Classic man-beast struggle

Rating: 8/10 (13 March 2014)

I first saw Jaws in 1975 and found it one of the most thrilling movies I'd ever seen. It became one of the most parodied movies of the 1900's because of the use of a huge mechanical shark that was more funny than terrifying. I can honestly say, however, that the movie still is great entertainment. I think it panders to our innate fear of what is unseen and lurks under the surface of the water. In fact, the glimpses of the fin and the outline of the creature under the water were more effective than the closeups of that huge, fake mouth. In the movie, the small resort town in Maine is the victim of the ocean monster which pops up in its major tourist attraction, its ocean playground. Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfus were just starting to make their mark and both excelled in Jaws. Director Stephen Spielberg went on to create many more great productions. Robert Shaw's performance as shark hunter Quint is memorable as the character who has a love-hate relationship with killer sharks. The movie is about a small resort town terrorized by the 25 foot shark at the start of the summer tourist season. The sudden crisis pits police officer Brody, played by Scheider, against the town mayor (played by Murray Hamilton) and the local merchants. The first attack takes place unexpectedly in the dead of night. The police chief is unable to get authorization to shut down the beach and the death toll mounts. The audience is gripped with tension every time the camera zooms in on the swimmers. In his quest to hunt and kill the shark, Scheider is aided by the erratic and foolhardy Quint (Shaw) and Hooper (Dreyfus), a trained shark expert who is often at odds with Quint. The incredible size of the shark stuns both Hooper and Quint but the challenge raises their resolve to fight and the two men become comrades in their fight against the beast. Scheider marshals the talents of Quint and Hooper and draws on his own substantial reserve of courage. What follows is a classic man vs. beast struggle. At one point we get some comic relief on the boat as Quint and Hooper compare battle scars, while drowning their fears in alcohol. Quint also tells a harrowing tale where sailors perish during the war in shark infested waters waiting for help. Note: Robert Shaw, who played the shark hunter, died only three years after the release of this move at age 51. He was a writer and an alumni of the British theatre scene, who also played in movies alongside Sean Connery and Richard Burton. Shaw lived a full life and as well as his career as an actor, he was married three times and had ten children.