Jaws

I will never forget the first time I saw Jaws. I was glued to the seat from start to finish. I jumped, I held my breath; this was one of the experiences that made me fall in love with movies. This was probably the first film where I completely forgot everything around me. I was there, in that boat, in that gloomy cabin, with those people - everything seemed so real (and alas, the sea never looked the same again). When I watch it these days I still marvel: the atmosphere and the performances in this film are simply magical. Spielberg without the schmalz. He has never been better.

My vote: 10 out of 10

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There are perils when it comes to beach and sea, on occasion they might make you want to flee, a large mandible or two, clamping down right over you, could be one, and you'll become, an absentee (or an amputee if your lucky).

Three of the best performances from three outstanding actors of their day make this a perpetually piercing picture of perfection.

Back in 1975, "Jaws" made a huge splash (pardon the pun) in theaters. It set all sorts of box office records and made the covers of magazines all over the country. And, the film was seen as groundbreaking and amazing. When seen today, it's still a great film to watch even with it's very dated technology. In other words, the shark often looks very fake but the story is so good and handled so well, you really don't care. Excellent acting, a very nice script and excellent direction make this a definite must-see.

I re-watched this film recently and was blown away by the absolute suspense it invoked in me. My daughter (whom is 17) and I were both stunned at the quality and realism of a film made in 1975!! Our TV is 55 inches which showed the movie off to it's full potential and it certainly did not disappoint.

That iconic moment of the young lady going skinny dipping in the dark with her male friend is utterly haunting. You know the horror of what's going to happen, the buoy dinging in the background gives you the chills. Steven Spielberg captures pure terror in that scene.

Jaws completely absorbs you, as the trio of shark hunters venture off to try to snare the great white you begin to feel part of their adventure. You fear for them, get excited with them and dread what will happen next. When that fishing line starts spinning your heart starts pumping. This is pure class.

The dynamics of Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw's relationship(s) work brilliantly. The differences in their characters persona's is such that they rub each other up the wrong way, disrespect one another and wind each other up but in the end they are there for each other and develop a bond that I think surprises them all.

As things begin to unravel your heart goes out to the trio and trepidation is the only way forward. They have the fight of their life on their hands, their bravery is boundless. You feel in awe of them.

An absolute legend of a movie which I am grateful to have been able to watch and enjoy.

Jaws is very much a spiritual child of Moby Dick, with a Great White Shark inserted in place of a giant white whale.

The hunting of the shark means something different for each of the three main male leads. For Brody, killing the shark would mean ensuring the safety of his children (the relationship between parents and their children being a strong running theme in nearly all of Spielberg's films). For Hooper, the shark is just another shark. It's his job to study them and provide his expertise. That's it. Then there's Quint, a Captain Ahab like figure whose obsession places him in a fit of blind fury. To him, all sharks are the same and killing this one would operate as ultimate revenge.

And like Moby Dick, Jaws is a perfectly told straightforward story depicting believable human beings and observing human behavior. Part of the joy of Jaws is watching these characters interact with each other in ways that make them seem truly alive and real, which only serves to make the threat of the shark even more threatening. We also have the land scenes of the first half that expose the stakes at the same time as it depicts the conflict between Brody and the mayor who wants to keep the beach open.

And of course, the film is marvelously constructed by Spielberg. Much is made of the way he directs the scenes of suspense, but there's also very intelligent decisions being made in non-action scenes. Many shots burned into my eyes are something as simple as a quiet moment between a father and his son who is innocently ignorant of the danger at hand.