Jaws
E and I took some liberty for our next Spooktober pick, as its not exactly horror, but certainly horror-adjacent. We had both seen bits and pieces of the year but never the whole movie. Next year will mark 50 years since Jaws was released and it is a true testament to the power of practical effects on how well Jaws holds up. Bruce the shark still looks incredible, particularly in the shots in the water. That said, he’s not actually in the movie that much, due to technical issues the mechanical Bruce suffered, and as many future horror directors would learn from this film and copy into their works, that withholding of the monster adds so much to the suspense and drama of this movie. Because of that fact, you spend a lot of time developing the three main characters: the oceanographer Hooper, the skipper Quint, and the Sheriff Brody, all of whom bring a unique dynamic to the task in front of them - stopping a maneater. Robert Shaw was heavily lauded for his portrayal of Quint, and for good reason, but I think a strong case for the magic of this movie is Sheriff Brody. He represents a kind of character that Spielberg is so good at - wholesome and competent. I see a lot of my late grandfather in him, so maybe that adds something for me, but there’s a really profound moment in the movie where the Sheriff is devastated after multiple shark attacks, his community at odds with each other and being personally blamed for the most recent death, and he’s sitting at the dinner table with his young son, and the son’s mimicking him silently until the Sheriff finally cracks a smile, and the Sheriff says, “give me a kiss, son.” The son asks, “why dad?” The Sheriff answers, “because I need it.” And man that got me! You want a positive example of masculinity? That’s all you need right there. The Sheriff doesn’t lash out in anger because of his circumstances, he takes a beat, regroups, and with a little comfort from his family, readies himself to go find this shark. It’s absolutely brilliant. There’s so much to love in Jaws, of course, but come for the shark and stay for the wholesome Sheriff.
-Z
