A few days ago, I wrote about having never seen An American Werewolf in London in its entirety until seeing it at the Brattle Theatre.
Tonight, I went to the Brattle to set yet another precedent - I saw Jaws. Someway, somehow, I had gone my entire life without seeing this movie, not even on TV. Well, the movie is set during Fourth of July celebrations, it was fitting that I would see it on July 4th.
Yes, I knew the movie was about a shark who terrifies a community by killing its residents. I knew some of the pop culture references by virtue of osmosis such as John Williams' ominous theme which has been parodied ad infinitum or the line uttered by Roy Scheider, "We're gonna need a bigger boat." I also knew there was a corrupt mayor involved as played by character actor Murray K. Hamilton. That and the story, adapted from Peter Benchley's novel of the same name, was set on Martha's Vineyard here in Massachusetts.
Yet none of that prepared me for what I would see tonight. Jaws is a truly terrifying movie which has held up remarkably well considering how special effects have advanced nearly half a century after its release. Of course, Jaws would make director Steven Spielberg a household name and it is easy to see why. Nearly every action thriller which has appeared since has followed or at least tried to follow Spielberg's template.
What separates Jaws from movies which don't float is that it is truly a fish out of water story. Not the shark, but rather that of police chief Martin Brody as played by Roy Scheider. Although Brody is the law on the island, he is terrified of going on the water. Brody is also an outsider from New York as demonstrated early on in the film when he says his kids are in the yard. Brody's wife (played by Lorraine Gary) corrects him stating they are in the "yahd". This prompted big laughter from the audience. If you've spent any extended period of time in Massachusetts or anywhere in New England, then you appreciate the distinct accents in this corner of the world.
Jaws is really two very distinct movies. The first half focuses on Brody's attempt to navigate Mayor Vaughn and other townsfolk who resist his efforts to try to close the beach in the midst of the shark attacks. While Brody might be afraid of the water he struggles to stay afloat on land. The second half of the movie is on the water with Brody teaming up with oceanographer Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw) aboard his boat Orca to hunt down the Great White. The three men struggle with Quint and Hooper bumping heads over to best approach the shark with Brody struggling to adapt to life at sea.
Eventually, the three men bond over their scars while drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Quint eventually tells the story of surviving the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in the Pacific towards the end of WWII. The monologue received an ovation, something I've never heard before in all the years I have watched movies in a theater. As I was watching the film, Shaw struck me as a man somewhere in his 60's. As it turned out, Shaw died only three years after Jaws was released in 1978 of a heart attack. He was only 51. I am going to be 51 in September. All I can say is that Robert Shaw did some hard living.
Well, being nearly 51, seeing Jaws was long overdue on my part especially as someone as enamored with '70s pop culture as I am.
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