Most of my regular readers will know that I am a huge fan of some classic movies that were made before my time, or before I was old enough to appreciate them. Some recent classics that I have been lucky enough to catch on the big screen in the last year include The Terminator, Aliens, Heathers, Labyrinth, The Princess Bride and Stand By Me (to name but a few).
So it may come as a shock to hear that Jaws has never been one to impress me. Sure I liked it, but I've never wanted to own it. I'm not a huge Spielberg fan but I can certainly recognise that he's got talent. So I can't really put my finger on what it is about Jaws that never really appealed to me. Maybe I just watched it at the wrong age or in the wrong frame of mind? But there was something about seeing it on a big screen that I didn't want to miss.
For those of you who somehow have no idea what Jaws is all about, it's a film about a great white shark terrorising a small seaside resort. The film was based on a book of the same name and went on to become the highest-grossing film in history at the time of it's release. It won several awards for its soundtrack and editing, and it is often cited as one of the greatest films of all time. Along with 1977's Star Wars, Jaws was pivotal in establishing the modern Hollywood 'summer blockbuster'.
And boy am I glad I saw it! I only wish (and I never thought I'd utter these words) they'd released it in 3D! Imagine that great beast coming out of an IMAX screen at you! Now there would be something to see!
I enjoyed Jaws immensely on the big screen. John Williams score dazzling as they always do in surround sound. Roy Schneider's face when Jaws comes up to meet him as he shovels bloody fish guts into the water, and that great line. No, not 'you're gonna need a bigger boat', though that is a doozy, I forgot that great elated feeling at the end as Brody sneers 'smile you son of a...' before firing at the Oxygen tank lodged in the shark's mouth.
The film itself seemed to go at a much steadier pace than I remembered so maybe I was just too young to appreciate it first time around, being more concerned with seeing the shark than taking in the performances and how brilliantly Spielberg builds that all important tension. I also recalled the shark being rubbery and looking a bit fake. I don't know if they've re-touched the re-release with some CGI trickery but I thought the shark looked a lot more realistic this time around.
Fun Fact - Two scenes were altered following test screenings. As the audience's screams had covered up Scheider's "bigger boat" one-liner, Brody's reaction after the shark jumps behind him was extended, and the volume of the line was raised. Spielberg also decided that he was greedy for "one more scream", and reshot the scene in which Hooper discovers Ben Gardner's body, using $3,000 of his own money after Universal refused to pay for the reshoot. The underwater scene was shot in Fields's swimming pool in Encino, California, using a lifecast latex model of Craig Kingsbury's head attached to a fake body, which was placed in the wrecked boat's hull.
Considering I really didn't think that much of it going in, seeing the re-release has definitely made a fan out of me. If you love it already then don't miss your chance to see it on the big screen, and if like me, you were never a fan, give Jaws another chance. My DVD's on the way. 9 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 18th June 2012
UK (Re)Release Date - 15th June 2012
Cast Overview:
Roy Schneider ~ Sheriff Martin Brody
Robert Shaw ~ Quint
Richard Dreyfuss ~ Matt Hooper
Lorraine Gary ~ Ellen Brody
Murray Hamilton ~ Mayor Larry Vaughn
Craig Kingsbury ~ Ben Gardner
Director ~ Steven Spielberg
Writer(s) ~ Peter Benchley (Screenplay and Based on his Novel) and Carl Gottlieb (Screenplay)
