You’ve probably heard of the movie Jaws if you have ever heard of sharks in your life. It may be more likely though that you’ve heard the theme song or have heard the name of the movie plenty of times than that you have actually seen the movie itself, at least if you’re an average casual moviegoer. It’s a similar situation to Scarface, it seems like the idea of the movie and the legacy it’s left is more famous than what happens in the movie itself. I suppose some people haven’t seen it because the plot may make it seem like one of the most basic horror movies, and that it was only famous at the time because it was new. Shark starts killing people, guys go out to kill shark, and the shark looks like a rubber puppet the whole time. What these people don’t get though is that Jaws really is so much more than a cheesy monster movie. While it is cheesy at times, and it is technically a monster movie, I feel that the way the story is told makes the film so much more phenomenal from an artistic perspective than you would think it would be. The way the shark is portrayed in the movie is incredibly memorable obviously, but the one thing that draws me to this movie the most is how the characters are written and portrayed. Even with a slightly goofy premise, the acting in this movie makes me so invested each time that it really never feels that over the top.
Let’s start out with with Chief Martin Brody. Roy Scheider does a subtle but great job portraying a humble and honorable police chief who doesn’t take any crap once things get serious. In his first scene when he’s getting ready to leave home for the police station, right off the bat we see that he’s reserved as well as casual about his job. There’s usually not many problems or worries when it comes to being chief, but he’s still committed to it. He’s very believable later in the film when trying to convince the mayor that he will be responsible for the deaths of innocent people if he doesn’t close the beaches (Richard Dreyfuss’s character is even more enthralling, but we’ll get to him in a moment). He’s a relatable every-man too, but at the same time he isn’t normal enough that he gets boring. I also think there’s a good dynamic between him and his wife Ellen. You can tell they still enjoy each other’s company even after being married for however long, as evidenced by their fun banter about Brody’s accent. At the same time as all of this though, there’s one trait of Brody’s that I feel gives him a lot more depth and makes his character seem more vulnerable. He and his family are originally from New York, and they moved to Amity Island despite that Brody has a fear of all things involving water (Mainly drowning, according to him). We see throughout the movie that despite his efforts to keep the island safe, he’s most likely more uncertain and terrified of the situation than he wishes he was. In the scene when he and Hooper find Ben Gardener’s wrecked boat at night, he becomes anxious and would rather call in the coast guards when Hooper starts preparing to check out the hull. He also urges his son Mike to get out of his boat because he doesn’t want him hanging around in the ocean, and he almost defecates on himself when the shark pops up behind the Orca while he’s chumming (To be fair though, that would have spooked the hell out of anyone). The movie does a good job making it clear that although Brody is determined to do his job and keep the beach safe, he’s ultimately dealing with something he wouldn’t be able to handle by himself. He’s a good character that the audience can easily put themselves into the shoes of, but that isn’t all he’s good for. I like his line “It’s only an island if you look at it from the water”. It does a good job demonstrating the carefree attitude he had that was sadly crushed once people started having their limbs torn off.
You know what character I like even more though? The oceanographer Matt Hooper. This dude could have easily been a forgettable, stereotypical scientist who only provides the information that Brody needs and nothing more. The script combined with Richard Dreyfuss’s talent makes him so much more entertaining though. I really love how witty and bold he is. He’s shown to be incredibly passionate about his study and very dedicated to solving the shark problem in every scene, maybe even more than Brody. An example would be the scene when he shows up to Brody’s house carrying two bottles of wine, hoping to make him reconsider whether the shark that was captured earlier that day really was the one they were looking for. This may be the most underrated scene in the movie in my opinion, because the interactions between the characters feel so natural and perfect. Dreyfuss does an amazing job being forward yet polite with Brody, as well as being charismatic talking about why he became an oceanographer with Ellen. The cherry on top though I think is when he awkwardly takes the plate of steak from the middle of the table they’re sitting at and asks “Is anyone eating this?…”. It’s such a subtle yet brilliant thing that says so much about the character with so little, and it almost feels like it was improvised to me because of the subtlety. It’s funny that in a movie about a giant killer shark, the little things about the performances is what really catches my eye. There’s other great moments that show off Hooper’s wit as well, such as when he says under his breath that all of the fishermen will die as he he walks away from them, and when he’s angrily trying to convince Mayor Vaughn to close the beaches after finding the Great White tooth. “I think that I am familiar with the fact that you are going to ignore this particular problem until it swims up and BITES YOU ON THE ASS!” is another fantastic line. Later in the film though, what gives Hooper even more to work with is when he begins clashing with the shark hunter Quint. It makes perfect sense why these two characters would not get along. Before we get into that conflict though, let me tell you about Quint.
Quint is probably the most famous character from the movie and the one that’s quoted the most when people reference it. It’s not hard to see why. From the first time he appears he immediately grabs the attention of every person in the room, as well as your attention. In the middle of annoying commotion and rabble between townsfolk about the shark problem, this old lone seaman pierces through the sound with literally his nails on a chalkboard. His only words of introduction after silence ensues are “Y’all know me. Know how I earn a livin’.” He then goes on to offer to kill the shark, but only for $10,000 rather than the original $3,000 that was proposed. We’re told everything we need to know about Quint in this scene right from the git go, and it does a perfect job of not revealing too much about him yet intriguing you. When Brody and Hooper later try to convince Quint to let them join him on the shark hunt, there’s an immediate clash when Quint grabs Hooper’s hands and says “You have city hands, Mr. Hooper. You’ve been counting money all your life.” Although it’s typical that the old blue-collar shark hunter wouldn’t get along with the young rich scientist, the actors have great enough chemistry (Or rather, anti-chemistry) that it feels believable throughout the whole movie. They’re a pretty funny duo too. I love when Quint mockingly sings the Spanish ladies song after learning about Hooper’s anti-shark cage, when Hooper is angrily making faces in the window, and when Quint angrily yells to Hooper to tie the barrel to his harpoon when he’s nowhere to be found. It’s nice to see them suck it up and work together too though. Quint constantly makes fun of all of Hooper’s different shark-hunting gadgets, however he eventually gives in when they’re out of options and asks him about the cage. It makes sense that they would eventually put aside their differences once the threats of a broken engine and a terrifying death are at stake. I like seeing the kinder side of Quint too when he interacts with Brody. From the start there already seems to be a mutual respect between the two, and he often tries to assist him as best he can as long as he returns the favor. e.g. When he says “Hey chieffy, next time you just ask me which line to pull, right?”
This all does a good job of making Quint seem like more of a real person, but it’s not until the scene at night, after the trio compares their scars that Robert Shaw really shines the most in the movie I believe. By the way, this scar scene is also great on its own not only because it provides some good comic relief, but because it also gives the men an opportunity to bond and grow closer. What proceeds after this though really brings the mood down a notch. I’m of course talking about Quint’s monologue about his time in Indianapolis, when his crew’s ship sank and they had to wait for rescue despite the danger of being devoured by sharks (Originally there was 1,100 men and after the rescue there was 316. Yeah, he had a low chance of leaving that shipwreck alive). The monologue is so chillingly written but it’s even more amazingly acted by Shaw. You can tell this is a memory Quint may have tried to block out for a while but eventually he had to accept, considering how casual he is about the story. I love his line “I’ll never put on a life jacket again”, mainly because it’s referenced later in the film after the Orca’s engine explodes and he’s staring worriedly at the life jackets. Plus the line does a good job of summing up Quint’s character in a nutshell. He’s the Captain Ahab of the 70s, a no-nonsense guy who won’t stop seeking out his Moby Dick until he has closure and revenge. Life jackets are of no use to him. The speech has more effect too because it comes in at just the right moment when Hooper is cracking himself up with his own crappy jokes. It brings everyone back into a cold reality after their lighthearted banter before, and you can tell Brody and Hooper have more of a respect for Quint after hearing what he had to go through. It’s tragic he had to die in such a horrible way later, but hey, it’s fitting that he literally went down with his ship. His death was certainly better than what it was in Peter Benchley’s book too. Originally his foot ends up getting caught in a harpoon rope that he shoots at the shark, and he ends up drowning after getting dragged underwater. Jeez man, you gotta give this guy a more heroic death than that.
Anyway, I could go on and on about everything else I feel makes Jaws a fantastic movie. The score is obviously probably the most memorable thing about it, there really isn’t any issues with the pacing that I can think of, and the suspense is brilliantly built up throughout whole movie (But especially in the beginning, considering you never really get a good look at the shark and yet you still feel pretty creeped out at the implication of it). Maybe sometime in the future I’ll return with another post about Jaws, whenever I feel like going into depth about another thing I find fantastic. The one thing I really felt like addressing the most though is the brilliant way the characters are written, acted, and how all of their motivations are perfectly demonstrated. Seriously, if you want a movie to show you how to perfectly write believable and memorable characters, look no further than Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. Do I feel this may be the best film that Ol’ Spilly-berg has ever directed? It might just be man, it might just be. At the time I’m writing this though I have never actually seen Schindler’s List or Saving Private Ryan (I know, how?) and both of those I’ve heard many people declare as the best films he’s ever directed. I suppose I’ll just have to wait and see, but I do know one thing: Jaws is definitely one of the biggest movies that has influenced my love of film. It may be the biggest honestly, because it made me want to make movies the first time I saw it as an 11-year-old. I’m confident I’ll never stop loving this movie until the day I die. It’s pretty dang good chief, and the characters are exceptionally fleshed out as well as acted.
Muh Movie Passion 