Monday, September 19, 2022
Jaws
- Commentary: In 2000, after having reviewed Jaws in 1975 upon it's initial release and given it four stars, Ebert reviewed it, again, as one of his Great Movies (the title of this post is linked to that review). In both reviews, he praised the movie for its story, its acting and, most importantly, its overall craft. I have no idea why it took him 25 years to decide the movie was great.
I initially saw this movie when it was released in 1975. I was spellbound, from beginning to end. Why, then, once DVDs became popular and I became owner and curator of what was, at one time, my mother's movie collection, did it take me this long to remember it and want to acquire a copy of it? At first I thought, well, it's a horror film and I don't own many of those, don't think in a "horror movie" track. So I checked, and discovered that, indeed, I own several horror movies. It's not a burgeoning slice of my collection, but it's not insignificant. Maybe, I thought, it's because I subconsciously avoid Spielberg movies. I owned, prior to my purchase of this one, only two. I even looked up his filmography to see if maybe I simply haven't seen many of his movies. In fact, I've seen, and enjoyed, well over half of the films with which he's been involved in a variety of roles. Why, then, aren't they in my collection? Suddenly, as I was scanning the list, it came to me: I noticed that for every movie I'd seen, I could recall it so clearly that I may as well consider my mind a part of my Spielberg collection. At this date, there are only three of his movies that I am now contemplating owning, one of which I just ordered. They are (with the reasons I want to own them in parentheses): The Terminal (one of the quirkiest, funniest depictions of muddled beaurocratic mindset I've ever seen); Empire of the Sun (this film so confuses me that I'm never sure if the problem is it or me); Duel, of which I have exquisite memories, having initially read the short story in my father's copy of Playboy in which it was originally published. The short story so adhered to my memory that I was thrilled when I discovered it as a television movie. I carry vivid memories of both the short story and the movie to this day, so much so that I decided to add it to my collection.
I was reminded, very recently, of my memory and love of Jaws through Daisuke Beppu's several mentions of his admiration for it in several of his videos. I recalled my own reaction to watching it in the theater in 1975, whereupon I immediately checked out the book and read it.
You see, I was raised on an island sitting just above the deepest trench in the Pacific Ocean (or, for that matter, any ocean). Sharks were a common interest and concern, so much so that one of the branches of the military was said to regularly dump chum into the ocean from an isolated northern cliff in order to keep the shark traffic around the island under control so people could enjoy the beaches. A friend of mine, as well, was killed by a shark in those very waters surrounding the island. Only part of his body was recovered when it washed ashore after the attack. So, the shock and horror of a shark attack and the desire to relive both in order to get an emotional handle on those reactions are not only understandable to me, they are a part of my lived experience. This movie so closely mirrors my own lived experiences that I can't help but own it. I'm looking forward to seeing how I react to the movie, now, being several years and hundreds of miles away from the possibility of ever being affected by a shark attack again.
I will likely report back after I watch this movie.
Update 9/20/22: Yes, yes, I watched this movie last night. It was even more exciting and involving than I remembered! Good choice for me! I had remembered nothing about the ending, and absolutely loved the fact that it ended with Brody and Hooper paddling back to shore on a makeshift "raft", of sorts, of two of the kegs attached to a plank from the Orca. I also began watching some of the special features, which are unusually interesting, and lengthy, so I'll have to pick up where I left off later. Everyone interviewed spoke about the movie from a distance, which added a lot of information about the film.
I've also added The Terminal and Duel to my collection, and watched them, although I haven't yet beefed up their write-ups.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Roy Scheider Chief Martin Brody Robert Shaw Quint Richard Dreyfuss Matt Hooper Lorraine Gary Ellen Brody Murray Hamilton Mayor Larry Vaughn Lee Fierro Mrs. Kintner Susan Backlinie Chrissie Watkins Peter Benchley Interviewer
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1975
Directed by Steven Spielberg.
Labels: folk-horror, richard-dreyfuss, steven-spielberg, suspense3, thriller3, violence4
