JAWS

US, 1975, 125 minutes, Colour.
Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton.
Directed by Steven Spielberg.

By this time, a great number of people have seen Jaws. Many, or most, have been scarily entertained by it. A number have not liked it and a number have chosen to look at it far more critically than they look at the usual film because Jaws has been successful. It is a strange facet of human nature that we become suspicious, or jealous, or something, of success and have an inner compulsion to knock what is successful. This can mean that we do not look at the film as it is; rather, we look at it through its advertising, publicity ballyhoo and its reputation. Listening to many comments on Jaws I have been surprised to find how often this seems to have happened.

Jaws, while an entertainment, is also a useful film for discussion - with the added benefit that so many have seen it. The novel is also readily available for comparison and there has been a fair amount of background material published. One book readily accessible and of interest is The Jaw Log by Carl Gottlieb (Dell Paperbacks).

The adventure ingredients of a film and their appeal to audiences are to the fore in Jaws. However, there is also a strong emphasis on the commercialisation and selfishness of modern life in the first part of the film. The sections of the plot that revolve around the mayor and his irresponsibility raise many relevant social questions.

Characterisation is also a strong quality of the film. Roy Schneider's portrayal of the policeman hero is somewhat low key, but some of his dilemmas and decisions are worth reflection. Richard Dreyfuss is a genial Hooper, but Robert Shaw's portrayal of Quint gives a new dimension to the film. It opens up the adventure of the hunter and the hunted and the driving force behind it. Quint's gruff speeches, especially his reminiscences of the torpedoing and the shark massacre, are significant. This leads to the second part of the film,, where the shark is now seen and where the three main characters are totally involved, into being a 20th century kind of Moby Dick quest and adventure. This makes it something of an allegory of human nature and evil. (Hitchcock did a similar kind of thing with The Birds).

I. The quality of this film? Box-office success, critical acclaim, classic status? why the popularity in the 70s? Will the status remain?

2. The importance of the technical contribution to the film: Panavision, colour, New England locations, the photography of the sea and its moods and atmosphere, the recreation of the holiday resort in New England, the beaches and holiday style, the ships and the documentary explanation of shark hunting, the detailed information about sharks and the presentation of the shark itself, underwater photography? The editing? Shock values and suspense? How did the film generate interest, keep audience involvement? An authentic atmosphere for a suspense thriller? How authentic and realistic the treatment?

3. The contribution of the music: the Jaws them and its recurrent presence for the shark, the exhilaration for the hunt music, the subdued melodies?

4. How did the film fit into the disaster trend of the 70s? The presentation of death, fear, people being menaced and harassed, rescues and heroics? Conventional presentation of these ingredients? Better than conventional?

5. The tradition of animal horror films? The significance of these - animals and their lack of intelligence yet their cunning menace of human beings? The challenge to humans? The interest in ecology in the 70s? The presentation of conflict, danger, cruelty, death and menace?

6. The significance of the shark in itself? Chief Brody and Hooper discussing the traditions and the scientific background of sharks and their behaviour eg. territoriality? This shark as a symbol - a white shark (the overtones of Moby Dick)? The fact that it was not seen for the first half of the film? Yet the audience's sense of its presence by subjective photography and the music? The underwater looking at victims? The shark as a symbol of menace, destructive evil, pursuit and cunning, intelligence? A symbolic challenge to human beings? A symbol of fright?

7. The importance of the setting of Amity Island? The symbolic use of an island separate from the mainland? The meaning of the name Amity as friendship and as explained by the mayor? The presentation of the island and its landscapes, the town, the police, people? The pros and cons of life an the island? The people and their livelihood depending on the tourists, greed? The cruelty of the people, especially in their pursuit of the shark? Self-deceiving in trying to rationalise away the danger? The significance of 4th July as a setting? How convincing was the film as a piece of Americana and a critical look at American society?

8. The atmosphere of the opening: underwater photography, the party on the beach, the mood of the party, the swimming, the subjective shots, the sudden cry and the thrashing of the shark, the transition to the next day with the Brodys, the boy at the beach, the discovery of the body and the presence of the crabs?

9. How did the first part of the film build-up an atmosphere of real destruction: Chrissy's corpse, the disappearance of the dog, Alex Kenter and his death, the man and the severing of his leg in the pond, Ben Gardner's boat and the head suddenly appearing? Quint's information and Hooper's about the danger and size of the shark? Anticipation of danger and the need for destroying the shark?

10. How was this pointed out by the presentation of the mayor, his presentation, his suit and his anchors, representing the commercial interests of Amity Island, his pressurising of the police, rationalising everything, his reaction against the vandalism on the advertisement? The nature of his double talk and his convincing himself? His handling of the meetings? Persuading the doctor to falsify the certificate? His attitude towards Quint and the hiring of his boat? His presence on the beach, the interview for television saying how wonderful things were just prior to the destruction, his finally being broken with his children in danger on the beach, his signing the hiring contract? How much insight into officialdom, greed?

11. The people of Amity as presented on the beach, at the meetings, the people with commercial interests, people relying on Brody for help? People swimming, enjoying themselves, arriving for the holidays? The transition to fear? The people who arrived to catch the shark and their commercial greed and rivalry? Their disregard of others?

12. How well did Chief Brody fit into this atmosphere? First seeing him at home, his relationship with his wife, children? The New York background and their not feeling at home on the island - even to pronunciations? His fear of the water? The audience identifying with him and seeing life on Amity Island through his eyes? His being the hero of the film and yet his seeming an enemy to the progress to Amity Island? His decisiveness, the painting of the signs, the examining of the corpse? His reaction to being overruled? The importance of his studying sharks and the audience looking at the books seeking information through his eyes? His son's boat and his wife's reaction? His sitting on the beach and watching, worrying? The hoax? His son in the Lagoon and his reaction?

13. The atmosphere of the catching of the shark and his relief? The dramatic significance and truth in Mrs. Kentner's attacking him and slapping his face? How guilty was he? How responsible was the mayor? This dramatic sequence in the middle of the exaltation about the nature of the shark and the taking of the photographs?

14. How attractive and humorous a character was Hooper? A convincing oceanographer, his equipment, his wealth? His style, arrival, his collaboration with Brody? A joker and a young man? His attitude towards the men hunting? Information for the mayor and the mayor's rejection of his advice? The visits to the Brodys and the sharing of the wine? The examining of the shark? Going out at night and his being frightened by Ben Gardner's head? His collaboration in the fight against the shark, his presence on the 4th July and helping in the capture?

15. The contrast with Quint: the first scene with his scratching of the blackboard, the long tracking shot while he was explaining his conditions? What type of man was he, his toughness, arrogance, his boat and his ironic look as the others thought they had caught the shark? The presentation of his equipment? His reliance on old fashioned methods? His attitude towards Brody and taking him along, his ridiculing of Hooper? His use of snatches of song for irony and humour? His crudeness - towards Brody, his wife?

16. How did the style and tone of the film change in the second part? From the departure of the Orca? Brody's wife and the farewell, the three alone on the sea, the atmosphere of the sea and the search for the shark, the documentary details for the running of the ship? The three personalities and their clashes and their blending together? Their fears? The living with the mainland and Quint's breaking of it, his obsession to get the shark?

17. How did the film mount in tension with visuals, music, the sudden frightening appearance of the shark, the long shots with the barrels and the shark moving swiftly? Its destructive nature and its pursuit of the boat? Each man doing his job, fear, trying to cope? Brody being brought out of himself? The exhilaration in Hooper and Quint? The bonds between the three men and as they compared wounds, the ironic humour, the sharing of drink and songs? The dramatic significance of Quint's story about the Indianapolis? Its revelation of his character, indication of dangers, fear and themes?

18. The importance of Quint changing his mind and allowing Hooper to go down in the cage? The suspense, the fear, the violent attack of the shark and Hooper falling out of the cage, the recovery of the cage? Suspense for the finale?

19. Audience reaction to Quint's slipping down the broken ship into the jaws of the shark? The pain and cruelty of his death?

20. Brody left alone, the land-man having to cope with the sea-beast? His skill in the manoeuvring the compressed air? Shooting, the exhilaration of destruction, surviving? The anti-climax and the humorous relief of Hoppert’s reappearance and their swimming towards the shore? Brody not being frightened by the sea anymore?

21. What was the audience left with at the end of the film? Human achievement?

22. The film streamlined the book. Was this more appropriate for the film? The attention that the director gave to small detail eg. Hopper's style, jokes, pulling faces, wise-cracks? The Brody's family life eg. the little boy imitating his father? How did these contribute to the overall success of this epic disaster film?