I am currently watching one of the two movies I typically watch when I'm on PTO at the 4th of July (the other being Independence Day).
Jaws. I was deemed too young to see this when it came out in 1975. My parents were probably right with that decision, given that we lived in Lake Jackson and were frequent beach-goers. I didn't get to watch it until it aired on HBO a few years later - remember that this was a time before home video, and for big movies like this, it would be years before airing on TV.
This is a movie that has withstood the test of time since I first saw it in maybe 1978 or 1979. In fact, I'd say it has gotten better. It is defined by two things - its characters and its score.
Chief Brody, Matt Hooper, and Quint are a great trio with very little in common inter-personally who find themselves pit together in the hunt for a killer Great White shark. Their interactions while aboard the Orca feel at all times real and relatable. Hooper and Quint comparing scars right before Quint shores his memories of the USS Indianapolis is arguably the movie's best moment.
Then there is John Williams' perfect score. We all know about the main theme, and it is memorable, but I remember having a conversation with a friend who was in band who had the opinion that most of the music was "too happy go lucky". Williams is history's greatest film music composer because his music always fits the on-screen story, and is another narrative voice propelling the story. In this case, Williams captures the mood of the town and the summer activities to come, of people going about their business in a town highly dependent on summer tourism, with no idea of what danger lurks in the waters off Amity Island. And as typical of Williams, he is up to the task of bringing the viewer along for the ride during the many action sequences and shark attacks. I probably listen to this score more frequently than Star Wars.
I did finally get to see Jaws theatrically about 10 years ago, and oh what an experience that was. The scene when the shark swims right under the surface alongside the Orca and Hooper/Quint guess at how long it is, was simply jaw-dropping. Spielberg's movies are meant to be seen on the big screen in the way he frames and shoots his shots.
The 70s were a great decade for movies, with Jaws near the top of the list.
Jaws. I was deemed too young to see this when it came out in 1975. My parents were probably right with that decision, given that we lived in Lake Jackson and were frequent beach-goers. I didn't get to watch it until it aired on HBO a few years later - remember that this was a time before home video, and for big movies like this, it would be years before airing on TV.
This is a movie that has withstood the test of time since I first saw it in maybe 1978 or 1979. In fact, I'd say it has gotten better. It is defined by two things - its characters and its score.
Chief Brody, Matt Hooper, and Quint are a great trio with very little in common inter-personally who find themselves pit together in the hunt for a killer Great White shark. Their interactions while aboard the Orca feel at all times real and relatable. Hooper and Quint comparing scars right before Quint shores his memories of the USS Indianapolis is arguably the movie's best moment.
Then there is John Williams' perfect score. We all know about the main theme, and it is memorable, but I remember having a conversation with a friend who was in band who had the opinion that most of the music was "too happy go lucky". Williams is history's greatest film music composer because his music always fits the on-screen story, and is another narrative voice propelling the story. In this case, Williams captures the mood of the town and the summer activities to come, of people going about their business in a town highly dependent on summer tourism, with no idea of what danger lurks in the waters off Amity Island. And as typical of Williams, he is up to the task of bringing the viewer along for the ride during the many action sequences and shark attacks. I probably listen to this score more frequently than Star Wars.
I did finally get to see Jaws theatrically about 10 years ago, and oh what an experience that was. The scene when the shark swims right under the surface alongside the Orca and Hooper/Quint guess at how long it is, was simply jaw-dropping. Spielberg's movies are meant to be seen on the big screen in the way he frames and shoots his shots.
The 70s were a great decade for movies, with Jaws near the top of the list.
