: Gene Kelly, Singing in the Rain.  I figured it fits today’s weather

1. Why am I Afraid of Jaws, When I know he’s a robot?

“Don’t go in the water”  was Jaws’ tagline, and you know what?  After watching it, not a lot of people wanted to.  Everyone knows the movie was crazy successful and made 3o times more than its budget.  Oh yes it’s all very impressive, but why? 

Do you remember the first time you saw Jaws?  You have seen it right?  If you haven’t, put everything down and go see it, because there is nothing more important, no matter more pressing, than you seeing this iconic film.  For those of you who have seen it, you know what I mean when I say that that shark is clearly a robot.   I first saw Jaws when I was about 8.  When the whole shark first popped out, I said what everyone else said, “wow, fake”.  That doesn’t take away from the fact that every time I go into the ocean, I’m still looking around for fins, and like everyone else, if something rubs against my foot..Im out!

The fear of the ocean that Jaws has instilled inside us doesn’t just come from the toy shark, it comes from the work as a whole.  The acting, the camera shots, and of course that theme song.  So let’s look at all of these elements beginning with the acting.

The first time we’re introduced to the terror that is this man eating great white is the very first scene of the film.  A girl goes skinny dipping at night and is eaten.  If she was just floating around and then went under the water, yeah that would be pretty creepy, but no.  That scene ends with her screaming her head off (I don’t know if that actress had a voice the next day) as she’s flung around by an underwater rope apparatus. The same can be said for everyone in the movie eaten by the shark.  They sell it as “oh my gosh! I am actually being eaten by a friggen shark right now! I’m being eaten alive!” and no one does it better than Robert Shaw as Quint (the crazy owner of the Orca).  That performance is haunting, as he falls into the monster’s mouth in Act 3 while the thing eats the boat.  It’s such a slow and detailed death too.  We see Quint get eaten from his shins first, as he looks down in terror (“oh my gosh it’s actually happening!)  then his waist where blood starts coming out of Quint’s mouth, then by the time the shark gets to his torso, Quint’s gone.  These are the extreme action points though.  If you go back and watch the film and just look at the faces of dread on the characters when they see the bite marks on the dead bodies, or the absolute terror when theres a close up on their faces, after they see a fin, it makes your stomach drop.  You don’t even have to have the shark in the film if you just see their reactions, that is honestly scary and convincing enough.

Think back to the film for a minute, or heck go watch it again if you can.  Now think, how often do you actually see the shark?  How often do you even see a fin?  You really don’t see much of Jaws at all.  The “you’re gonna need a bigger boat” scene is the first time you see more than the fin, and you only see its face.      Director Steven Spielberg did that on purpose.  By not seeing the shark, it builds up suspense, and a sense of mystery.  A lot of the shots of the water are quick spanning shots as you’re almost in the POV of Chief Brody as he scans the horizon for a fin.  The shots of the shark are rushed, and spotty.  All of these are done so the audience can take part in the panic and confusion of the whole situation.  This is especially scary because you really don’t know what’s going to happen next.  You are just as confused as the people in the water, and the people watching from the land, wondering if everyone’s going to get back on the beach in one piece.  Probably my favorite shot though, and the one I think of when I think of Jaws, is the underwater shot.  Spielberg took a chance when he made this cinematographic choice.  Basically, the shot is a fast moving, underwater camera.  All the audience can see is the feet, rafts, and kicking legs of the beach goers.  In other words, the audience is seeing what the shark sees.  This is absolutely terrifying when you think about it.  The audience is watching the monster play God.  It swims past so many, and grabs one. Meanwhile the audience is sitting there thinking about how blissfully ignorant the swimmers are to the shark.  This shot is the one I think of when I’m jumping around in the waves, wondering what’s watching my legs rise and fall in the water…

Finally, the most iconic part of Jaws next to the shark itself, is without a doubt the most hair-raising, stomach turning theme song that has every been written.  Everyone knows it…daaa dum….daaaa dum, da dum, da dum, da dum, DA dum, growing faster and louder as the shark closes in on its prey.  This song will have you shifting in your seat and biting your nails while you’re watching it.  Right now, I’m sitting in my dorm room playing the theme song while I write this, and I’m kind of freaking out.  That’s right, a 20 year old is sitting on the 4th story of a concrete and brick building, no where near the ocean, and is scared that a great white might get her because a song is playing.  That’s what this movie did to me! It made me scared of two notes plaid repeatedly!  This song is terrifying, yet so simple.  It is paced perfectly, nice and slow at first: ominous, a warning.  The tempo builds, growing faster, and soon the notes grow sharper and louder.  The song gets so powerful and out of control as the shark moves closer to its prey, giving everyone the feeling that this thing can not be stopped, just as the progression of the song cannot be stopped.  It’s like imminent doom, death knocking at the door, the moment that the audience begins to pray for the characters in the film, and holds their breath.  We can however find something good and funny in this song though.  For instance, if you really want to mess with your friend, while you’re swimming in the ocean, just go up behind them and whisper “daaaaa dum”.

Now I’ve left a whole lot of this post, but come one, how long can I type for?  However, I really hope that you guys read this and learned something about one of the greatest horror movies ever. Please return next week to read my next post (not really sure what it’s going to be on, but it’s gonna be “yuge” as Trump says). Until then, have a good week, and stay out of the water. 🙂