Review of Jaws (1975) by Renzo V — 11 Feb 2014

"THE SUMMER OF THE GREAT WHITE SHARK".

- One of the first real blockbusters was this 1975 'Jaws' from director Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park, Schindler's List). Based on the novel by Peter Benchley, this film is one of the most terrifying films of all times. The big star: a man-eating great white shark (in reality a huge mechanic dummy). I really love this film; it's man versus nature, and it music composition by the genius John Williams (everyone knows the tune) is absolutely nerve-racking. The movie was so successful that it got three more sequels and formed an inspiration for many other shark-movies. In the main cast we have Roy Scheider (the French Connection), Robert Shaw (From Russia With Love), Richard Dreyfuss (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and Lorainne Gary (Jaws franchise). A classic to put your teeth in.

When Amilty Island's Sheriff Martin Brody (Scheider) finds the remains of a girl who was attacked by a shark when she went skinny-dipping in the night, he wants to close down the beach for swimmers. But that's against the will of the local business people, who make a living by the summer tourists, so the mayor denies Brody's request. Shortly after that, the Sheriff and his wife Ellen (Gary) witness several other attacks. One almost killed their son Michael. With this many casualties, something needs to be done. Brody joins the local shark hunter Quint (Shaw) and Marine biologist Matt Hooper (Dreyfuss) to track the shark down. The three men set out on the vessel Orca and plan on killing the terrifying sea creature...