Feb 21 2009
“Jaws” (1975) *****
Preview
Starring: Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Carl Gottlieb, Jeffrey C. Kramer, Susan Backlinie, Jeffrey Voorhees, Lee Fiero, Jonathon Filley, Chris Rebello, and Jay Mello.
Directed by: Steven Spielberg.
Story:
”Jaws” takes place on Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, and tells the story of Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) and his attempts to shut down the beach in order protect the town’s beachgoers from an enormous great white shark, however, the town’s councilmen persist for the beach to stay open in order to obtain higher profits from tourists during the summer. After numerous deaths, Chief Brody seeks help from a marine biologist, Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), and a professional shark hunter, Quint (Robert Shaw).
Characters:
*Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider): The protagonist who’s afraid to go in the water and knows nothing about sharks.
*Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss): Marine biologist who teams up with Brody and Quint.
*Quint (Robert Shaw): Professional shark hunter who teams up with Brody and Hooper.
*Ellen Brody (Lorraine Gary): Martin’s wife.
*Mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton): The mayor who’s too ignorant to listen to Chief Brody’s warnings and keeps the beach open, resulting in further deaths.
Overall:
Based on Peter Benchley’s best seller as well as inspired by the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916, “Jaws” marked the beginning of the Summer Blockbuster Movie. Studios followed suit one year later in the summer of 1976 with “The Omen”, then “Star Wars” in the following summer of 1977, laying the footprints for many studios to distribute their Big Tentpole films during the summer season thereafter.
The film was the first of which to cross the $100 million mark box office-wise, hitting $470 million worldwide. The high concept flick explores the theme of the fear of going into the water, encountering the unknown. The characters are brought to life by successful performances - There’s Roy Scheider’s Brody who has never been in the water and knows nothing about sharks, then there’s Quint and Matt whose lives revolve around sharks and the water, yet it is Brody who succeeds in the end due to his will to survive and not from his knowledge.
Rating: *****
