# Jaws (1975)

### reviewed by
Sridhar Prasad

    JAWS
    A film by Steven Spielberg
    Starring: Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw, and Lorraine Grey
    Written by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb
    Based on the novel by Peter Benchley

By now, the stories have become legendary. In 1974, producers David Brown and Richard Zanuck, looking for a fresh young talent to helm the film adaptation of Peter Benchley's blockbuster novel JAWS. They found a 28 year old Jewish kid out of California, who had directed a fantastic television movie named DUEL, and a respectable film debut in THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS, starring Goldie Hawn. After engaging in numerous effects difficulties and time constraints, this young kid delivered a stunning, terrifying film to Universal, which proceeded to make it the biggest blockbuster in history to date, opening it in a record number of screens. Zanuck reportedly was against this, saying he wanted people to "drive 100 miles to the theaters" to see this film. The "kid's" name? Steven Spielberg.

Spielberg has, of course, has had the most lucrative career in film history, and his first blockbuster has grown to mythic proportions. JAWS is often mentioned as the film which began the era of modern films: it originated the summer film, and created the demand for the "event picture". It has also been mocked and ridiculed more than any other film in memory, probably because of the three campy, often atrocious sequels that followed it.

That's a real shame, because JAWS happens to be one of the most perfectly paced, marvelosuly written, and flawlessly executed experiments in audience terror. From the horrifying beginning to the stunningly filmed climax, this is a study in how to scare the living daylights out of an audience. Spielberg carefully hides his massive shark until about halfway through the movie, relying on sharp editing, music, sound, and images to convey the fear. He also uses vast amounts of underwater shots, and places the film in a familiar locale. The common theme throughout the entire first act of the film is of the terror that can creep into an ordinary situation. There are moments of relieved tension, followed by exposition which introduce the basic characters, and give more details on this massive shark so carefully concealed from the audience.

What is so amazing about JAWS is that, first off, the movie dramatically changes course halfway through. The setting changes from a cozy little island to a creaky ship forced to take on a monster of mythic proportions. The film, in essence, becomes the modern-day Moby Dick, with the angry captain (Robert Shaw as Quint), the intelligent scientist (Richard Dreyfuss), and the scared passenger (Roy Scheider). It turns from a terrifying horror film into a chase: two bodies hurtling at each other, both willing to die in the process. It's a stunning feat of filmmaking because the transition is so seamless. Spielberg is able to scare the audience even then, because by that time, we have grown close to the characters, we can feel their every emotion through our own bodies.

Much of that credit goes to the excellent script. There is that special human element to JAWS which all other horror films lack. There are the friendships that are formed, the families that are introduced, and the feeling that these people, suffering on this island, are real. One of the most legendary shots is with Chief Brody (Scheider) eating with his son, next to him. There is a terrific human interplay within this sequence, one Spielberg introduces to make the characters human. They are normal, everyday individuals. Spielberg realized that in order for tension to exist, there must be a period of anti-tension, where the audience is allowed to relax, and let down their guard, before the next wave of terror.

The performances in JAWS are absolutely astounding. Scheider makes his career with a legendary performance that will be forever remembered. Dreyfuss is gleefully superb, often carrying the middle portion of the movie with his scholarly antics and quick wit. The last third is dominated by Robert Shaw, whose Quint fills the screen with the image of a man who's "talking about shaarrrkin'". Lorraine Grey delivers a fine performance as Brody's wife, and the rest of the cast fills in admirably, carefully recreating a summer resort town. There are hysterical moments of hilarity, placed beautifully in sequence as to elicit the desired response.

If anything, JAWS seems dated by comparison to today's movies. Bruce the shark is not as great as the hype, and the brand-new computer generated sharks are far superior. But the film is still breathlessly exciting due to its lack of reliance on Bruce. It instead relies upon the tension created by the presence of a man-eater, the character play, and the absolutely phenomenal score by John Williams, who delivers the most imitated, and yet most effective score in film history. Spielberg places every component in flawless manner, and creates what is the definitive film of his early career, of the horror genre, and possibly of the 1970's itself. The first true blockbuster, JAWS is simply exhilirating, even after all these years. Wow.

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