Jaws

shykitten

peek-a-boo
hello,

isn't it strange sometimes how TV schedules work out. ITV's Sunday night film Jaws is bissected by Evening News with coverage of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. floating bodies, grief, survivors... introducing part 2 of Jaws after the news-break, the continuity announcer actually uses the phrase "troubled waters"... it just seems uncanny somehow.

i don't know much about the flim, having never watched it properly - Hollywood-dream victory-over-the-great-submerged-evil macho fantasy trash, a police hero and supporting cast of repressed, hostile men (as i type they are on a boat comparing wounds and war stories), the struggle to maintain 'law and order'? 'mastery' of natural forces / a monster from the unconscious / predatory 'other'? on- and off-screen space, implied horror just outside the frame... what is (not) being said? just wondering and half-watching.
 

AshRa

Well-known member
I noticed last night that somebody needed to "call Dave Axelrod on the mainland" for help...!
 

Diggedy Derek

Stray Dog
Ha, that's hilarious. "He's too busy doing overdubs. go and catch the fish yourself"

Hollywood-dream victory-over-the-great-submerged-evil macho fantasy trash

See what you're saying, but Jaws is just a brilliant, brillliant film. It's worth remembering that at this time Spielberg was a real darling of the French film scene, he was seen as a true artist. It makes sense, as Jaws is in a certain sense an incredibly minimal film- as was Duel of course- which relies almost entirely on timing (the shark coming up as he's just throwing the meat out to him) and what you CAN'T see (it's ages till you see the shark, and famously their imitation-shark was totally crap)
 

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Diggedy Derek said:
See what you're saying, but Jaws is just a brilliant, brillliant film. It's worth remembering that at this time Spielberg was a real darling of the French film scene, he was seen as a true artist. It makes sense, as Jaws is in a certain sense an incredibly minimal film- as was Duel of course- which relies almost entirely on timing (the shark coming up as he's just throwing the meat out to him) and what you CAN'T see (it's ages till you see the shark, and famously their imitation-shark was totally crap)


Absolutely OTM, Derek. The structure of the film is simple unimpeachable, and some of the devices ARE very New Wave in their (for the time) forward-thinking-ness. Take for example the number of occasions on which the action takes place, unheralded by sound effects, in the background (killing of that kid Alex is the classic moment, for me an all-time high point of cinematic subtlety).

I must say that the chemistry between Scheider, Shaw and Dreyfuss is absolutely pivotal to the film as well, tho'. Plus THAT soundtrack (far beyond the obvious shark theme) is virtually unparalleled.

Possibly a contender for my favourite film of all, and that's coming from an art-house film buff.
 

craner

Beast of Burden
It's brilliant.

Espeically Schneider and Dreyfuss (I love it when Schneider loses his rag: he's hilarious!)

I really like Jaws 3-D too. Hang on, I've got some 3-D specs somewhere...

that scene when the big bad Jaws Mom starts to smash, nose first, into the perspex walls of Sea World's underwater aquariam as a crowd huddles, terrified, at the other end of the tunnel...it left an impression, like AT-ATs and Goza the Gozarian.

Blockbuster by Tom Shone is a pretty good book to read on the, uh, genius of Jaws.
 

craner

Beast of Burden
jaws3d.jpg


Shone doesn't have a lot to say about this film. The fool!
 
Last edited:

craner

Beast of Burden
I like what happened when Michael Anderson got ahold of the Jaws concept, also.

That is, Orca the Killer Whale.

In which Orca, the Killer Whale, attacks, and kills, a Great White Shark. And then lures lovey Charlotte Rampling and demented Richard Harris (Captain Nolan, me hearties!) out into Arctic seas, in doomed, eery pursuit. To a beautiful (fucked-up) Morricone score.
 

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Oh, I LOVED 'Orca' as a kid, one of the defining moments of my childhood. Never noticed the Morricone score tho' - must get hold of it on vid/DVD...is it still available, does anyone know?
 
Top