Jaws

It’s tagline read, “Don’t go in the water,” and it had people running from the beaches and into the movie theaters.  Jaws, Steven Spielberg’s first major feature film, smashed box office records and became a house hold name from the moment it was released in theaters.  Spielberg’s uncanny eye and precise direction with the camera created one of the best examples of film that we have today.  He paints a picture of a sleepy little town dependent of summer tourism.  Just as the town is preparing for their busy season, a string of shark attacks plagues the beaches and threatens these peoples way of life.  Spielberg then assembles a miss-matched crew, consisting of a shark expert, a seasoned fisherman, and the town’s sheriff.  Together the three men set off to put to rest the giant monster that has eluded captivity for so long. 

            Spielberg had an uncanny eye and despite the fact that the film went way over it production timeline, he knew exactly what he wanted.  The most iconic scene, which sets the tone for the rest of the film, happens to be the first.  The camera starts from under the water, as if it is trying to take the point of view of the shark.  This image combined with the now immediately identifiable tune that has become associated with Jaws, set a tone that Spielberg carries throughout the rest of the film.  In fact we do not even see the shark until more than halfway through the film, which I believe in itself is brilliant.  We see multiple people dragged down and violently thrashed about in the water with out ever seeing the attacker.  The curiosity of the audience increases with each attack as well as their fear of the unknown.  This seems to be Spielberg’s ploy; even though we know that it’s a shark terrorizing the town we have a compelling need to see it with our own eyes.  And when we finally do Spielberg does not disappoint.  It is a tactic that Spielberg uses in many of his films including Jurassic Park. 

            Of course the film is about a shark terrorizing a sleepy little town, but the underlying meaning is so much more than that.  The film alludes to our own fears.  The type that we keep under the surface and only rarely let it breach the water. When we become to restless and cant keep it bottled up anymore we like the shark strike out harming people when all we’re trying to do is survive.  While our fears might not be as tangible as Brody’s, in some way we all face our own battle with the shark.