Jaws

JAWS 1976 Original Poster

Theme ~ Human Fears Human Beings have “natural” fears: Fear of the dark Fear of deep, dark water = humans are helpless Fear being trapped = island, boat and in water Fear of “monsters” (the thing under the bed)

The Setting ~ Amity Island “Trapped” on an island Turns our idea/feeling of a safe, happy, restful place upside down Amity beach resort becomes like a jail of terror Innocence to Terror

Main Characters

Police Chief Brody ~ Roy Scheider “the hero” faces many ethical choices Family man (husband/father) = earns our trust Works for the well-being of the community Has many weaknesses (Achilles Heal) Fear of water Needs help – cannot solve the problem alone Major motivation is to keep people safe (family)

Quint ~ fisherman ~ Robert Shaw Hero ~ Has the “Old Man of the Sea” knowledge and experience Isn’t afraid (dark, water, monster) Directs others/has the answers (for Chief) Sacrifices self for good of all

Matt Hooper (researcher) ~ Richard Dreyfuss Hero ~ has “book” knowledge Lacks life experiences Excited about the “chase” Motivated by “academic” value

Who’s the Hero? The academic + the protector+ the hunter = The Hero One alone, can’t kill Jaws, but together… If you sum up the parts/qualities of each man, you equal the qualities of an archetype hero.

The Villains…. Mayor Vaughn Motivated by greed ~ keep beaches open at all costs Acts immorally to keep the illusion of “safe beach” ~ persuades coroner to change death certificate on the first victim *earliest source of conflict in the plot Resolved when he witnesses attack on the beach (and boy dies)

Jaws ~ Mr. G.W. Shark Strikes at random ~ characters/audience cannot predict where/when/who he will take Addressed as more of a person than an animal (pronoun used: “he”) We get to see the world (Amity) from Jaw’s perspective (cruising/watching swimmers/hunting) Humans subject to shark’s presence = shark holds the power

Cinematic Techniques Musical Score (you know that famous one) Audience is taught to associate score with shark, especially a vicious shark attack (first woman victim) Audience then tries to use score to predict a scene of attack. When it does not happen, we are thrown into a state of confusion & anxiety/tension Will it happen? Or won’t it? (ex. Lauren holding hands in front of face, anticipating a scary scene) Suspense heightens because we are trying to “plan” reacting to something scary. We KNOW “scary” will happen again….BUT WHEN!

Use of Props… In several scenes, props are used by having the ‘bob’ in the water to show us where Jaws is & and where he is going. We don’t have to see the shark to become concerned and anxious about his location In reality, the lack of seeing him works to the movie’s advantage…

Imagination is Better than Reality 1.)We are often reacting to Brody’s face. When he is tense/concerned, we trust in him, therefore we are tense/concerned also. 2.) We are teased with many images “about” the shark, but not of the shark itself. Bite marks, jaw bones, teeth, attacked bodies, human wounds, stories, brief/bloody attacks. 3.) We are forced to use our imagination to get a picture of what Jaws must be like. That picture comes from our imaginations. Our imagination will always give us a “worse” idea than what is real. Think of a time when you had to imagine something bad…our brain’s tend to over exaggerate.

By not seeing Jaws often, we are also not allowed to become desensitized to him We continue to be fascinated and scared when we do get to see it…we want more

The roller-coaster of Suspense A film that kept us in a state of suspense for 2 hours straight would not work…we would become mentally/emotionally exhausted. Suspense/thrillers/horror films work because the suspense is built up slowly, teaching us to anticipate it. Once established, it is goes into a roller-coaster effect with moments of intense suspense that is resolved and allows us to relax until the next build up…

Heroes sail out to find shark…drop bait and wait… …we see shark in distance, heroes are unaware… …shark emerges right at foot of boat, chief finally sees and is shocked… …shark attack on boat (old boat) begins and lasts into the night… …When attacks cool off, heroes retreat into a more relaxed state…the “drunken scar stories” scene. This allows us to relax as they do…but we know deep down, shark is still around… …and will be back!

Outtakes