A new fish in the waters...

Rating: 10/10 (18 December 2006)

Steven Spielberg said (and still say) that "Jaws" was the most difficult movie he ever had to make. We, poor mortal moviegoers, can't really approve this assertion, but we'll take it as true.
However, if this statement is really true, then we can say if this hard-working job was rewarding or not. Fortunately for Spielberg, his shark nightmarish project became one of the most glorious movies of its kind and a landmark in Hollywood history.
That kind of hellish shooting mood was also felt by Francis Ford Coppola during the making of "Apocalypse Now" and there again, we can see that it was rewarding. But just imagine if "Godzilla" makers said that their movie was a difficult one to make...
"Jaws" is a very particular film. Not only in its story, but especially on the legacy it gives to the whole film industry. It was the first movie to break the nine-digit profit (and thus becoming the highest-grossing film ever at the time), the one that established summertime as the dominant period of the year for cinema and one of the greatest "high concept" films of all time.
"Jaws" has a very simple story and relatively simple characters. But it succeeds, simply because it doesn't try to force itself to become more interesting. It stays simple and the natural flow takes on.
The synopsis could be summarized with these six little words: "A shark attacks a coastal town." This shark, a dangerous Great White as we learn, tries to get a meal from the local swimmers and it terrorizes the little summer town. With the profitable season rolling in and the big national holiday approaching, the mayor doesn't want to get the beaches closed but as a near-fatality involves the son of police chief Brody (Roy Scheider), things get more and more serious.
This first part of the movie is good. Very good, actually. But it's only a curtain-raiser for the really interesting part which is the hunt for this devil-sent shark on the ocean.
The three passengers are: Brody, oceanographer Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and experienced mariner and former WWII soldier Quint (Robert Shaw). The triangle interaction between them and the shark hunt are the only elements that we need in order to get the great show we want.
Scheider, Dreyfuss and Shaw offer performances which are among their personal best ones. Scheider, as Chief Brody, shows that he is a skillful police officer but that he has a great fear of water. Dreyfuss is the near-nerd and he is very convincing.
Shaw is perhaps the best of the three. He plays his role of fisherman with solid professionalism and his jargon can only give more credibility. But it's his two monologues which moves him above the other characters. First, he introduces himself to the other citizens in town and he sets the table for his later appearance. Second, his unforgettable speech about his dramatic experience aboard the USS Indianapolis ("We delivered the bomb") and the tragedies of the soldiers who died attacked by sharks is unarguably fascinating and it ranks as one of the greatest monologues ever delivered by any character in any modern movie.
Other than the three major characters, "Jaws" impresses with its pre-ILM special effects. The mechanical shark (nicknamed "Bruce") looks so real that we forget its artificial nature. More impressive, we can feel its personality by its cruel attacks on weak humans and on Quint's boat and also by its empty black eyes.
The underwater camera shooting of the swimmers' legs, accompanied by John Williams' Oscar-winning cello score, is already legendary. This is the kind of shot that is repetitive but surprisingly never spoils the suspense. On the contrary, watching the legs approaching from the camera with the tempo speeding up is exhilarating and frightening.
I don't like that the shark be killed with a bottle of compressed air, but it provides some great elements anyway. The visual shooting of the shark 'explosion' is impeccable, but it's the music that hooked me. Instead of hearing a triumphing fanfare of trumpets, drums and flutes, we find ourselves listening to a sad succession of falling piano notes, which gives the impression that the shark's death is tearful instead of happy and resolving.
At only 29, Spielberg showed what kind of path he would take with "Jaws" for the rest of his career and the famed shark movie remains one of its greatest thrilling rides, as well as the very definition of contemporary commercial cinema.
But in a sense, even if it's a supremely good movie, there's some kind of bitterness in its legacy. "Jaws" showed to the world that cinema was not only an artistic mean, but also a very efficient money-making business. This is sad, because it opened the doors for a new generation of filmmakers, driven by the attract of money and totally uninterested in the artistic side of movie-making. And this reflects Spielberg's entire career.
But everybody has its own opinion. This is mine and I share it. But it is still possible that commercially-successful flicks become loved gems by critics as well as spectators. "Jaws" is one of them. And only Spielberg's vision was good enough to support the movie's ambitions. Just look at the sequels...
To finish, here's a suggestion. If you go to the beach, bring a cello. You could get much attention...