The movie that turned director Steven Spielberg into a superstar, Jaws deserves every bit of its reputation as one of the best horror films of all time, but it’s also a wonderful adventure story and, by sheer happenstance, a charming character piece. The travails experienced by producers David Brown and Richard Zanuck as they tried to film Peter Benchley’s best-selling novel about a man-eating shark are legend, and myriad books and documentaries tell the fascinating behind-the-scenes story. As for the onscreen narrative, it begins when a great white shark starts snacking on swimmers off the coast of tourist trap Amity Island. Landlubber police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), high-strung scientist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), and crusty sea captain Sam Quint (Robert Shaw) form an unlikely posse to save the day. Scenes of the three men chasing the big fish in their little boat—before getting chased by the big fish—are among the most exciting ever filmed.
The mechanical shark the producers commissioned rarely worked, forcing Spielberg and his team to shoot character scenes and action details during downtime. In post-production, this extra material was spotlighted to compensate for the paucity of wow-factor shark footage. As a result, what could have been a silly monster movie became an engrossing yarn filled with interesting people doing interesting things. Scheider’s slow-burn edginess meshes wonderfully with Dreyfuss’ motor-mouthed arrogance, and when those qualities get complemented by Shaw’s wicked gravitas, the movie enters the realm of cinematic magic. The delightful scene of the three men comparing scars is a marvel of thoughtful writing, lived-in acting, and precise editing—especially because it tees up Quint’s iconic monologue about the sinking of the World War II warship Indianapolis. Even though the scene comprises little more than a man talking for several minutes, the monologue is one of the most riveting sequences in all of ’70s cinema.
Holding the movie together are Verna Fields’ Oscar-winning editing and John Williams’ Oscar-winning score; Fields’ wizardly cuts fuse material from disparate sources to create a seamless whole, and Williams’ thrilling music includes so much more than the haunting dum-dum-dum-dum main theme. Orchestrating all of these powerful elements is Spielberg in full-on boy wonder mode; his imaginative camera angles and exuberant storytelling make each scene more vivid than the last. From the opening attack featuring a lone swimmer at night to the gruesome finale, Jaws delivers an unforgettable blend of illuminating character vignettes and rousing action sequences.
The movie’s first sequel, Jaws 2, is generally relegated to footnote status because neither Dreyfuss nor Spielberg participated—and most fans of the first picture can live happy lives never experiencing Jaws 2. For viewers who can accept that recapturing the original’s magic was impossible, however, the sequel is acceptably dopey escapism. The threadbare plot comprises nothing more than a set of contrivances landing Brody on another boat to battle another shark, and many of the big scenes are laughable. (Bits involving a helicopter and accidental self-immolation are particularly goofy, and, man, does it get dull listening to teenagers scream while they’re stranded at sea.) Yet buried inside the schlock are some fine craft elements. John Williams is back as composer, the cinematography is a reasonable approximation of the first movie’s look, and Scheider adds melancholy new colors to the still-captivating Brody character, hinting at the idea the policeman suffers from a sort of PTSD following the events of the first film.
Jaws: OUTTA SIGHT
The mechanical shark the producers commissioned rarely worked, forcing Spielberg and his team to shoot character scenes and action details during downtime. In post-production, this extra material was spotlighted to compensate for the paucity of wow-factor shark footage. As a result, what could have been a silly monster movie became an engrossing yarn filled with interesting people doing interesting things. Scheider’s slow-burn edginess meshes wonderfully with Dreyfuss’ motor-mouthed arrogance, and when those qualities get complemented by Shaw’s wicked gravitas, the movie enters the realm of cinematic magic. The delightful scene of the three men comparing scars is a marvel of thoughtful writing, lived-in acting, and precise editing—especially because it tees up Quint’s iconic monologue about the sinking of the World War II warship Indianapolis. Even though the scene comprises little more than a man talking for several minutes, the monologue is one of the most riveting sequences in all of ’70s cinema.
Holding the movie together are Verna Fields’ Oscar-winning editing and John Williams’ Oscar-winning score; Fields’ wizardly cuts fuse material from disparate sources to create a seamless whole, and Williams’ thrilling music includes so much more than the haunting dum-dum-dum-dum main theme. Orchestrating all of these powerful elements is Spielberg in full-on boy wonder mode; his imaginative camera angles and exuberant storytelling make each scene more vivid than the last. From the opening attack featuring a lone swimmer at night to the gruesome finale, Jaws delivers an unforgettable blend of illuminating character vignettes and rousing action sequences.
The movie’s first sequel, Jaws 2, is generally relegated to footnote status because neither Dreyfuss nor Spielberg participated—and most fans of the first picture can live happy lives never experiencing Jaws 2. For viewers who can accept that recapturing the original’s magic was impossible, however, the sequel is acceptably dopey escapism. The threadbare plot comprises nothing more than a set of contrivances landing Brody on another boat to battle another shark, and many of the big scenes are laughable. (Bits involving a helicopter and accidental self-immolation are particularly goofy, and, man, does it get dull listening to teenagers scream while they’re stranded at sea.) Yet buried inside the schlock are some fine craft elements. John Williams is back as composer, the cinematography is a reasonable approximation of the first movie’s look, and Scheider adds melancholy new colors to the still-captivating Brody character, hinting at the idea the policeman suffers from a sort of PTSD following the events of the first film.
Jaws: OUTTA SIGHT
dum dum dum dum ...ok, so I couldn't resist!
ReplyDeleteI believe Scheider's reason for appearing in JAWS 2 was the opposite of what you've stated. Apparently he found the motivation for the character, Michael, he would've played in DEER HUNTER to be unbelievable, so quit before filming, but then had to appear in JAWS 2 - which he was also reluctant to do - so as not to breach his Universal contract. Anyway, I agree JAWS 2 has some worthy moments; particularly haunting is that early shot of the shark's fin gliding towards Amity in the early dawn...
ReplyDeleteRegarding Scheider, I had the good fortune of attending a Q&A with the actor at NYU while I was a film student there, so the backstory on his appearance in "Jaws 2" comes straight from the man himself. He added that his refusal to re-up for "Jaws 3" led Universal execs to blacklist him (thus creating an undeserved reputation as a "difficult" actor), and his post-"Jaws 2" filmography seems to bear that out because the size of his films dropped precipitously. Having said that, people tell tales differently at various times in their lives. Sad story in any event, because I would've loved to have seen where Scheider's career had gone after "Deer Hunter," even though I dislike that particular film....
ReplyDeleteCan't say I blame him for passing on Jaws 3. While such a move may have diluted his career (though he still managed to land a couple of event pictures like Blue Thunder and 2010), it didn't send him into a tailspin the way it did poor Lou Gosset, who had just won an Oscar that very same year.
ReplyDeleteThis film is preposterous. Several of the main characters are interesting but underdeveloped (Scheider), especially given the running time. Dreyfuss is excellent but Shaw chews up the scenery in ridiculous fashion. It's like he's in a bad retelling of Moby Dick and not this film. The thrills are well-played in the suspense scenes; that's when the editing and music really shine. But once they are out on the boat, the tone shifts to suit a combat film. The whole thing falls apart (and not just the hull, ha ha). This isn't helped by several shots were it's patently obvious the shark is fake.
ReplyDeleteThe hatred towards sharks that this film helped foment is also distasteful. So, no, not one of my favourites.
JAWS is my favorite movie.
ReplyDelete