Jaws (1975) Dir: Steven Spielberg
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Steven Spielberg's iconic shark film is, for many, cinema's quintessential shark film - sinister, frightening, dramatic, and with just a hint of cheese. I had last watched this film some years ago now, but having recently read the book, for which the film is based on, I was compelled to revisit this 70s classic.
The film is packed with memorable and well-framed shots - be it the sinister underwater shots, the expansive wide shots or that one vertigo shot that still gets referenced today. The film is pretty stunning for its time, and even though some aspects of it are certainly dated - I'm referring to one of the victims being hilariously pulled from side to side - it still looks damn good, for the most part.
The film also features one of the most recognisable and enduring themes ever, which also happens to suit the film's feel perfectly. The simple, but foreboding, score is so effective at building suspense, and allowed each scene it was used in to feel even more tense and scary.
The dialogue in the film is all solid, but it's best, most quotable line was, of course, totally improvised. It's also, in the context of the film, an incredibly effective and chilling piece of dialogue, which tells you so much with just one line.
The narrative is a streamlined and impactful story, that keeps attention on the shark and the fear it strikes in the town of Amity. The film is one of the few examples, in my view, of when a cinematic adaptation is done better than the book it was based upon.
Roy Scheider provided a sterling display as the film's protagonist, and showed a lot more character than I remember from the last time I watched the film. I really enjoyed the range of emotions he showed, particularly in the second half of the film. I found him pretty likable, all-in-all.
Robert Shaw seemed to revel in his role as the mysterious fisherman. I thoroughly enjoyed his witty, slightly deranged, sea-dog personality. He had a charisma to him that really worked, especially in contrast to those around him.
Richard Dreyfuss was a great deal more likable than the literary version of his character, and by some way. I also found him to be a great source of light relief in the film, thanks to Dreyfuss' showing some very entertaining personality at times.
Finally, I'll give quick mentions to the duo of Lorraine Grey and Murray Hamilton, who each gave decent performances in the two most notable supporting roles.
Overall, there's a reason why this is often considered to be the best shark film ever made. It has everything! The music, the quotes, the visuals! Even the haphazard animatronic shark! I can't believe it took me so long to rewatch this one, but you better believe it'll be getting more regular revisits in the future.
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