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Jaws (1975)(Classic Film Review)

REVIEW OVERVIEW

The Film
The Plot
Character -- Lead
Character -- Supporting
Directing
Cinematography
Overall

SUMMARY

A newly appointed sheriff, an oceanographer, and a grizzled seafarer must save a town from a man-eating shark in Steven Spielberg's epic summer blockbuster thriller.

Jaws is a 1975 thriller film by Steven Spielberg which has to do with terror caused by a man-eating great white shark at beach in the small resort town of Amity Island in Martha’s Vineyard.

PLOT

At the beach in Amity Island there is an investigation, as the partial remains of a tourist who was swimming at the beach are found. At start, the Mayor is trying to convince the new Sheriff Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) that it is nothing more than a boat accident. However, as mysterious attacks rise, concern is raised, and with the help of the oceanographer Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), the truth is revealed. The sheriff now can close the beaches, until the man-eating great white shark is located and extinguished. Things get much more complicated, when some fishermen catch a tiger shark and everyone, except for Brody and Hooper, thinks the case is closed.

CHARACTERS

Martin Brody (Scheider) is the sheriff of the town. He is really worried about the attacks and does his best to protect the town and his family. This fails at the beginning, as the Mayor and the entrepreneurs are against the closing of the beach, because of tourism. Later he teams with the oceanographer Matt Hooper and try to locate the shark and embark on a trip at the ocean hunting it, leaving his family behind.

Matt Hooper (Dreyfuss) is an oceanographer coming from a rich family, who is offering Brody his knowledge about the potential characteristics of the deadly shark, its behavior and the waters where it is found.

Quint (Robert Shaw) is a local fisherman who has a lot of experience in sharks. Brody and Hooper join him and they take his boat and decide to hunt it together. At start Quint and Hooper have several disagreements, as Quint believes that Hooper’s theoretical knowledge is useless in real life situations, which makes the second one upset.

ACTING

• The cast delivered amazing performances, with my favorite being the performance of Robert Shaw, playing the fisherman and shark catcher Quint. He was very convincing, especially when he was sharing with the rest of the protagonists his life experience with sharks during the war and at the same time having the most iconic lines of the movie.
Roy Scheider was also amazing as the sheriff of the town, Ellen’s husband and father of Michael, who is burdened by his responsibilities and tries his best to save the people of the beach, but for the initial struggles at convincing the Mayor and the businessmen of the real danger.
Richard Dreyfuss was very good as the oceanographer Hooper. I really liked his chemistry with Scheider when working together and the fight scenes with Quint.

DIRECTION/CINEMATOGRAPHY

Something which really impressed me was that even though the film is a thriller and we have a shark lurking, it is directed in a way that it is very enjoyable to watch. The scenes of the chase and the efforts to tame the shark were well made and full of suspense. The cinematography includes mostly the beach, the ocean and underwater scenes. Also there is a contrast between the blue of the sea and the red color every time there is a fatal attack.

THE END

Concerning the ending, I liked the atmosphere, in which after all these unpleasant and terrifying events, we see for the first time a glimpse of optimism.

Jaws was originally released in theaters June 20, 1975 (USA)


  • Rating Certificate: PG
  • Studios & Distributors: Zanuck/Brown Productions | Universal Pictures
  • Country: USA
  • Language: English
  • Run Time: 124 Mins.
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
  • Director: Steven Spielberg
  • Written By: Peter Benchley (screenplay) | Carl Gottlieb(screenplay)
  • Original Release Date: Peter Benchley (screenplay) | Carl Gottlieb (screenplay)
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A newly appointed sheriff, an oceanographer, and a grizzled seafarer must save a town from a man-eating shark in Steven Spielberg's epic summer blockbuster thriller.Jaws (1975)(Classic Film Review)