‘Jaws’ (1975): An exciting, grandiose adventure (review)

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Director Stephen Spielberg adapts author Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel Jaws in an epic tale that splashes across the screen. Like 1974’s “The Sugarland Express,” 1975’s “Jaws” once again sees Spielberg teaming up with composer John Williams for an adventure of grand proportions. Exciting, beautifully shot, and with marvelous acting, “Jaws” is an awe-inspiring masterpiece.

At a beach party on Amity Island, young woman Chrissie Watkins (Susan Backlinie) goes skinny dipping when she’s forcefully pulled under the water. The next morning, her remains are found washed up on the beach. Amity Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) closes the beaches immediately upon learning from the medical examiner that Chrissie’s demise was likely the result of a shark attack. But Mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) objects on the grounds that the town’s economy will suffer. Although Chief Brody still isn’t convinced, the medical examiner claims that Watkins was likely killed by a tiger shark.

Reluctantly, Martin opens the beaches. Shortly thereafter, a shark kills young Alex Kitner (Jeffrey Voorhees). His mother (Lee Fierro) proceeds to place a bounty on the shark, prompting a media circus and shark-hunting craze. Local shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw) offers to kill the shark for $10,000. When Amity fishermen jubilantly bring in a tiger shark, Mayor Vaughn declares the beaches safe and open. However, Chief Brody consults oceanographer Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) who reveals that it’s not the shark that devoured Alex Kitner. Instead, Amity is being stalked by a great white shark. After the shark strikes again on July 4th weekend, Martin persuades Vaughn to contract Quint (Robert Shaw). And Brody, Hooper, and Quint set sail on Quint’s boat, the Orca to catch and kill the great white shark.

From the onset, Stephen Spielberg infuses “Jaws” with a concrete sense of place. Amity is a small beach town that remains quiet and peaceful aside from the traditional summertime influx of tourists. On his way into town after examining Chrissie’s remains, Brody is accosted by locals demanding his attention. The Police Chief heads into a hardware store to buy paints and brushes to make “Beach closed” signs. Spielberg wonderfully depicts Amity as a small beach town through a detail-oriented approach that consists of dialogue as well as visual clues.

Similarly, character development is strong throughout. Roy Scheider lends a clear portrait of Chief Brody as the former New York City cop re-located to Amity for a change of pace. Eccentricities such as Martin ironically being afraid of the water help craft believable characters. Hooper is the passionate oceanographer who eagerly teams up with Brody and Quint for a shark hunting excursion. As Mayor Vaughn, Murray Hamilton is brilliantly cast, bringing an overpowering smarminess and smugness, all while rocking a seersucker sport coat emblazoned with tiny anchors.

But it’s Quint who steals the show. At first, he appears merely the Amity Island simpleton shark hunter, spouting off memorable one-liners like “Here’s to swimmin’ with bowlegged women,” belting out the lyrics to “Spanish Ladies,” and swigging his own bootleg apricot brandy. Yet while on the Orca, Quint’s comic relief becomes suddenly serious when he recounts being on the USS Indianapolis which was torpedoes after delivering the Hiroshima bomb. It’s this experience of being in the water for several days being circled by sharks that shapes Quint into the skilled shark hunter that he is. In the third act, Quint devolves into an Ahabian character with the great white shark playing the part of his white whale.

“Jaws” maintains a sense of wonderment from start to finish. While that’s in part because of its marvelous cinematography, including a slew of gorgeous on- and underwater shots, the John Williams-composed score contributes greatly. The soundtrack pairs perfectly with on-screen visuals, fostering a foreboding atmosphere at times when the shark stalks its prey, and at other times an upbeat jubilance. Uniquely, and adding suspense, the shark itself is rarely seen. But when it appears, the animatronic creature glistens with impressive realism. Mechanical effects supervisor Bob Mattey, whose credits include creating the giant squid from the 1954 Walt Disney adaptation “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”

The Stephen Spielberg-directed 1975 “Jaws” seamlessly fuses several genres ranging from adventure and comedy to horror and suspense. Acting is top-notch across the board, with excellent cinematography and soundtrack. It’s incredibly detailed with a contagious excitement that remains even under multiple viewings.

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