D.J. Haza presents the next entry in his series of films to watch before you die…
Jaws, 1975.
Directed by Steven Spielberg.
Starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary and Murray Hamilton.
Spielberg’s iconic fishy tale of a murderous shark that terrorises a small sea side town became the highest grossing movie of its time and alongside Star Wars it established the current Hollywood business model for summer blockbusters.
The film follows Police Chief Martin Brody (Scheider) as he tries to keep the peace on Amity Island amidst the fallout of a vicious shark attack. With pressure from the town’s Mayor and other notables, Brody has to hunt down the shark and rid the island of its danger. Aided by oceanographer Matt Hooper (Dreyfuss) and shark hunter Quint (Shaw), Brody sets out to rid their waters of the murderous shark, but that’s easier said than done. The trio soon find themselves in the sights of the deadly fish and battling to save their own lives.
Jaws suffered many set backs during filming with the art department’s mechanical sharks constantly malfunctioning. The film ran over budget and over schedule as Spielberg sought to build as much suspense and fear from his shark as possible; eventually he was able to suggest it’s presence in order to create suspense.
Jaws is a film you must see before you die because it is a masterclass in suspense thanks to Spielberg’s filmmaking techniques, but more importantly John Williams’ Oscar winning music score. You will not be able to go swimming in the sea again without hearing that famous theme tune ringing in your ears.
D.J. Haza
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Originally published April 19, 2012. Updated April 10, 2018.
