A Bite Out of Jaws

Hey everyone! What classic horror film still has people afraid to go back in the water? If you answered Free Willy, you most likely have a strong fear of killer whales. The correct answer is…

 

 Released in 1975, Jaws had made motion picture history by becoming the highest grossing movie of its time. Its release sparked the beginning of a new concept in movie making, which was actually created by accident and bad luck. Director Steven Spielberg never knew how much of a challenge this movie would become. They started shooting the movie with no script, no cast, and no shark. Every day, on set, something would go wrong with their prop shark named Bruce. Shooting off the coast of Massachusetts, they never thought shooting at sea would be such a problem. Steven Spielberg even said in an interview, “We would shoot five scenes in a good day, three in an average day, and none in a bad day”.  The unreliable mechanical shark hardly ever worked which made Spielberg come at the movie with a new approach. The shark attack scenes were re-done so that no one actually saw the whole shark. This new approach is actually what made Jaws turn from a poorly done Japanese horror movie into the thriller that we now see today. The actors played a key part in making the audience believe that there was a really big shark. There is actually real shark footage in the movie which includes a smaller size actor in a shark cage to give a bigger feel to the shark.

 

The story, based on the classic novel by the same name, is a cat and mouse plot where as the police chief Brody, played by academy award nominee Roy Scheider, tries to stop the new devastating shark attacks on the beaches of Amity Island. The police chief must make job threatening and possibly even life threatening decisions to keep the residents of Amity Island safe this unwelcomed “guest” during the summer’s tourist season.

As the biggest tourist day of the year, July 4^th, quickly approaches, more and more shark victims are washing up on shore. By this point Brody pleads the mayor to close the beaches with no success. Things get personal for the police chief Brody when a shark attack sends his youngest son to the hospital. Brody, with the help of marine biologist Hooper (played by award winner Richard Dreyfuss) and a slightly deranged shark hunter Quint (rightfully played by the well known Robert Shaw), go on a life cat and mouse hunting trip aboard Quint’s fishing boat, the Orca, which is sure to keep anyone on the edge of their seat until the final clash between Brody and the unstoppable man eating machine. Motion picture composer John Williams makes his mark on the film with one of his most widely known movie scores. Director Steven Spielberg definitely doesn’t disappoint is this summertime thriller that still has people asking, “Is it safe to go back in the water?”