The best film ever made.

Rating: 10/10 (26 June 1999)

I saw this film when I was about 8 years old. And what I remember most about it, is thinking that I had found the most frightening film that I had ever seen. When I asked my parents if there really was a Jaws and they reassured me there wasn't, I still thought they were lying ( and they were, he does exist, I'm sure of it ). To this day, almost 20 years later, I am still frightened to go swimming. I have been to the Caribbean twice in my life. Once to the Bahamas with my high school graduating class and once to Acapulco for March Break. Neither time did my classmates or friends venture into the water because of me. " Did yo know that most shark attacks happen in three feet of water of less? " I asked them. Needless to say the hotel pool was well utilized on both trips.
Jaws is perfect on every level of film making. It has incredibly well developed characters, so well that we feel their fears and their bravado when we are supposed to. The direction is some of the best I have ever seen. We are but marionettes in Spielberg's fingers. When he wants us to feel, he pulls our strings and masterfully we feel scared or horrified or even amused. A perfect example of this is the killing of the Kinter kid, the second death of the movie.
The scene starts off shortly after Chrissie Watkins is killed. There are people playing on the beach and in the water. Brody ( the police chief ) is sitting tentatively watching things intently. He hears screams from a young girl. But of course they are playful screams. Then we see a man playing fetch the stick with his dog. Finally we meet Alex Kinter. He goes out on his raft into the water. Then we see the shots from under water. It's as if something is approaching. We're really not sure if we are being teased here or not. But then we see a stick floating in the water and the man calling out for his dog. But he is not there. Then we see more kids splashing and then we cut to a shot approaching the Kinter boy on his raft from under water. And the music. And then...... well, we all know what happens. Now that is a director masterfully manipulating us.
Jaws stands up to and surpasses any film these days that is considered brilliant and it surpasses anything that came before it. This film should have cleaned up at the Oscars. After all, what film is remembered more? One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest ( a very good film ) or Jaws? The answer is quite clear.