Jaws (50th Anniversary)

I am old enough to remember the release of "Jaws" (1975), and I believe no one, especially that of director, Steven Spielberg, thought that this film would become the phenomena it has become. With the over costs, the 100 day late schedule and mechanical problems, Spielberg thought he would never direct another film. That was then...this is now.

It's a hot summer on Amity Island. a small community whose primary business is its beaches. When new Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), discovers the remains of a shark attack victim, his first inclination is to close the beaches to swimmers, however it doesn't bode well with Mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) and several local business people. Brody backs down to his regret of that weekend when a predator kills a young boy. The dead boy's mother, Mrs. Kintner (Lee Fiero), puts out a bounty on the shark, and Amity is soon swamped with amateur hunters and fishermen hoping to cash in on the reward. A local, gritty fisherman, Quint (Robert Shaw) with much experience hunting sharks, offers to hunt down the creature for a hefty fee. Soon, Quint, Brody and Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) from the Oceanographic Institute are hunting the Great White shark at sea. As Brody succinctly surmises after their first encounter with the creature, they will need a bigger boat. 

Others to round out the cast are Lorraine Gary as Ellen Brody, Martin's wife, Carl Gottlieb as Meadows, Jeffrey Kramer as Deputy Hendricks, Susan Backlinie as Chrissie, Jonathan Filley as Cassidy, Chris Rebello as Michael Brody, Jay Mello as Sean Brody, Jeffrey Voorhees as Alex Kintner and Dr. Robert Nevin as Medical Examiner.

This was directed with subtle suspense and grit by Steve Spielberg ("Duel" (TV movie) '71, "The Sugarland Express" '74, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" '77, "1941" '79, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" '81, "E.T. the Extra Terrestrial" '82, "The Color of Purple" '85, "Jurassic Park" '93, "Schindler's List" '93, "Saving Private Ryan" '98, "War of the Worlds" '05, "War Horse" '12,"The BFG" '16, "Ready Player One" '18, "The Fabelmans" '22) plus many other films, TV movies, TV and shorts. Spielberg is the quintessential American director that knows no boundaries. He has hit essentially every genre with precise delineation and all the while to entertain us with that film in which to escape into. This film, even though it was a very early film of his, was filmed so well, what with cinematographer Bill Butler, film editor, Verna Fields, ace and that iconic soundtrack brilliantly composed by the master, John Williams. It all, along with a gripping cast, was the best ingredients for a top notch film looked upon by many 50 years later as one of the best films of all time. It was penned well by writers Peter Benchley ("Jeremiah of Jacob's Neck" (TV movie) '76, "The Great Houdini" (TV movie) '76, "The Deep" '77, "Hunters of the Reef" (TV movie) '78, "The Island" '80) plus TV, video games, shorts and a video, and Carl Gottlieb ("Which Way Is Up?" '77, "Jaws 2" '78, "The Jerk" '79, "Caveman" '81, "Doctor Detroit" '83, "Jaws 3-D" '83) plus TV movies and TV, based on the novel by Peter Benchley. The story, particularly by today's standards is not expressly original, but since this was 1975, and the direction, photography and music were so incredible, simply made this the iconic film it has become. After the success of "Jaws", there were, not only sequels, but also many other films like this in order to cash in, but this film was one of a kind. The effects, visual and mechanical, were state of the art then and still hold up as effectively today. 

If you liked "Jaws" when released back in 1975, you'll like this, since not only can you see it in standard form, but in IMAX and 4DX format as well. It's a great re-release for sure, but I would love to see a re-release of the uproarious film, "It's Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (1963) directed by the incomparable Stanley Kramer with a star-studded cast. Watching "Jaws" might make you reconsider in going into the water all over again.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                          Rated: PG                                         124mins.

P.S. Just to leave all know out there, the reason why I haven't written a review since 8-27-25, was because I am recovering from an emergent abdominal surgery earlier and this is the first time I've had the strength to even sit through a film. All's good, just at this age, recovery takes a little longer than if I was younger.