The Summer Blockbuster Shockwave Still Felt Today.
A love story, by our very own Eric Dolan
It’s officially summertime again and that means a few things: pools, sunscreen, beaches, and, of course, movies. While I’m certainly familiar with sunscreen (my Irish background demands it, after all), I’m far more adept at discussing movies because I’m a nerd. Most movies are simply small escapes from reality, for better or for worse. However, some bits of cinema shake the foundation of culture moving forward. I’d be remiss to not bring up one of the greatest pieces of cinema ever bestowed upon us: JAWS. For me, I consider Jaws a perfect movie. Not that it has no flaws, but that the sum of its parts meets perfection in the film’s completion: the story, characters, cinematography, editing, and music all meet perfectly as one united masterpiece. If you wanted to study film from one movie, Jaws would be one of my first to point out.
It’s only appropriate why I bring up this amazing bit of cinema as it turns 50 years old this summer, having been released on June, 20 1975. It’s not an overstatement to discuss its astounding effects on culture from its inception. Anytime someone gets in a body of water larger than a bathtub, it’s almost requirement for someone to mouth the synonymous “duh nuh…duh nuh….” music masterly crafted by one of, if not the greatest cinema composers of all time, John Williams (having created the music for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Harry Potter series just to name a very few). It’s so iconic, that I’d argue most cultures across the globe know that tune immediately.
The Shark That Wouldn’t Work:
However, the music was more than just impactful. It was absolutely critical. The robotic Great White shark (affectionately named “Bruce” after Spielberg’s lawyer; yes I’m a nerd), worked wonderfully in fresh water where it was initially tested, but failed miserably in the Atlantic Ocean off of Martha’s Vineyard where the film was shot (saltwater destroys everything!). Since the shark was often not functional, Spielberg and the film crew had to constantly change the filming schedule, shooting what they could, and getting creative with representing the shark without seeing it (remember those yellow barrels and the broken boardwalk scene?). This is why it was so seldom seen in the film up until the end of the movie. But what of the iconic music? Well, that cued the audience on when the shark was around, even without seeing it. The audience figured it out from the first few notes played.
John Williams: The Real MVP:
It might be safe to say, if it weren’t for the John Williams’ simple tune, Steven Spielberg might not be a household name today. The filming was well over 100 days past shooting schedule, way over budget, the robot shark wouldn’t work, constant rewrites in the script even the night before, shooting on the ocean was a massive pain etc. etc. It was a wonder the movie ever even got made in the first place!
All that said, they did eventually get the shark working properly. We finally see the shark up close and personal in probably the most iconic seen in the movie. Roy Scheider who plays Chief Brody, the main character who hates the water, mind you, is chumming the waters, trying to bait the shark to their little fishing boat, The Orca. After bickering under his breath, the shark’s head pops out of the water mere feet from where he’s standing. The Chief’s countenance changes from whiny annoyance to struck with fear. Backing up into the watercraft’s interior staring at where the shark was he stoically states to the boat’s captain, Quint (played by Robert Shaw), “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” This line has been repeated countless times in media and individuals alike. It is a part of our vernacular. The rest is history as they say.
So much of Jaws is a part of our culture. It has been mimicked, mocked, and lampooned to the ‘inth degree and shows no signs of slowing down. Jaws did for the ocean as Psycho did for the shower—put fear in the hearts of movie goers for something as innocuous as a swim at the beach. You can’t get in a pool, lake, sea, or ocean without thinking about a giant Great White shark swimming around you, unnoticed, lurking in the depths.
A 27-Year-Old Director’s Gamble:
Legacy of Fear and the Birth of the Blockbuster
Jaws also did something else unexpected—it also created our summer movie blockbuster. That’s right, it was the world’s first summer blockbuster, having been the first movie to EVER surpass $100 million in the box office. Not too bad from a 27 year old filmmaker that went over budget, past schedule, and with only one other movie under his belt. Yes, (I can hear you spit out your beverage through the screen) Steven Spielberg was 27 and had done only one other major motion picture prior to Jaws, a movie named Duel, which is about a traveling salesman taking the brunt of major road rage by an unseen man driving a semi-truck on a desert highway. You’re forgiven if you’ve never heard of this movie, let alone seen it. Not so much if you’ve never seen Jaws. I’d say Spielberg knocked that one out of the park so remedy that this summer if you’ve yet to have seen it or haven’t seen it in a blue moon. You’ll be glad you did.
Side note: Quint’s delivery of his monologue discussing the USS Indianapolis is a masterclass in acting. It gets me in every time!
FUN FACT: the sound you hear of the shark falling to the depths after its final stand is the same sound effect used when the Semi-truck in Duel goes over the cliff and is destroyed. I warned you that I was a nerd ;-)
