#jaws week

MISSION OF THE SHARK (Dir. Robert Iscove) - NETFLIX US

The story from the greatest monologue of all time comes to life in this David Caruso starrer. Telling of the fateful sinking of the USS Indianapolis, Mission of the Shark is a solid little movie, not perfect by any means but holds a good account of such a fascinating true event that inspired Quint's speech and is ideal viewing for the post-Saturday, pre-Monday come down that is Sunday.

THE REEF (Dir. Andrew Traucki) - NETFLIX US

From the outset, The Reef can be dismissed as an Open Water rip-off. After all, it's allegedly based on a true story, it's low-budget and it features ruddy sharks. Only, The Reef is a far better movie and I'd go as far as to say it is the best shark movie since Jaws. The reason being that the tension is at times unbearable and an absolutely flawless integration of shark stock footage into the action results in really effective attacks. The Reef is a really excellent movie and one that had me jumping in my seat, definitely one to give a go.

THE HOST (Dir. Joon Bong-Ho) - NETFLIX US

Okay, no more sharks. Instead, it's a big beastie monster that attacks Seoul! 

But like Jaws, The Host is filled to the rafters with excellent character work that really plays off the slightly sillier elements of the film. Joon Bong-Ho is undoubtedly one of the finest and most interesting directors working today and to see him attempt the monster movie and absolutely nail it is a joy to behold.

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After the abomination that is Jaws 3D, a fourth film shouldn't have existed. Part three was the real franchise killer, a film that star Dennis Quaid refers to as "I was in Jaws what?". What The Revenge does well straight off the bat is denies any knowledge of part 3 existing, director Joseph Sargent completely Nolan's the shit out of Jaws 3D. That isn't the only thing he does right, because as I've mentioned, there is just so much to love about this ridiculous movie!

First of all, Jaws: The Revenge features an outstanding opening sequence, as we are re-introduced to Sean Brody, now all grown up and deputy chief of Amity. Called away to manouvre debris away from a shipping lane, he is attacked by the beast with extreme ferocity, the kind not seen since the attack on Chrissy at the start of Jaws. In fact, I'd go on record as preferring the opening to The Revenge over the original movie, because I can remember it legitimately terrifying me. Now this is partly due to savage attack and partly because it is the most believable the shark has been in the entire series, the creature works are, by the franchises standards, excellent. 

Another great moment features the other Brody son. Michael, now a marine worker of some sort, it's never explained, being attacked by the same shark that killed his brother (yep, it swims to the bahamas like a boss) leading to a thrilling escape sequence that culminates with a bends-defying o2 tank escape from a sunken galley. It is every bit as ridiculous as everything that came before it, but so much fun to watch. 

Then we have Michael Caine as Hoagie, who...is...brilliant. Referring to his time spent on the movie, Caine says "I have never seen it, but by all accounts it is terrible. However, I have seen the house that it built, and it is terrific.". Well, Mr. Caine, I thought your role as Hoagie, the cheeky cockney pilot, was a representation of all that I love about this film. Whether it's seducing Ellen Brody with his white-guy reggae skills, or surviving a shark attack and proclaiming that "it's bloody breaf stank!", Hoagie is the source of so much fun in a film that, I think (hope) is aware of how ridiculous it is.  

Because Jaws: The Revenge is ridiculous, and it feels like everyone working on it knows it is, and that is really what makes it such a fun film to watch. It's hilarious that a shark family can seek revenge on a human family, it's incredible that a shark can roar like a lion as it attempts to kill our protagonist and I can only wish that the sub-plot from the novelization remained, as an angry voodoo chief with a grudge against the Brody clan, controls the shark with his dark powers to seek HIS revenge on the down-trodden family. How great would that have been!?!?! 

It is everything stupid, nonsensical and downright baffling in Jaws: The Revenge that makes it the entertaining watch that it is and an asbolute improvement on it's predecessor, which was awful on every level. I do wish the stand-out moments featured in a better Jaws movie, the beginning especially deserves to be in a much better film, but that isn't the case and as it stands, I won't remember Jaws: The Revenge to be one of the worst movies ever made, nor will I consider it to be a franchise killer, but as a film that scared the hell out of me, made me laugh til my ribs hurt and made my jaw hit the floor through astonishment that some of the things occuring had actually be written, acted, filmed and released. 

Maybe one day, the world will see things my way.

It's been 37 years since Jaws was first released. It's been roughly 25 years since I was first sat down in front of a 10" portable TV to watch a film that will forever change the way I look at cinema and life. 37 years on, it is still, without challenge, the most greatest movie ever made and the most important film to me as a lover of cinema.

But what is it about Jaws, the story of man vs fish, that has resonated with me from the age of 5 and to this very day, as I approach my thirties?

It's simple, there has never been a film like Jaws before or since and at it's core, it is the volume of greatness contained within the movie that makes it head and shoulders above so many classic movies released over time.

Some movies are lucky to have one really great moment, that one scene or plot-turn that knocks the wind out of you. Be it a performance, a particularly breath-taking action sequence or a an iconic moment that becomes part of film folklore. In 2012 we could be talking about the emergence of The Hulk in The Avengers, the final act of Cabin in the Woods or the finale of The Grey. None of them can be mentioned in the same breath as Jaws, and that's not a slight on their quality because there hasn't been a film since that, for me at least, isn't just filled with great moments, but is comprised entirely of them. There isn't a single scene in the film that could have been cut, not a frame that hasn't added to the sheer thrill that is Jaws.

From the very first scene and the unfortunate demise of Chrissy, Spielberg and writer Carl Gottlieb (as well as author Peter Benchley) leave it all on screen. In ten minutes, you are met with the most impactful death since Psycho and at the end of the movie, you have experienced:

The Kintner Attack

Father/Son shadowing

Ben's Head

The Pond

Three Yellow Barrels

The USS Indianapolis

Swimmin' with Bow Legged Women

"We're gonna need a bigger boat"

The Cage

Stomach Buster

"Smile you son of a bitch"

All knitted together by another unique element.

All great films have one thing in common, that great lead performance. Jaws doesn't have a great lead performance. Jaws has an entire cast made up of great performances. Starting small, literally, with Jay Mello as Sean Brody, the youngest of the Brody clan and co-star of one of my favourite scenes in the film, such a young actor stamped his name on a movie with such scale that deserves never to be forgotten. Lee Fierro as Mrs. Kintner is another who utilises the few moments she has to great effect, the death of her son visibly hits her and the moment where she confronts Brody over the beach closures is yet another great moment that builds Brody as a character and escalates the threat of the shark. I could go on and on through the cast, Murray Hamilton as Mayor Vaughn or the wonderfully understated role of Ellen Brody, played so wonderfully by Lorraine Gary.

But understandably, the film belongs to three men:

Richard Dreyfuss is a bonafide movie star and so early into his film career, he helped make Matt Hooper a critical part of what made Jaws great. He is the outsider, the rich kid, the genius with no experience but underneath it is sheer determination and the drive to prove himself. No more so than his ongoing battles with Quint, as he endeavors to win the shark hunter around, climaxing with eventual approval and the greatest scene in cinema history as the men share their battle scars.

Robert Shaw was already a silver screen legend but his performance as shark-hunter Quint will forever be my all time favourite performance. Initially offered to Lee Marvin and Sterling Hayden, Shaw came into an already troubled production and stole the show with a snarling, sarcastic and pivotal portrayal. As mentioned above, he features heavily in my favourite scene of all time, a scene in which Quint describes his experience as part of the USS Indianapolis tragedy, but what really hits home is Shaw's hand in the creation of this scene, taking a three page monologue and changing it into a taut, tense and breath taking dialogue filled moment. He is the father figure in the final act and as we see him warm to Brody and Hooper, we in turn warm to him, making his fate all the more sombre. He is only bested by one man...

Whoever my daughter marries (if I ever have a daughter), they have to be like Brody. I think my connection with Roy Scheider's portrayal comes as part of the eerie likeness to my Uncle Joe, both physically and personally but even without that personal connection, Scheider is unbelievable. He is the audience, out of his depth, desperate to get the job done and to do what's best for the patrons of Amity. He goes through a pseudo-hero's journey, as he hears the call to adventure (the attacks), the crossing of the first threshold (Ben Gardner's boat) before eventually reaching the belly of the whale, as he faces his fear and takes on the hero's mantle. Scheider does all of this in a way that should be taught in drama classes the world over and is the real emotional core at the centre of Jaws.

What makes these performances so vital is that they all rest on the next, there are no weak links amongst the cast and as a result, the further up the chain of importance we go, the stronger the performances get, culminating in the career-defining performance from Scheider.

It shouldn't have been a good film, according to Dreyfuss, they started the production "without a script, without a cast and without a shark" yet all of these problems resulted in Spielberg having to find new ways to scare, enthrall and capture the audience. The fact the shark wasn't working for the majority of the production was a blessing in disguise as Spielberg was forced to ramp the suspense up before finally unleashing the beast in the final act. Coupled with the exceptional themes created by John Williams, the film remains to this day a perfect example of director, writer, cast and crew connecting and creating cinema magic. The writing especially deserves credit.

Everything that happens in Jaws, happens for a reason. They go out on the seas to hunt the shark, Hooper gets in the water because it's the only way they can kill the shark, the boat sinks because of the cage in the water and the finale occurs as it's the only way there could be a survivor. The final act is written with such purpose and connectivity, you never feel like an action sequence is occurring because there needs to be an action sequence at that point of the film, every action is as a result of another action and that is where writer Carl Gottlieb deserves as much credit as Spielberg and the three leads.

All of these factors lead me to Friday night and the opportunity to see Jaws on the big-screen again. I'd seen it in the past, as part of revival nights and at The Prince Charles Cinema in London, but the opportunity to see a new print, a print with an intricate restoration process was one that left me giddy with excitement. A film I had seen over 200 times, yet I found myself sat in my seat with a level anticipation not experienced since 1987.

I mean this completely without hyperbole, the 2012 release of Jaws moved me like no other film has before. The work that Universal and its team has done on a film that means as much to me as Jaws does, took me back to that day in 1987, because it was like watching my favourite film of ALL time, for the FIRST time. The sound of the ocean booming through Screen 1 of Cineworld West India Quay, the bass of John Williams score and the screams of scared beach goers under attack resulting in a movie that sounded crisper than I've ever heard it, but not completely polished as to feel sterile.

Oh, the picture, what can be said? For the first time, I saw Chrissy's boobies as she began her fateful swim, I saw a shooting star caught on film as Brody loads his gun on the Orca. These moments that I had never seen or noticed in a film that has been in constant rotation since I was 5 added to an experience that will live long in the memory. I was moved, because for two hours, I was 5 again only this time, there was so much more.

In 1975, a young film maker made a film that will leave me forever in his debt. A studio was rewarded for its faith and patience with a $430m gross and me, forever in their debt.

Jaws is everything I've ever wanted in a film, hell, in anything. This site wouldn't exist without Jaws, it's as simple as that and if you're still reading, I encourage you to share your memories of Jaws in the comments, your thanks to the film-makers, anything.

Thank you Steven, thank you Universal, thank you Bruce.