Jaws: 37 Years Young

Yes, you read that correctly - Jaws is 37 years old today. The film was originally released on 20th June, 1975 and introduced the concept of the Summer Blockbuster. Jaws was a phenomenon and led to studios releasing their marque films throughout the Summer months, exploiting the potential for big crowds and maximising the intake of those ever important dollars. 37 is a strange anniversary to be celebrating with a cinema release, I hear you say... and correct, you would be. As a bit of a Jaws geek, over the years my collection has added various 'special' editions, such as the 25th and 30th anniversary DVDs that came out in 2000 and 2005 respectively. The reason for this limited period cinema re-release is down to Universal celebrating their 100 year anniversary. As a result of this, amongst other things, they are restoring and remastering 13 of their all time classic films from 35mm. Jaws happens to be one of these beauties, along with All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), Dracula (1931), the Spanish language version of Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Buck Privates (1941), Pillow Talk (1959), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), The Birds (1963), The Sting (1973), Out of Africa (1985) and Schindler's List (1993). Quite the impressive collection, I'm sure you'll agree.

Universal is also getting a shiny, new logo

Anyways, enough about Universal's centennial, let's get on to the, effectively, new print of Spielberg's classic. Firstly, regardless of the new print or not, it was just impressive to finally see Jaws on the big screen. It opened up more for you to see, little bits of background scenery that you may have missed on previous watches. As the film that is responsible for my irrational fear of sharks (thanks to a viewing as a 4 year old I don't like flying - long story... ) it was finally nice to be able to face the cinematic beast on the big screen. I'll be honest, when the opening credits rolled and you have the shark's point of view crawl through weeds, sand and murky water, I had goosebumps. There was a sense of excitement, a sense of anticipation and, dare I say it, still a sense of fear and deep lying dread even though I've watched the film literally 100 or more times over the years. Even though every scene had been etched into memory, every scare remembered, every classic line been quoted in day-to-day conversation by myself (yep, I'm one of 'those' guys), the film still had a freshness about it. The film itself had a lot more light in it during certain scenes. There was a lot more detail visible, slightly crisper even too. This made Murray Hamilton's Mayor Vaughan's suits even more impressive - the one with the anchors on is still my favourite though - and it highlighted the tone of the blistering sun on some of the longer beach shots. As well as the actual picture change, it was fantastic to hear the audio piped through a cinema system. The waves lapping had a softness to them, yet warned the viewer of the potential danger that could arrive at any time. The scene that benefited the best in an audio sense is the scene where Quint turns up to offer her services in hunting down the shark. He makes his entrance to the film by scratching his nails down a chalk board, scratching through your soul as he does it. It instantly causes unease and is a great way to introduce a truly great character.

Brody: "You do realise that anchors were soooo last season?!?!"

I kind of feel like I'm missing out completely on the plot here, but does the plot of Jaws really need explaining? It's a film that's been around for 37 years; a film that has caused more people to be afraid of the water than Michael Barrymore has of swimming pools. It introduced a whole generation, and generations since then, to the sensation of primal fear, of being out of your comfort zone, of being in an environment where you have no control, where you are at the mercy of a monster and of the perfectly engineered killing machine. Simply put, for a lot of people it was the first film to completely scare the shit out of them. I'm a happily proud member of that group. Whether the scares would be quite as extreme for a new generation of film goers that have been reared on shoddy CGI and over indulged 3D is another matter.

Simply one of the most recognisible film posters of all time

As is the case with many past films the are considered horror classics, they sometimes fail to live up to the hype if watched as a first viewing in current day. Sure, to me Jaws is fantastic in every way. The selling of the story to me, the anticipation and fear generated, is all in the build up. Jaws is the perfect example of how to engage a viewer's attention with the old adage of 'less is more'. If the shark was thrown out there - yes, at the chance of risking spoilers, Jaws is about a giant, murderous, blood thirsty shark intent on a 4th July feeding frenzy on a small island off of New York - from the get go, from the opening scene, then the film would've ran the risk of being laughed out of the cinema. Spielberg and those involved realised this and covered up their weakness, their shark, their 'floating turd', as Spielberg called it. The shark was the major flaw in the movie, so why not keep it covered up as much as possible? Sensible logic. To me the shark is fine, it is what it is. I've grown up with Bruce. He was the imaginary monster that swam around my bed when I'd go to sleep, he was the reason why I would swim ridiculously fast in primary school swimming lessons, he's the reason why now, even to this day at 30 years of age, I won't go past mid-shin height in the ocean. Bruce is one nasty bastard! The problem is that a lot of the newer generation of film fans are used to instant gratification, instant reveal. They literally get their 'money shot' within the opening scene at times. My worry is that some people that are used to seeing 'money shots' in every scene may not be able to sit through the slow burn, delicate story telling and character building behemoth that is Jaws, especially to then be rewarded with a plastic monstrosity that is as fear inducing as a limp dick. This was highlighted in the fact that a couple of people walked out (yes, WALKED OUT... OF JAWS!!!!) with about 25 minutes of the film left during tonight's viewing. I haven't seen anybody walk out of a film in many a moon (and I watch some utter tripe), so it blew my mind that somebody would ever have the thought process required to get up and just stroll on out of one of cinema's all time masterclasses. This is likely the bit where I warble into a 'youth of today...' rant. I'll stop it there though.

To conclude, I'm one happy, happy camper tonight. I've finally been able to see a film on the big screen that has frightened me, made me laugh, made me smile and made me feel uncomfortable in my own skin (and
not to mention water) from a very young age. Jaws is a film that constantly rocks up in my conversation when I start discussing my favourite films or top 5's, etc. The cast is impeccable, all perfect in their roles. As well as the three leads of Scheider, Shaw and Dreyfuss, much praise has to go to Lorraine Gary in her portrayal of Ellen Brody - she gives a great emotional base to the film and the events that unfold in the first two acts of the film. To see this on the big screen, with a vibrant, polished colour was simply a treat. Sorry if there's not much of a plot synopsis covered in this blog, but I feel that Jaws is past that point now. Even if people haven't seen Jaws, they at least know the general gist of what it's about. What it is about to me is a film that I could watch over and over again yet still not get bored of. For every sense of dread it brings about, it brings an equal amount of warmth with it in a scene such as Chief Brody in turmoil at his dinner table, only to find solace in the simple acts of his son, Michael. These heart warming moments add a perfect level of depth and sincerity to the characters and to the film as a whole.

And yes, the Ben Gardener head scene still produces the biggest scare of the film and makes you jump in your seat even though you know it's coming.

"Peekaboo!"