Suspenseful and Iconic

Rating: 7/10 (16 March 2016)

Jaws, now an iconic American film, was a film built around the premise of suspense. Why was the film so successful? What separated this film from other scary movies from the 70's & why are we still talking about it in 2016? To begin with, the soundtrack of the film utilizes an escalating trombone to instill tense, dramatic, and suspenseful moments in the film and counter it with silence, another tool of suspense, to build to those moments through emotion before the action starts. Throughout the film they utilize the technique of matching eye lines across cuts to form continuity and the illusion that these two separate images are looking into each other's eyes. Most notably this is seen in the opening scene with the kids on the beach. The guy is in one cut looking to the right, in the next cut the girl is looking to the left of the screen. This implies eye contact between these two characters, a method used commonly in film making nowadays. Lighting was also used effectively for continuity purposes in Jaws, using the angle of light to indicate that people are in different sides of the room in different shots, primarily in the cabin of the ship at night when the men are out hunting the shark. In fact, certain shots of individuals faces make this movie stand out because of the effect they have. In one of the first few scenes with the character of Brody the camera moves with Brody as he walks through crowds of people along the dock. We're following him because he is the main character, & the use of the camera like this shows the audience this in a subtle way. Close ups of people's faces can also do a number of things as are shown in this film. They can make you wonder what the character is thinking and bring you inside their head, or they can bring you, the viewer into the scene, creating a feeling of intensity or shock. Intensity is created when close shots are taken in the water during the shark attacks bringing you into the moment. Shock is found in the close up of the woman's face staring straight at the camera when she sees a fin in the water. Because of the close up, as a viewer, you can relate to her emotions and feel the shock for yourself. In one of the many beach scenes close ups and wide range shots are used to show our main character Brody viewing the water beyond the people who are close in the shot. A quick zoom occurs on Brody's face when he sees the shark, giving us a similar sense of realization as we watch. Techniques like this bring us viewers into the story and make it relevant to our own lives because we can relate to the emotions we are feeling on screen.
Close ups aren't the only thing that make Jaws an effective and timeless film. As I had previously mentioned, lighting plays a role as well. Silhouettes and shadows lend an eerie and otherworldly, even dangerous, quality to the scenes. You're never shown everything. Shots were taken from beneath the surface of the water up at swimmers implying the perspective of a sea creature. These shots add to the suspenseful element because paired with the soundtrack of the film you start suspecting that something will come from that depth you are looking at the swimmer from. The same techniques are used in slasher movies when the camera approaches the unsuspecting victim from behind. You don't see the attacker but you know they are there. When the lights flicker and go out in the cabin of the boat near the end of the film the scene then cuts to low lit silhouettes bringing the story from the somewhat lighthearted sense of camaraderie with the men singing together to the dark realization that a shark is hunting them down (and vice versa).
The shark itself is mostly portrayed through things being pulled through the water. The ominous presence of the shark can be attributed to the fact that the shark itself is not seen (at least not fully) for a large portion of the film. Its movement is implied through the dragging of these objects. The viewer doesn't need to see the shark to know it is there. When the line on the fishing boat starts being pulled, little by little, you know the shark is responsible and that something in the scene is about to happen. There is so much to discuss about Jaws and why it stands out, the scene of the nails on the chalkboard disturbing chaos and making even the audience uncomfortable, the boat setting out through the image of shark jaws to remind you what they are setting out to, or even how Hooper and Brody's reaching shore in the closing scene imply a happy ending, because honestly Jaws is filled with so many scenes and well used techniques to warrant its recognition. It is suspenseful and daring, as well as comical and overall entertaining. The film brings you in as a viewer to feel a part of the story, as any great film should be able to do.