The year
1975 witnessed a monumental moment in film history. Jaws, a thriller about a
crazed and determined killer great white, gave birth to the summer blockbuster.
A film for the ages, Jaws follows
three men as they chase down a goliath of a shark who has developed a voracious
appetite for humans over the preceding weeks. As the three men have to deal
with both the shark and the mayor of the beach town, who is hesitant to
cooperate with the investigation to say the least, they encounter their fair
share of troubles, and one of the three even dies.
The history
behind the shark in this picture is fascinating. Due to countless technical
problems with the prop sharks, many scenes only hinted at the shark without
directly showing it. In the minds of many critics and viewers alike, this made
for an even more suspenseful picture. This “fear of the unknown” is largely
recognized as the reason Jaws was so
great. Another unforgettable aspect of the film is the score, with perhaps the
most recognized movie theme of all time. This marriage of sound and visuals
makes for an incredibly haunting setting.
I commend
Steven Spielberg tremendously for making this film, especially considering
everything he had to put up with. Whether he was receiving criticism from other
crew members, being told he was inexperienced, or dealing with technical
malfunctions on a daily basis, he managed to not only get through it, but make
one of the greatest suspense/horror films of all time.
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