JAWS

JAWS

Lurking beneath millions of gallons of blue salt water  – roaming, waiting. Waiting. Then, swimming. Swimming faster, then faster, then faster. Finally, attacking. At last, silence.

            Jaws, arguably the world’s first blockbuster film, is a suspense filled rollercoaster that leaves the audience on the edge of their chairs throughout the whole film as the journey to catch a killer shark progresses. Chief Brody, a newcomer to Amity Island, wants to have a safe first summer as thousands of tourists flock to the town. But all bets are off when a girl’s body is found and her cause of death is ruled a shark attack. After trying to shut down beaches unsuccessfully, Chief Brody and Amity Island are hit with another shark attack – this time killing a young boy. As the film progresses, Chief Brody and Shark expert Matt Hooper hire Quint – a fisherman who claims he can find and catch the man-eating shark. As the trio set off on their expedition to catch the shark, they soon find themselves fighting more than just a big fish.

            Director Steven Spielberg’s use of camera in Jaws in one of the most notable features this film employs – creating an overwhelming feeling of suspense among the audience. Since Bruce, the mechanical shark used in the film, was very sporadic and never worked correctly, Spielberg was forced to use the camera as a medium for the shark. By doing this, the audience rarely sees the actual fish until further in the film, ultimately creating emotions of suspense, bewilderment and fear as the killer animal roams the waters off of Amity. Other notable features within the film include the score by John Williams which further induces fear among the audience as the relentless combination of notes grind together and create signals for horror. Finally, Spielberg’s ability to capture and hold onto the audience using fear as a channel allowed for the explosive ending of the film to have an overwhelmingly satisfying effect on the audience.

            Spielberg made Jaws what it is today – a great work of film that shows and tells a greater story. His direction, whether always purposeful or because of problems, allowed for fear to resonate with the audience who view this film and created a

            Jaws is one of the great works that truly marks the beginning of the Hollywood blockbuster era. Great story combined with the fear evoked from the film allowed Jaws to become one of the most well-known films around the world.