Sunken Treasure

Rating: Null/10 (11 April 2016)

Fate's a funny thing. Originally 'Jaws' was going to reveal much more of its sharp-toothed predator, front and center, rather than lurking in the murky depths. Quite by accident, the slightly heavier than expected shark prop remained submerged beneath the surface instead of bobbing along on the waves, snapping for all to see. As a result, this honest mistake turned what could have been a shlocky creature feature into a nail-biting Hitchcockian thriller, as a Great White stalks the small seaside community of Amity.
In fact, many of its greatest cinematic moments are born from the unseen menace - mostly represented by the yellow barrels tethered to the shark and floating ominously in the ocean, which become much scarier than any '70s-era model or CGI shark that could be conjured up.
Throw in a few jump-out-of-your-seat shocks and a creeping sense of paranoia throughout, courtesy of Harry's bad hat and the iconic dun-DUN-dun-DUN-dun- dun-dun-dun music of John Williams, and you have a recipe for suspense - and success. As the highest grossing film of its time, 'Jaws' put Spielberg on the map, capturing sterling performances by Scheider, Dreyfuss and Shaw as the shark-hunter, Quint.
Unforgettably, Quint's epic monologue about the USS Indianapolis stands out in memory as a classic scene in film history - both haunting and entrancing, installing a lingering feeling of dread as we await the final confrontation with our finned antagonist. And if you like your dialogue pithier, then just wait for Sheriff Brody's snappy yet equally memorable one-liner at the end.