This past week, in my Film 100 class we watched the popular shark attack movie Jaws. This movie changed the way people viewed not only sharks, but film making as a whole. Being my first time watching this movie, it also changed the way I viewed sharks as well. I've grown up loving the ocean, so it is with a heavy heart that I admit I am now afraid to go in any body of water with sharks. Not because of the special effects within the movie, but because of the story itself along with the main actors. So, due to my new fear, I plan on spending this week mostly discussing the impact this movie has had on me as a viewer. But first, I'm going to go into a bit about the story itself. So, if you do not want spoilers I'd suggest not reading further until you've seen the movie.
The film revolved mainly around three men: an officer named Brody, a scientist named Hooper, and a sailor named Quint. To me, Jaws was about more than just three men trying to protect a town that was experiencing shark attacks. It's about the internal and external struggles of a man, Officer Brody, conquering his fears of the ocean, getting his family used to a new home, and butting heads with their mayor who put money before the safety of his people. That last theme regarding the corruption of polititions really stuck with me though. Murray Hamilton, who did an anazing job of playing the role of the mayor, came off as being a character who is really easy to hate. What I disliked the most about his character and his actions was that despite the mayor being responsible for not warning people about the shark attacks he is not targeted with hate afterwards. Instead, the fault falls onto Officer Brody for sticking to what the mayor orders him to do. I felt that was wrong, and I believe the mayor should recieve some kind of punishment in the movie other than a loss of money. I wonder if there are other viewers who might agree with my point of view?
Another aspect of the movie I was impressed with was the camera angles. I felt that what the film lacked in terms of quality and realism, it made up for in acting and angles. Close-ups were used often to show the severity of specific scenes as well as the fear those characters expressed. Wide shots were used during the beach scenes to capture the setting and the curiosity of who the next shark victim would be. Yet, my favorite shots where when the camera drew in closer to each victim before attacking since it put the perspective from that of the shark. The anticipation was exciting up until the actual attack.
Speaking of attack scenes, I'd like to make my last paragraph to explain what tramatized me the most, which was Quint's death scene. Quint was aware of the damage produced by sharks, as he had been involved in tragedy that befalled the USS Indianapolis. Having had their ship destroyed, hundreds of men who were involved were left floating in the water to be picked off by hungry sharks. Having survived, he still remembers the horrors, along with seeing one of his friends riped in half. So, it is quite ironic that he suffered the same fate during this film. Another piece of irony was that despite having the most experience with sharks, he was the one of the three who ended up dying. What got to me the most though were his screams, as I couldn't bare to watch the gore. So, I can't go into camera angles. From what little I could tell, the movie was keen on showing audiences the danger sharks provide by adding close-ups to highlight the fear and pain Quint was experiencing. Also, this also increased the suspense around Brody's will to survive.
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