12 - "Jaws" (1975)

     Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...What a great film. Steven Spielberg's Jaws was the first summer blockbuster and was the highest-grossing film in history for a couple of years, until a little space movie from George Lucas came out (we'll get into that more later...). The movie, based on a novel by Peter Benchley, caused millions of people who saw it to not go into the ocean again. The movie did nothing for beach businesses. Roy Scheider stars as Chief Brody, a cop from the city who has moved his family to the small town life of Amity Island, a fictional resort on the Atlantic Ocean. The 4th of July, the busiest time of the year for Amity, is just around the corner when a young lady is found dead on the beach. The coroner reports the death as being from a boat propeller. A young marine scientist and shark expert, Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), is brought in to investigate and determines right away that the death was due to a shark...a BIG shark. Brody and Hooper try to persuade the town mayor (Murray Hamilton) to close the beach but he denies the request. As tourists flock into the resort to open the summer, another attack happens, killing a little boy. This is the last straw and Brody decides to go after the shark. He hires a salty, old fisherman named Quint (Robert Shaw) to hunt down the shark. Quint, Brody and Hooper set out on their quest but soon realize they are up against an even more powerful force than they ever imagined. Jaws succeeds because the shooting of the film was a complete disaster. Originally the shark was supposed to appear more often but the thing would not work at inopportune times, causing Spielberg to shoot much of the film without the shark. This ended up being an unexpected victory. Because we don't see the shark until late in the movie, it helps build suspense and that is what makes this movie great. When we do finally see it though, we realize how much trouble the three guys are in. This leads us to a 30 minute showdown between man and shark at the end of the movie that was terrifying the first time I saw it. While the action is top notch, some of Jaws best scenes are when the shark is not being thought of. One night out on the sea, the three guys get drunk and start swapping stories and wounds. Quint tells of his adventures on the USS Indianapolis during World War II (a true event...google it for a VERY interesting read). This scene is one of my favorites of all time. Robert Shaw's delivery of the speech is simply fabulous. This film would not be complete without mentioning the Oscar winning score by the great John Williams. It just wouldn't be the same without his music. If you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about.