agrees. Sheriff Brody joins him, as well as Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), a Marine Biologist from the Oceanographic Institute.
Based on the novel by Peter Benchley published in 1974 who helped develop the screenplay in conjunction with Carl Gottlieb, it hits all the right marks, playing on the masses already existent, albeit largely unfounded, fear of these fascinating carnivores. The incorporation of Hooper was important to provide some measure of scientific basis for their analysis instead of perpetuating misinformation. Director Steven Spielberg may be a household name now, but when he was just starting out, it wasn't easy convincing studios to back such an ambitious project. Undertaking over half of a production filming in water is difficult enough, but add in portraying a believable Great White Shark, and it wouldn't have been out of the question for studio execs to scoff at the very notion-especially considering Spielberg only had a few films and TV episodes under his belt at the time. However, through the seamless dual use of real footage of Great Whites and production designer Joe Alves animatronic creation, he was able to achieve a remarkable feat immortalized on film.
With principal photography and filming taking place in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, Spielberg succeeds in boasting Amity as a real oceanside town. As most of the sequences were shot with handheld cameras, the audience truly feels as if they are on the Orca with the crew, adding to the tension. Spielberg's creative inclusion of what would be coined the "shark-eye-view" camera truly reaffirmed the anxiety-inducing fear that kept audiences on the edge of their seats. Pacing is a tad slow for some of the scenes on the boat as Brody, Hooper, and Quint attempt to track the man-eater. There are also a few narrative oversights, such as why on earth no one went looking for the Orca after they did not return, or why they didn't encounter any other shark hunters, but taken as a whole, the film is a tremendous success in its unwavering ability to elicit fear and anxiety, even when the majority of tumultuous events transpire in broad daylight.
Ominous and tension building to the extreme, it isn't any wonder John Williams score secured an Oscar. While this was only their second time working together, it is clear that Spielberg and Williams have a certain kinship and comradery that allows them to share the same vision for the projects they work on. Williams' theme for Jaws will be remembered for all-time, and then the composer still went on to possibly outdo himself scoring the iconic theme to Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993).
Sheriff Brody is a well-meaning man, out to protect his community, though clearly caught between a rock and a hard place. His fear of water adds a relatable quality to his character. In present-day America, a whopping 64% of the population is afraid of deep open water (oceans). Hooper provides just enough of a scientific basis to ground the events and offer some interesting ways to try to defeat the animal. Despite his role as the somewhat experienced, greedy shark-hunter, Quint seems a bit too eccentric to offer anything other than animosity and tension with Hooper in a confined space, proffering his fate as a relative eventuality. These three offer vastly differing perspectives on and attitudes about the shark that make for an intriguing dynamic.
Roy Schneider succeeds in bringing a humble but capable quality to the Sheriff, allowing the audience to relate to his vulnerability and desire to protect the townsfolk. Initially, Spielberg was considering Charlton Heston to play Sheriff Brody, however after completing Earthquake (1974) and in light of the fact that he was being considered to play the hero in Airplane 1975 (1974), Spielberg reasoned that if he were to play the Sheriff, the film would feel decidedly more predictable with the shark having little to no chance against him. Richard Dreyfuss not only plays well as the inquisitive scientist interested in the study of the creature, but portrays a wounded quality that provides a connection. Shaw unfortunately is very much like his character-drunk, crude, and unreasonable throughout the majority of the time, though one could argue that plays well for his character onscreen.
Spielberg astutely blends the actual Great White Shark footage shot by noted underwater photographers Ron and Valerie Taylor taken off the southern coast of Australia with his animatronic Bruce with balances the intensity of the close-ups with the required suspension of disbelief as audiences observe the fluid movement from the live footage. Three mechanical "Bruces" (as they were dubbed) were made, each having a specialized function. And if you were wondering why the Tiger Shark hung by its tail looked so real, that is because it was in fact a real shark killed in Florida. Since there wasn't a big enough one in Martha's Vineyard, they had it shipped to the set and prepared for filming, however by that time, it was in an advanced state of decomposition, with the actors stating the smell was appalling, eliciting some some very real reactions.
It is of little wonder that this iconic film would go down in history as the first summer "blockbuster", with over 67 million people in the US going to see the film when it was initially released in 1975. It took in more than its $7 million budget opening weekend alone, and became the highest grossing film of all time to date.
FINAL VERDICT: Definitely worth watching with the lights down and the volume up.
8.5 out of 10.0 - Rewatch Value: 4
~AleXa~ An original IMDB user for over 20 years. Don't be fooled by spam accounts and studio-paid reviews.
_____________________________ Reviewed September 5th, 2022 - 3rd viewing 9/02/22 F in IMAX (1st) at AMC GV w/NO.
On the quiet shores of the quaint, seaside community of Amity Island, newly appointed Sheriff Martin Brody (Roy Schneider) discovers the remains of woman's body on the beach. When she's determined to be the victim of a shark attack, Sheriff Brody wants to close the beach, however Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) as well as some affluential local businessmen will not allow it, pointing out that the summer is their busiest tourist season and where they take in most of their annual income. Brody defers to their judgment, and that weekend, a young boy is killed by the man-eating shark. The dead boy's mother places a bounty on the shark, which attracts amateur hunters and fishermen from all over hoping to claim that reward money. When a local fisherman by the name of Quint (Robert Shaw) offers to hunt down the predator for a handsome fee, eventually the mayor agrees. Sheriff Brody joins him, as well as Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), a Marine Biologist from the Oceanographic Institute.
Based on the novel by Peter Benchley published in 1974 who helped develop the screenplay in conjunction with Carl Gottlieb, it hits all the right marks, playing on the masses already existent, albeit largely unfounded, fear of these fascinating carnivores. The incorporation of Hooper was important to provide some measure of scientific basis for their analysis instead of perpetuating misinformation. Director Steven Spielberg may be a household name now, but when he was just starting out, it wasn't easy convincing studios to back such an ambitious project. Undertaking over half of a production filming in water is difficult enough, but add in portraying a believable Great White Shark, and it wouldn't have been out of the question for studio execs to scoff at the very notion-especially considering Spielberg only had a few films and TV episodes under his belt at the time. However, through the seamless dual use of real footage of Great Whites and production designer Joe Alves animatronic creation, he was able to achieve a remarkable feat immortalized on film.
With principal photography and filming taking place in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, Spielberg succeeds in boasting Amity as a real oceanside town. As most of the sequences were shot with handheld cameras, the audience truly feels as if they are on the Orca with the crew, adding to the tension. Spielberg's creative inclusion of what would be coined the "shark-eye-view" camera truly reaffirmed the anxiety-inducing fear that kept audiences on the edge of their seats. Pacing is a tad slow for some of the scenes on the boat as Brody, Hooper, and Quint attempt to track the man-eater. There are also a few narrative oversights, such as why on earth no one went looking for the Orca after they did not return, or why they didn't encounter any other shark hunters, but taken as a whole, the film is a tremendous success in its unwavering ability to elicit fear and anxiety, even when the majority of tumultuous events transpire in broad daylight.
Ominous and tension building to the extreme, it isn't any wonder John Williams score secured an Oscar. While this was only their second time working together, it is clear that Spielberg and Williams have a certain kinship and comradery that allows them to share the same vision for the projects they work on. Williams' theme for Jaws will be remembered for all-time, and then the composer still went on to possibly outdo himself scoring the iconic theme to Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993).
Sheriff Brody is a well-meaning man, out to protect his community, though clearly caught between a rock and a hard place. His fear of water adds a relatable quality to his character. In present-day America, a whopping 64% of the population is afraid of deep open water (oceans). Hooper provides just enough of a scientific basis to ground the events and offer some interesting ways to try to defeat the animal. Despite his role as the somewhat experienced, greedy shark-hunter, Quint seems a bit too eccentric to offer anything other than animosity and tension with Hooper in a confined space, proffering his fate as a relative eventuality. These three offer vastly differing perspectives on and attitudes about the shark that make for an intriguing dynamic.
Roy Schneider succeeds in bringing a humble but capable quality to the Sheriff, allowing the audience to relate to his vulnerability and desire to protect the townsfolk. Initially, Spielberg was considering Charlton Heston to play Sheriff Brody, however after completing Earthquake (1974) and in light of the fact that he was being considered to play the hero in Airplane 1975 (1974), Spielberg reasoned that if he were to play the Sheriff, the film would feel decidedly more predictable with the shark having little to no chance against him. Richard Dreyfuss not only plays well as the inquisitive scientist interested in the study of the creature, but portrays a wounded quality that provides a connection. Shaw unfortunately is very much like his character-drunk, crude, and unreasonable throughout the majority of the time, though one could argue that plays well for his character onscreen.
Spielberg astutely blends the actual Great White Shark footage shot by noted underwater photographers Ron and Valerie Taylor taken off the southern coast of Australia with his animatronic Bruce with balances the intensity of the close-ups with the required suspension of disbelief as audiences observe the fluid movement from the live footage. Three mechanical "Bruces" (as they were dubbed) were made, each having a specialized function. And if you were wondering why the Tiger Shark hung by its tail looked so real, that is because it was in fact a real shark killed in Florida. Since there wasn't a big enough one in Martha's Vineyard, they had it shipped to the set and prepared for filming, however by that time, it was in an advanced state of decomposition, with the actors stating the smell was appalling, eliciting some some very real reactions.
It is of little wonder that this iconic film would go down in history as the first summer "blockbuster", with over 67 million people in the US going to see the film when it was initially released in 1975. It took in more than its $7 million budget opening weekend alone, and became the highest grossing film of all time to date.
FINAL VERDICT: Definitely worth watching with the lights down and the volume up.
8.5 out of 10.0 - Rewatch Value: 4
~AleXa~ An original IMDB user for over 20 years. Don't be fooled by spam accounts and studio-paid reviews.
_____________________________ Reviewed September 5th, 2022 - 3rd viewing 9/02/22 F in IMAX (1st) at AMC GV w/NO.