Jaws: Posting Stuff While I Watch

[Gemini Cricket]

Jaws (1975)

I started talking about Jaws in another thread and thought I'd watch it and post stuff while I watched. I don't know why, I'm just bored is all. Couldn't sleep last night.

Anyway, here goes.

Pressing play now.

-------------


I love the 30th anniversary DVD menu. It's simple. Just a shot of the buoy in the water and the sound effects of the bell dinging. Cool.

[Gemini Cricket]

I miss the old Universal logo.

[Gemini Cricket]

Lots of bad seventies hair around a campfire. I love it. Smokin' pot, smoking cigs, drinking beer. Lots of normal looking extras in this movie. I kinda like that. People you may actually run into on the east coast back in the 70's.

I like the quick moment of the two people kissing directly in front of the fire.

[flippyshark]

Check other thread for my note on the presence of a fairly healthy roar.

Also, stop now and go to audio options and be sure that you are listening to the mono soundtrack. The stereo is a completely inauthentic re-recording of the sound effects, and it's lame. The mono track is the original theatrical version, and it makes a huge difference.

[Gemini Cricket]

Hi, I'm bad seventies helmet hair dude. They kicked me off of the set of Little House on the Prairie. Wanna f*ck?

Someone needs to fix that fence.

A lady I used to work with at the Monterey Bay Aquarium looks exactly like Chrissy. Weird, no?

[Gemini Cricket]

Also, stop now and go to audio options and be sure that you are listening to the mono soundtrack. The stereo is a completely inauthentic re-recording of the sound effects, and it's lame. The mono track is the original theatrical version, and it makes a huge difference.
Done.


Chrissy side boob.

I was always confused at what time of day it's supposed to be. Night time in the previous shot, sunset in the next shots, then day for night in a couple of other shots.

[Gemini Cricket]

Leg sinks straight down into the water. Classic shot. Love it. I remember people in the theatre already thinking that she got eaten at that point. Little did they know.

[Moonliner]

This is sooo rad.

Someone ought to create some type of service that allows people to share quick comments about what they are doing, AS THEY ARE DOING IT.

That would be really fun.

[Gemini Cricket]

She like swam out like 2 miles into the water. Yeah, she deserved to be eaten.

[Gemini Cricket]

Hey, she does a "giggity giggity" before she goes under. lol

[flippyshark]

Yeah, I almost wonder if the sun was supposed to be taken as the moon - it's kind of a mess, but no one ever notices it on first viewing.

When you are done, be sure to check out the theatrical trailer. The underwater shot climbing up toward Chrissie's kicking legs isn't nearly as darkened down, and as a result, it's a real peepshow for a PG approved trailer.

[Gemini Cricket]

Nice hook. One of the best.

[flippyshark]

Favorite minor character - Polly the squeaky-raspy voiced receptionist.

[flippyshark]

Alas - I have to return to work, so I can't join you all the way through - but I look forward to your commentary when I return.

[Gemini Cricket]

They're in the yahd not to fah from the cah.

Love the ashtray on the night stand and Brody's boxers.

[Gemini Cricket]

Nice kitchen chandelier. Yikes.

Interesting that their kid has the major accent.

Kid's bleeding and going swimming. Not good.

[Gemini Cricket]

First time we see the sign. Not a lot of unnecessary stuff in the first ten minutes. We meet the main character, we like him, we like his wife...

[Gemini Cricket]

We meet dinglecheese sidekick... see what became of Chrissie. There's a terrific three shot before we see the crabfest shot. In Pan and Scan it's total garbage.

[innerSpaceman]

The stereo is a completely inauthentic re-recording of the sound effects, and it's lame. The mono track is the original theatrical version, and it makes a huge difference.

Wow, I never knew that, and I've never watched it in mono. Got to do that soon.

I did NOT see Jaws in the theaters. In the summer of 1975, I swam in the ocean every single day, and watched as friend after friend refused to go back in the water after seeing that movie. So I skipped it, cause I LOVED swimming in the ocean when, sigh, I lived half a block from the beach and my girlfriend lived in the last house before the sand began.


Le freakin' sigh.

[Gemini Cricket]

Yes, LOVE Polly. I love the bit characters in this movie. Pulled right from the town (I think, not sure). I love it when directors cast non-actors in movies. It helps sell the setting, appeals to normal Joe audience members like me...

[Gemini Cricket]

Not only did I see it in 1975 (I was 4 for frick sake) but I saw it a couple of years later when there was a re-release in the theatres.

[Gemini Cricket]

You could see Capra's influence on Spielberg with the interactions with the townsfolk. It's straight out of It's a Wonderful Life or It Happened One Night.

[Gemini Cricket]

I miss Massachusetts sometimes.

More comedy for Brody. Reinforcing that we like him. The town likes and respects him.

Smarmy Mayor. We hate him already. That poor actor played jerks often.

[Gemini Cricket]

Ugly Cadillac. We hate the mayor.

The ferry scene is terrific. One shot. Lots of info given to us. Mayor would rather risk lives than give up the summer profits.

[innerSpaceman]

Smarmy Mayor. We hate him already. That poor actor played jerks often.But he has the BEST wardrobe in Jaws, OMG.

[Gemini Cricket]

Ah, fat lady going into the water. More comedy to keep the audience laughing so they can be kicked in the head later.

Alex Kitner. Here's where we really, really start the fear factor here. Surely, the shark's not going to eat a child! People also thinking, surely the filmmakers aren't going to show a child getting eaten... right?

Kitner's mom. Great moment for this actress later on. Again very convincing because she's an unknown actress.

[Gemini Cricket]

I think I had those red trunks as a kid.

[Gemini Cricket]

Oh no. Not the dog! Surely not the dog!

I think the reaction wouldn't be as strong if a middle aged white male got eaten next. So it goes better like this: hot chick, dog and then a child. That'll get the pathos flowing.

[Gemini Cricket]

The editing in this scene is superb. Closer and closer to Brody as people pass by. Cut cut cut. Nice!

[Gemini Cricket]

False alarm #1. Old man in swimming cap.

False alarm #2. Screaming lady.

Bad Hat Harry and his man boobs.

[innerSpaceman]

Ah Michael Kahn, say it three times fast, like Shaka Kahn!!

[Gemini Cricket]

Okay, question: How do you lose a Labrador Retriever at a beach that's not so crowded? This guy was totally unobservant. Or maybe he was high.

And the dog's name? Pippett? Pippen? Stupid name for a dog.
:D

[innerSpaceman]

How's Florian for a dog's name?

[Gemini Cricket]

So we see the shark briefly as Kitner is eaten. Lots of blood. Grody.

Love the Vertigo shot on Brody.

From below, the kid looked like a seal. Happens a lot with surfers here in HI.

[Gemini Cricket]

How's Florian for a dog's name?
I like Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck for a dog's name. That's the ticket. Try calling that out on the beach while your dog becomes dog chow.
:D


Well, Mrs. Kitner, god decided that you didn't love your child that much. He's also punishing you for wearing that hat.

The next scene features my favorite townsperson. The talkative lady with the black hair.

[Gemini Cricket]

Brody hits head on sign in hallway. Like the stormtrooper does in Star Wars. Foreshadowing? No. But it's pretty funny.

[Gemini Cricket]

If this was made today, Hotel owning talkative lady would be played by Christine Baranski.

[Gemini Cricket]

"I don't think that's funny. I don't think that's funny at all." I quote that all the time. I often wonder if the guy said something else originally that was funnier. It's such a clear voice over dub.

[Gemini Cricket]

"24 hours is like 3 weeks!" Disembodied voice from nowhere.

Chalkboard scene. Slow track in to Quint. Great intro. Ooh, he's cool. We likes him. The town badass all the straight men in the audience likes. slow track ins everywhere. Dramatic. Tells everyone what he's saying is worth listening to.

[Gemini Cricket]

Let's learn a little about sharks scene. He's getting obsessed and is freaking himself out in the process.

Wife is finally buying into the whole fear of sharks thing. Stakes get higher, we see her as being a little bit more easy going than Brody. Now that she's scared, we become more scared.

[innerSpaceman]

Ah, Brad, this is like hanging out with you the way I wished we had while you lived here.


I misses you. :(

[Gemini Cricket]

So the last scene tells us that boats are not that safe and now here comes the scene where docks aren't all that safe either.

Brody flips through the shark book. There's a quick foreshadowing about the ending in this series of short shots.

The pics of the real wounds shows us the real danger that sharks pose on humans. Placed in this movie, it plants the seed in our heads that yes all this can happen. (Whether it can or not, the seed is planted.)

[Gemini Cricket]

Ah, Brad, this is like hanging out with you the way I wished we had while you lived here.


I misses you. :(
I miss you, too.
:)
Come to Hawai'i, let's go swimming! :D

Some guy in Maui just got bitten by a shark. A biggun from what I hear.

[Gemini Cricket]

Day for night action on the dock. Guy gets pulled into the water. The dock tells us where the shark is. The dock turns around and heads for Charlie. Very suspenseful. Nicely done. Dock flows to shore, shark is gone. Ends on a laugh to let us off the hook for a little bit, so to speak.

[Gemini Cricket]

Frank Silva, friend of the Commodore? Toot?

[Gemini Cricket]

Human shark hunting frenzy. Much like what happened after the movie came out.

"Hello back, young feller how are ya?"

We get introduced to Hooper. Immediately, we like Hooper. Hooper is now the voice of science. We have the everyman, the emotional Brody, the well known jaded Quint and the logical Hooper. Pathos, Ethos and Logos all on a boat facing nature later on.

[Gemini Cricket]

Whenever I see this movie, I think of iSm when I think of Hooper. Just saying. Tell me Steve's not Hooper.
:D

Again, Spielberg uses humor to keep the story plodding along. The movie could have been quite dull at this point. But by keeping us laughing and liking people he keeps our interest in the story going. It's a gruesome story peppered with a lot of humor. It's nice, actually. This happens in Poltergeist too. Scary story, funny people.

[Gemini Cricket]

Ben Garner. Bit player who is funny. We meet him in just a couple of short scenes but we like him alright. It makes it even sadder when he gets it later.

In a quick scene we learn what chumming is. It happens quick but it's a necessary piece of info.

[Gemini Cricket]

Examining the remains scene.

A scene in Silence of the Lambs looks a lot like this one. Don't know if it was influenced by it but I'm reminded of it.

What sells the scene is not the quick shot of gore that we see. It's all Dreyfuss. If he was a bad actor, the scene would have landed flat.

Even this scene has a funny bit in it. Hooper is expecting to see a body bag and gets presented with a small bin with the remains in it. His reaction is pretty danged funny.

[Gemini Cricket]

The scene goes for a bit without us seeing what he's looking at. Again our imaginations fill in the blanks thus making it even more gruesome.

Odd note, this is the second time in a scene in Jaws where someone is not allowed to smoke. Anti-smoking message? Maybe.

[Gemini Cricket]

The next scene we finally get to see a real shark. Not the shark but a real one. The tiger shark shown is huge, but the stakes go even higher when we learn that the one killing people is even bigger.

Nice red pants!

[Gemini Cricket]

We get a reminder that Quint is still around. He passes through the scene quietly, almost shark like.

One of my favorite lines, "A whaaaat?!" This huge fisherman delivering the line like a Castro queen. Love it!

[Gemini Cricket]

Hooper tells us that this isn't the shark. Sorry no dice. The mayor still wants to be idealistic and upbeat.

All the frenzy and happy doings are brought to a crashing halt by Mrs. Kitner's slap. It's a great moment given to an unknown actress. To me, that lends credibility to the story. If Adrienne Barbeau had played her it would have been cheesy to me.

[innerSpaceman]

Pfft, I had to leave the room to get some, ya know, work done while I'm at work.



And I'm SOOOO Hooper (except, of course, I can't grow a beard to save my life vest).

[innerSpaceman]

Ooooh, I can't wait till Gemini Cricket gets to my favorite shot, coming up soon I think, and what - if anything - he will say about it.

[Gemini Cricket]

That seems like an end of an act to me. Not sure but it feels that way.

Brody the human being versus Brody the chief of police scene. Brody's mad at himself. Feels like he has to redeem himself somehow. At least his kids and wife love him. Tender scene that offsets the sting of the slap.

But just for a bit.

Hooper comes back in with the shark autopsy plan. I love how Hooper just invites himself to dinner. lol

Sharks attack in 3 feet of water. Freaked out the world, I tells ya.

[Gemini Cricket]

Shark autopsy scene. Again the grodiness of the scene is amplified by Dreyfuss's reaction to what he's doing.

Again, more humor thrown in for good measure.

No Alex Kitner. There's still a shark problem.

Night hunt for the shark. Brody mutters on about how dangerous New York is. Fish Finder sees something. Hooper is going to go scuba diving when they get to Ben Gardner's boat.

There's a great shot of the spotlight on Gardner's boat. It has the fog and the streaks of light. Really wonderful. But the most important thing shown is the piece of the side of the boat missing. We see it quick, but it might explain what happened to the fisherman.

Scuba diving at night. Not so smart. But to Hooper, it's not all about fear it's about finding out what's what.

One of the best jump scenes ever in filmdom is the head poking out of the hole in the boat. Nice. It's kind of confusing what happened tho. Did the shark bite through the boat and then through his face?

[innerSpaceman]

I have half a mind to pull this same "stunt" while watching Close Encounters. Spielberg is a super-genius in that one (he wrote a good deal of it, though stole the writing credit form many writers who contributed far more).

And I'm a thousand times more Dreyfus' Neary than I am Dreyfus' Hooper. ;)

[Gemini Cricket]

Defaced billboard scene. Again more humor to let us breath a little after the jump scene.

More info on the shark. True info. Again the spewing of these facts makes the whole movie believable.

[Gemini Cricket]

I have half a mind to pull this same "stunt" while watching Close Encounters.

I think you should. That would be supercool.
:)

[Gemini Cricket]

Now one of the things that I absolutely love about this movie is the shot compositions throughout. Even in a scene like this one, very static not a lot going on, the way the shot is composed is wonderful. In a short scene between the Brody and the Mayor, a lighthouse sits nicely between them. It's all on purpose and so very pretty.

Say what you will about Spielberg (I'm not a big fan of his current stuff) but his older films rock.

[Gemini Cricket]

Fish food arrives at Amity. Tourists pour in for the Fourth of July. We get a quick shot of someone using the shark attacks to make a quick buck. Sad but totally on the money, so to speak.

[Gemini Cricket]

Despite the mayor getting his way, Brody and Hooper decide to try and up their efforts to keep the public safe. What's interesting is that the mayor doesn't do squat.

This section shows the contrast of happy tourists and Brody frantically trying to keep things in order.

Again, more wonderful shots on the beach and the crowds.

Even the newscast about a killer shark has humor peppered in. Everyone in the back waving at the camera. People totally do that. It's funny.

The cool thing about this scene is that the beach is crowded but no one is in the water...

[innerSpaceman]

Oh crap, I have to go to lunch. I'm gonna miss the end of the movie. Where's the LoT App for the iPhone?!?!?!



Oh well, my favorite shot passed without much comment by the Cricket. It's the long tracking shot with Hooper, Brody and the Mayor where the last big pitch is made to close the beaches, but the Mayor refuses. There are lots of great shifting compositions of the three characters, and it's a really long single shot ending on the defaced billboard that too many filmmakers would have cut into bits for ease of shooting. A shot like this is really complex in blocking and cinematography, so kudos to early Spielberg.


Sigh, I'm gonna miss the rest of Jaws. Waaaa. Bye!

[Gemini Cricket]

One thing about this scene that's kinda funny to me is that the mayor convinces a friend, cabinet member whoever to go into the water. I'm thinking at this point, the mayor wouldn't really care if people got into the water or not. The people who are spending the money are already in town... But it does make his character even more scummy and add for yet more humor.

[innerSpaceman]

Even the newscast about a killer shark has humor peppered in.


One last thing before I go,


If I'm not mistaken, the reporter is played by Peter Benchley, author of the novel.

[Gemini Cricket]

A lovely shot is the first family going into the water. It's a long long shot. Half of the shot is the crowded beach, half of the shot is the empty ocean. The family slowly crosses from one side to the other.

It's a great shot.

[Gemini Cricket]

One last thing before I go,


If I'm not mistaken, the reporter is played by Peter Benchley, author of the novel.
lol

Didn't know that. That's awesome.

[Gemini Cricket]

Tiniest swimming trunks ever.


Now here's something interesting and I'm willing to almost bet money on it. Michael (Brody's son) talks to Brody on the beach. I swear that June Foray does his voice in this scene. Listen to it. It sounds like her.

[Gemini Cricket]

Coca Cola. Buy Coke.

[Gemini Cricket]

Brody's wife is a hottie in her bathing suit.

Various shots of the townspeople in the water. All of this builds suspense to what's coming. Sean (Brody's younger son) warns his brother that he doesn't want him to go into the water.

"...injured some bathers." Man this actor must have gotten death threats back then.

:D

[Gemini Cricket]

There's a shot in here of Brody on the beach wit beach umbrellas behind him. It's another terrific shot that could be a postcard.

[Gemini Cricket]

The shark fin scene.

We see the fin come sailing in on the left of the screen and from a distance. I remember people being freaked out when they saw it in the theatre. Oddly enough, and I could be wrong, it's the first time we see a dorsal fin in the movie. When Alex Kitner was eaten, we see the pectoral fins. So, we actually don't see the classic shark dorsal fin poking through the water until after the fake fin is pulled out of the water 1 hour into the movie.

[Gemini Cricket]

Knowing now that the fin is fake, some of the reactions of the people in the water are absolutely hysterical.

"Oh. My. G-guurrrggglleee!" Classic.

It's amazing. I've been playing and pausing to write stuff. Almost everytime I've paused the movie, the picture onscreen could be a postcard. It's almost always composed extremely well.

[Gemini Cricket]

I love the guy who throws the kids off of their inflatable raft and then grabs it for himself.

And then screaming lady who just stands there in three feet of water is pretty comical as well. Maybe not intentionally so but what a dinglecheese she is.

[Gemini Cricket]

And we learn in this "Shark!" scene that if you're old, you're going to get trampled. Take that, elderly.

[Gemini Cricket]

The kids are caught seemingly by Stormtroopers in boats. Listen to their voices, total Stormtroopers. Well, this came out before Star Wars so I guess the Stormtroopers in that movie were actually Coast Guard hippies.

[Gemini Cricket]

"He made me do it."
More humor.
:)


Hippie jeans with patches girl finally sees the real shark. We know this because now the music starts playing. Something I didn't realize is that during the whole previous panic scene, there is no score playing under the scene. No music. Like he did for the T-Rex attacking the SUV scene in the first Jurassic Park. Music not needed.

[Gemini Cricket]

Shark in the pond. Right where the chief sent his son. Nicely, done, Chief.

Scary hippie dude hanging out in his own boat checking out boys in another boat gets eaten. "Hey boys what're you doing? You alright over there? Wanna come in my boat? Sit on my lap? Have some Jesus juice? Hey boys!"

The best things about this scene is the way the mechanical shark slowly sinks in the water and how real the fake leg looks. The leg jiggles when it hits the bottom. That's so righteous!

[Gemini Cricket]

Michael's close call with the shark. It's another great shot.

Now it gets personal. Brody decides to go after the shark.

There's a terrific shot of Brody looking out to sea through the pier supports. So very cool.

Cute nurse/doctor whatever he is pushing Michael's gurney. He has a stethoscope...

Trivia:
What kind of ice cream does Michael ask for?
Coffee

[Gemini Cricket]

I don't know if it's a bad transfer or just my copy but during the shark encounters Michael scene and a couple of shots around it, there is a green circular pattern on screen. I'm thinking it was an error in the transfer somewhere. Never noticed that before.

[Gemini Cricket]

Here's how the Brody confronts the Mayor scene should have gone.

Larry the Mayor: "I'm sorry, Martin."

Brody decks Larry and he goes sprawling across the hospital floor.

End scene.
:D

Quint's dialogue starts before the previous scene ends. I find that to be so right on and effective. It starts the pace of the movie flowing faster as we head into the 3rd act.

[Gemini Cricket]

From here on out, we have ourselves a different kind of movie. It's primarily about the three men and the shark. That's it. The three vastly different men against nature. It's quite terrific.

Apparently, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss hated each other. And like they said in Chicago this is one business where that doesn't matter one bit. The fact that they hated each other and the characters hated each other made for a number of great scenes in this film.

[Gemini Cricket]

In my opinion, Shaw goes over the top in a couple of places but for the most part he's terrific.

The next exterior shot looks like it was shot on an ideal day. Beautiful. Not so overcast. The gist of the shot, imho, is showing the contrast of the weathered boat and the shiny new equipment Hooper is bringing onboard. The old tried and true ways versus science and high tech gizmos. Both succeed and fail during their journey.

[Gemini Cricket]

Working class man versus the marine scientist. It's a great scene, each man trying to intimidate the other in their own ways. Both realize that they both are right and wrong about things later on.

And then there's the ultimate fish out of water going into a boat on the water. Chief Brody the dinglecheese who is trying to keep control but is quite a mess himself. His wife: "Did you take your Dramamine?" lol

Mrs. Brody gets a taste of Quint's misogyny. It's a quick scene but is very effective. Her run away is lovely. Quite different now from when we first met her.

The shot through the shark's jaws is about as obvious as it gets but still I buy it totally. It's a nice touch.

[Gemini Cricket]

The cast casts off. It's a jolly beginning that immediately dissolves into a shot of chum blood. One of the reasons this movie is a classic.

Another great shot of Quint and Hooper. Quint crushes the beer can, Hooper crushes his foam cup. lol

To watch this movie in Pan-n-Scan is like slapping Mother Teresa's ghost in the face.

[Gemini Cricket]

With a subtle sound effect of the reel clicking, we know that the shark is near. Click click click = danger. Wonderful!

The way that this scene was shot doesn't look like they were only several feet offshore. Ah, the wonders of film making.

Brody is not allowed joy in this film. Anytime he gets happy, something bad happens. He gets his knot tied finally and the shark takes the line violently. He's happy a shark gets caught and Mrs. Kitner clocks him.

[Gemini Cricket]

Quint tells Hooper to steer starboard. The next shot shows us the front of the boat. It looks like the front windows were matted out after the fact. I wonder if the film crew could be seen in a reflection or something.

[Gemini Cricket]

Quint tries to reel sharky in. It's the first time where we actually see some concern in Quint's face. Almost panic. This clues us in that this seasoned veteran fisherman is encountering something he hasn't before. It's a wonderful moment that is subtle.

[Gemini Cricket]

Quint burns Hooper and Hooper makes faces. More humor to get us through.

Quint on the crow's nest shot. It's a great shot in that you have to take into account that the camera and the cameraman were even higher up. It makes me dizzy everytime I watch it.

[Gemini Cricket]

Brody chums some more and we see the shark's head for the first time. It's about an hour and twenty minutes in. A lot has been said about how long it took for Spielberg to show the shark and how many problems he had with the shark, yadda yadda. But whether it was on purpose or not, it ended up being such a good thing for this film. The first shot of the shark coming out of the water is a great jump scene and it happens so fast that you didn't have time to take in how fake-y it looked.
:)

[innerSpaceman]

Oh good, I haven't missed the whole thing (I followed along on my phone for a while, but that got obnoxious real quick).

Thank goodness you're pausing the picture to post!




Now to catch up!

[Gemini Cricket]

"We're going to need a bigger boat."

The appearance of the shark comes without a huge crashing music cue. One of the most effective things about a film's score is when to use it and when not to. Spielberg mastered that early on.

[Gemini Cricket]

There are a lot of shots in this film that I love. Two happen on the boat. One just happened when the camera is high above the ship and we see the boat and the shark passing calmly beneath it. Yeah, it's a fake shark but it shows the size of the shark and how small the boat is. I love that shot.

The other shot comes later.

[innerSpaceman]

Yay, the "We're gonna need a bigger boat" scene. One of the best.


EVER.

[Gemini Cricket]

"How do we handle this? How do we handle this?"

Trivia:
How big does Quint say the shark is?
25'

I love how Hooper is trying to convince Brody to go to the bow so he can take a scale pic of the shark.

[Gemini Cricket]

The first barrel

There's a great close up shot of the barrel and the clamp that is not clamped to any line. Shaw's reaction to that is great.

The special effect with the dart hitting the shark is pretty cool because not only does it hit the shark but it squirts blood too. Love that.

As the barrel sinks there's a cool shot of Quint on the bow plank thing. The sun sets behind him. He has a strangely calm look on his face. Classic Spielberg use of big sky and clouds.

[katiesue]

I've never seen Jaws. I'm loving "watching" it this way.

[Gemini Cricket]

Great sunset shot. If I was Spielberg, I would have came if I got that shot.

Inside the cabin comparing scars

The dialogue in this scene is great. Written very well. I've seen people do this all the time, trying to tell the other why their scar is the worst. I've been guilty of doing it.

Brody looking at his appendix scar is classic.

The USS Indianapolis monologue is one of the best things about this movie. The way Shaw delivers it is sad because of how calm and relatively unemotional he is about it. He makes it look effortless but in lesser hands the monologue could have fell flat.

[Gemini Cricket]

I've never seen Jaws. I'm loving "watching" it this way.
Oops. Uh, this thread has spoilers.

Sorry, katiesue!

[Gemini Cricket]

A big part of the story is how Quint says he'll never wear a lifejacket again. He does later, that clues us in to how bad the situation is getting.

The whale song almost pushes the scene over the top. Almost. It's haunting.

Before getting waterlogged, the scene gets fun with the them singing. And, of course, as soon as Brody gets happy, the sh!t hits the fan again.

[Gemini Cricket]

"He ate the light."

I never liked the animated glow that they added to the barrel. It doesn't work.

The 2 animated shooting stars never worked for me either. The sky wasn't dark enough.

[Gemini Cricket]

Trivia:
What was the name of Quint's boat?
Orca

Another jump scene with the shark. I remember jumping at all three of them in this movie.

The second barrel

When Quint shoots the dart for the second barrel, the barrel goes sailing off the ship. The next shot if of Brody watching the event through a window. We can see the barrel and shark in the reflection. That's the second shot I love on the boat.

[Gemini Cricket]

I love how when the sh!t hits the fan, Brody and Quint's impulse is to shoot at the shark. Bang bang. Straight guys...

The third barrel

One of my least favorite shots is the close up of the shark as the 3rd barrel is attached. It's one of the fakest shots of the shark. Yikes. I almost wish for a Special Edition treatment of Jaws. Almost. (I hope that never happens.)

Again there's another shot of Brody enjoying the whole thing. It's a wonderful 2 sec shot that's classic Spielberg shmaltz that I love.

[Gemini Cricket]

The barrels are tied off on the stern cleats

It may have been mythbusted but this shot is great. The shark turns the ship. I forget how they did this, something about a tow hitch or something but it's quite effective. Strong shark!

[Gemini Cricket]

A quick shot of the scuba tanks for foreshadowing purposes.

When the shark starts to pull the Orca and the waves hit it, it actually does look like they are close to shore. I think it's the color of the water. It doesn't look that deep.

So far, the three men have been in the shark's territory but they are still dry on the boat. When that changes, the suspense goes through the roof. I love that. One of the morals of the story, we may be pretty badass on land, but when we're in the water we're on someone else's turf. Beware.

[Gemini Cricket]

Quint slams the machete into the railing of the boat. Another classic shot. Reflection of the sun in the water. Priceless.

[Gemini Cricket]

"Not with three he can't."

He can.

The barrels disappearing just as they near the boat is such a badass shot.

Brody giving up on the pump is pretty hysterical.

I think Spielberg liked the shark going under the boat shot too. So much so that he basically repeats again it going off in a different direction and framed in a sort of Batman angle.

[Gemini Cricket]

Quint starts to overheat the Orca.

There's a shot where they are on the bridge and Quint shoves Hooper. It looks like it was not scripted. Dreyfuss looks like he's going to fall from the bridge and the line he delivers after is quite choked up. I think he was truly scared of Shaw.

The shark follows the boat towards the shallows. Quint wants to lure him there and drown him.

[innerSpaceman]

I've never seen Jaws.

You're fired. ;)

[Gemini Cricket]

Quint has his crazy Ahab moment. The barrels go under again.


There's a great moment where Quint looks at the lifejackets and starts handing them out to the crew. He's given up.

So Quints methods have not been going well. He decides to give Hooper's plan a shot.

The shark cage is introduced.

There's a great cut where Brody is complaining about the shark cage and Hooper says, "You got any better suggestions?" The next shot of Brody helping construct the shark cage. That's great storytelling. No need to go into the fight, just to the conclusion of the fight Brody lost.

[Gemini Cricket]

Hooper suits up to go into the cage.

Now there is more or less an even playing field. Hooper is now in the water with the shark. Shark's turf, Hooper's disadvantage. Yeah, he's got the shark cage but as we find out, it's not a lot of help.

At this point, the underwater footage includes shots of a real white shark. That's very cool. There's a terrific shot of the shark swimming away from the camera until it disappears into the grey waters. Can I just say that I saw this happen with a real shark and it's pretty terrifying. They disappear! Poof.

[Gemini Cricket]

There's a sneak attack by the shark and Hooper loses his shark dart gun.

It's another jump scene but if ya didn't see it coming you're pretty much weren't paying attention.

We see Hooper and the cage again to see that the bars of the cage have been spread open. Enough to fit a shark through...

Bruce the fake shark makes a lot of appearances here and kind of lessens the suspense, but the quick cutting really saves the film at this point. For me, the more terrifying aspect of this scene is the screaming Dreyfuss does underwater. It's chilling.

[Gemini Cricket]

The shark repeatedly attacks the cage. In the book, this is where Hooper bites it. But the movie shows him hiding safely behind some coral.

The next shot I believe is a real white shark and a miniature cage. It's thrashing and rolling on the cage. It looks great even now.

[katiesue]

Oops. Uh, this thread has spoilers.

Sorry, katiesue!

I've never seen it cause I'll have nightmares for a week. So your way is much better. Less graphic gore. :D

[Gemini Cricket]

Quint and Brody try to bring up the cage a couple of times and fail. They eventually do bring it up and see it is destroyed and that there is no Hooper. Why Hooper didn't swim back to the ship is beyond me.

Now comes the cheesiest part. The shark jumps halfway onto the stern of the ship partially sinking it. I groan now, but I remember seeing it for the first time and thinking I would never get on a boat ever ever ever.

Quint falls and slides into the shark's mouth. The shark thrashes him around, blood spews everywhere and Quint is toast. One thing I didn't notice is that at one point Quint tries to grab onto a shelf to pull himself up. But the pesky scuba tank hits his fingers and causes him to let go and fall victim to the shark. That scuba tank killed more than one character in this film.

[Gemini Cricket]

There's a great shot where Bruce takes the Quint stuntman underwater. It's a simple looking shot but it looks kinda dangerous if you think about it. It looks like he's sinking because of the fake shark's weight and he also looks like he's strapped in for the ride. Interesting.

[Gemini Cricket]

The Orca goes sinky sinky and the shark attacks Brody inside the cabin. Brody inserts scuba tank into shark's mouth.

The nasty thing about this scene is that pieces of Quint are hanging from the shark's teeth. That's frikkin nasty.

Brody is running out of places to hide. This is an effective scene because he now is in the shark's playground with not many choices of where to go and what to do.

[Gemini Cricket]

Cue the Jaws theme and Brody loads up his rifle and climbs to the crow's nest which is slowly descending into the ocean. He tries to fend off the attacking shark with a harpoon. But after a couple of blows, the shark takes that away from him too.

Brody takes a couple of shots at the shark as he approaches the crow's nest. There is some cool underwater shots of the bullets hitting the water. He used similar shots in Private Ryan too during the beach storming scene.

[Gemini Cricket]

We don't need to wonder what he's shooting at because he tells us.

"Show me that tank. Show me the tank."
"Blow up."

I never noticed him saying that before.

Then of course the famous, "Smile, you son of a bitch!"

He fires and the shark blows up in a cloud of blood and squid guts (apparently). Now the explosion is beautiful and the carnage is awesomely grody. But I swear to you, there is a low growl that can be heard underwater as the shark sinks. No idea what it is. Listen for it. It's bad.

[Gemini Cricket]

Hooper magically appears from the depths as the seagulls feast on shark. He asks about Quint, Brody tells him he's dead. They use some debris and barrels to kickboard their way to shore. Seagulls circle.

It has sort of a Casablanca ending with the two men going off together chatting.

The last shot is a far shot of the beach and the men getting to shore.

And that's it.

I love it when a filmmaker knows when to end a movie. There's really no need to show Brody reuniting with his wide or anything else. It's over, they survived.

[Gemini Cricket]

All in all, I think Jaws is a pretty perfect film. Yeah, the shark is rubber. But what do you want, it was 1975. This was pre-CG.

Don't waste your time on the sequels.

I think the movie had a great script, good director and super cast. The cinematography was wonderful and the editing was quick and effective.

I haven't seen it in awhile and I like to wait a year or so before I watch it again.

Thanks for indulging me while I prattled on.

:)

[innerSpaceman]

Heheh, I'll listen for the sinking groan when I next watch Jaws - - in its proper MONO soundtrack.



Thanks for the movie. (My employers don't thank you.)

[Strangler Lewis]

F***, I thought I paused this thing when I left.

[flippyshark]

Okay, GC is so my hero for this thread.

About that groan - it's an old dinosaur sound effect. In
Spielberg's acclaimed TV movie Duel, the same sound effect was heard as the truck went over a hill. The sound was almost like twisting metal combined with a dying groan. Stevie realized that in many ways, Jaws was Duel at sea, so he added the dino effect as a tip of the hat. Kinda foreshadowing to his next monster hit as well, I suppose. I'm pretty sure the sound effect is slowed down in Jaws.

The documentary included on the DVD is pretty thorough, but Jaws fans will want to leave room on their shelves for the eventual release of the fan-made The Shark Is Still Working. The guys behind this doc managed to get pretty much every living soul involved with Jaws to talk about its making and the cultural impact it had. They even snagged Roy Scheider to narrate - just in time, tragically.

When I have time, I'll add a few observations to this thread - perhaps the finest that has ever appeared on LoT of anywhere. :D

[Capt Jack]

I've never seen it cause I'll have nightmares for a week. :D


aww hell...then YOURE the one who should be doing this. Id love to see it again for the 'first time'

I think I sat in the theater mumbling 'oh sh!t' under my breath through many parts of it


:eek: yes, they needed a MUCH bigger boat, something like this (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Missouri_post_refit.JPG/800px-Missouri_post_refit.JPG) maybe

[mousepod]

Thanks for the awesome thread, Brad. I'm going to have to watch Jaws again... soon.

[innerSpaceman]

Apparently, i can't even mojo Gemini Cricket for this entertaining diversion.


It was sooooo much fun.



What're ya gonna watch next, GC?

[Gemini Cricket]

I'm watching the documentary now. It's pretty good! Lots of cool background info, lots of Spielberg.

[Gemini Cricket]

There's really no need to show Brody reuniting with his wide or anything else. It's over, they survived.
I meant to type "wife". lol I totally Lisa'd right there.
:D


I remember expectations were really high for the sequel. I also remember people being like 'WTF' when it came out. Stills scary but not anywhere in the same league as the first film. When I see it playing somewhere, I'll watch it but mostly to try and figure out which scenes were directed by Spielberg when the producers or the studio asked him to come in and save the film.

[flippyshark]

There is another documentary that has recently had showings in a few cities - and that seems to be on an interminable delay from an official DVD release. The fan-made The Shark Is Still Working has the participation and blessing of practically every remaining player involved in the film, including a lot of the islanders for whom Jaws was their one brush with Hollywood. Roy Scheider provided narration just months before his passing. Check out the clips at the website. I cannot wait to see this -

http://www.sharkisstillworking.com/

[flippyshark]

I meant to type "wife". lol I totally Lisa'd right there.
:D


I remember expectations were really high for the sequel. I also remember people being like 'WTF' when it came out. Stills scary but not anywhere in the same league as the first film. When I see it playing somewhere, I'll watch it but mostly to try and figure out which scenes were directed by Spielberg when the producers or the studio asked him to come in and save the film.

I've never heard of this happening with regards to Jaws 2. I know that the first director, John Hancock, was fired early on and replaced by Jeannot Swarck, who brought us the amazingly awful movie BUG - about insects that shoot fire from their hinders. (not kidding)

Anyhow, Netflix the Jaws 2 DVD someday - there is a very good documentary on it. It's pretty clear that Roy was just there to fulfill a contractual obligation and thought the whole thing was pretty stupid, but he still puts in a very good performance as Brody for a second time.

[Gemini Cricket]

There is another documentary that has recently had showings in a few cities - and that seems to be on an interminable delay from an official DVD release. The fan-made The Shark Is Still Working has the participation and blessing of practically every remaining player involved in the film, including a lot of the islanders for whom Jaws was their one brush with Hollywood. Roy Scheider provided narration just months before his passing. Check out the clips at the website. I cannot wait to see this -

http://www.sharkisstillworking.com/
Yes, I totally want to see that, too. Chrissie and Cassidy look quite different now. I wonder if they dug up talkative black hair hotel owner lady.

[flippyshark]

Yes, I totally want to see that, too. Chrissie and Cassidy look quite different now. I wonder if they dug up talkative black hair hotel owner lady.

That's Fritzi Jane Courtney. I don't know if she's in the doc, but she did reprise her role as "Mrs. Taft" in Jaws: The Revenge - even reprising her "I don't think that's funny at all" line.

I do know that they interviewed islander Lee Fiero, who played Mrs. Kintner. a clip on the site has her performing from memory her big line - the reproach to Brody.

[Gemini Cricket]

What're ya gonna watch next, GC?
I was thinking it would be fun to do this again. Maybe with a bad film next time? Talk about Mystery Science Theatre! Hee hee. Or maybe we could make it a spirited iSm/GC squabblefest and I could do The Notebook. lol!

[lashbear]

I like Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck for a dog's name. That's the ticket. Try calling that out on the beach while your dog becomes dog chow..
On a Non-Jaws tangent for a moment:

There's a train station in Melbourne called Jolimont/MCG (with MCG being the Melbourne Cricket Ground) and Stoat had a dog called Bemo previously... thus we decided that our next dog (which will most likely be a Miniature Poodle) will be named -

Beemaux Jolimont MCG The Third.

:cheers:

[lashbear]

I was thinking it would be fun to do this again. Maybe with a bad film next time? Talk about Mystery Science Theatre! Hee hee. Or maybe we could make it a spirited iSm/GC squabblefest and I could do The Notebook. lol!
When you next do it, could you please start it between 3pm - 5pm Hawai'ian time on a Friday or a Sat, so that I can sync and join in. :D :cheers: :snap:

Oh, and I'll need a couple days notice to go and rent the relevent movie... Unless you let me pick it. :evil:

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I tried reading this thread and then I remembered that while I may have seen this as a child I have completely forgotten it, and have never watched it fully as an adult.

When I see the names Brody and Quint all I can think of is Mallrats. ;)

[mousepod]

I just got a reasonably watchable copy of the Indian Jaws. No subtitles, but who cares? Perhaps I could watch it and try to replicate this thread. Or not.

[flippyshark]

Aataank? I've been trying to track that one down for my bad shark movie collection. Based on YouTube clips, it might be really painful going, though. I look forward to your report. (A brief reaction will suffice.)

[Snowflake]

Fvckin-A Brad! I missed this yesterday, how totally a-w-e-s-o-m-e.

Loved every bit! :snap:

[Gemini Cricket]

The Jaws Mythbusters is on now. It's a cool episode.
:)

[lindyhop]

I didn't see this thread before. Very cool, Brad.

I never saw the movie either, I'm not good with scary movies. I did read the shark parts of the book and I was disappointed that the Richard Dreyfuss character didn't get eaten even though he did get it in the book (didn't he?). Not sure why (since I love, love Close Encounters) but I wanted to see Richard Dreyfuss get eaten by a shark back then.

[Gemini Cricket]

I think we have to wait until 2010 for Steve's Close Encounters version of this thread.
:)
I can't wait.

[flippyshark]

I didn't see this thread before. Very cool, Brad.

I never saw the movie either, I'm not good with scary movies. I did read the shark parts of the book and I was disappointed that the Richard Dreyfuss character didn't get eaten even though he did get it in the book (didn't he?). Not sure why (since I love, love Close Encounters) but I wanted to see Richard Dreyfuss get eaten by a shark back then.

In the book
Hooper does indeed get eaten, and it's hard not to see it as a moral comeuppance for Hooper having had an affair with Chief Brody's wife. This whole subplot was wisely left out of the movie. If Richard Dreyfess' character had died in the movie, it would simply have been a random tragic event. It would have made Brody the lone survivor, a la Moby Dick, but I suspect the movie wouldn't have been as popular. I still would have liked it of course.

[flippyshark]

Worth noting also that in the novel

Quint is not eaten, but instead gets caught up in a rope and dragged out of the boat by the shark, in a direct homage to Captain Ahab - so Moby Dick was bigtime on Benchley's mind when he wrote his book. If in fact the shark were to have eaten both Hooper and Quint in rapid succession, it would have seemed a little ridiculous. This problem comes up in Jaws 2, with the number of teens eaten in a single afternoon suggests that this shark is literally unbelieavably hungry.

[lindyhop]

I still think it was cheating not to feed Richard Dreyfuss to the shark. I figured it was just because he was Richard Dreyfuss that he survived. Not a good reason in my opinion.

[flippyshark]

I still think it was cheating not to feed Richard Dreyfuss to the shark. I figured it was just because he was Richard Dreyfuss that he survived. Not a good reason in my opinion.

Actually, at the time, he wasn't all that well known. His only previous credits were American Graffitti and the critically lauded but little-seen The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. JAWS made him a star.

I suspect he lived because his character was re-envisioned to be a likable comedic foil to Shaw's hard-bitten Quint, as opposed to the smug preppie boy that Hooper was in the novel. So, too lovable to kill, basically.

You really haven't seen JAWS yet? what are you waiting for!?

[flippyshark]

For what it's worth, Lindyhop, MAD Magazine agreed with you. In their movie parody Jaw'd, the shark dies from getting sick to his stomach due to the saccharine lack of that character's death.

[flippyshark]

It also occurs to me that all these spoiler tags are pretty pointless for anyone who has read this entire thread.

[lindyhop]

I've seen Bruce in action at Universal Studios so I don't have to watch the movie. I may put all my posts in spoilers from now on, just 'cos.

[flippyshark]

I've seen Bruce in action at Universal Studios so I don't have to watch the movie. I may put all my posts in spoilers from now on, just 'cos.

Oh goodness, that's certainly no substitute.

But if you are determined never to see JAWS, you could just watch Grizzly instead. It's almost exactly the same movie except with a bear, and not good.

[CoasterMatt]

Grizzly would be a good double feature with Bug.

[lashbear]

I think that putting your posts in this colour and in spoilers is totally mandatory from now on in this thread.

[Kevy Baby]

I think that putting your posts in this colour and in spoilers is totally mandatory from now on in this thread.
It's even cooler when you can do it without having to use the spoiler text.

[lindyhop]

Watching any movie requires sitting down and paying attention for a period of time. I don't do that well.

[Gemini Cricket]

Watching any movie requires sitting down and paying attention for a period of time. I don't do that well.
That's funny because I was just thinking that the other day. It's so true.
I often play DVDs I have seen tons of times and have it on in the background for noise and write, surf the net etc and then only tune in when something catches my eye.

[alphabassettgrrl]

I'm with you, Lindy.