Review of Jaws

Review of “Jaws”

By Roger Ebert

“You’re going to need a bigger boat.”

So the police(pəˈlēs) chief(CHēf) famously(ˈfāməslē) informs the shark hunter, right after the first brief appearance of the man-eater in “Jaws(jô).” It’s not simply a splendid(ˈsplendəd) line of dialogue(ˈdīəˌläg), it’s an example of Steven Spielberg’s strategy all through the film, where the shark is more talked about than seen(sēn), and seen more in terms of its actions than in the flesh(fleSH). There is a story that when producers Richard Zanuck(ˈzanək) and David Brown first approached Spielberg with an offer to direct the film of Peter Benchley’s(ˈbenCHlē) best seller, he said he would do it on one condition: that the shark not be seen for the first hour. Viewing the movie’s 25th anniversary(ˌanəˈvərsərē) DVD, I was surprised to realize how little the shark is seen at all.

In keeping the Great White offscreen, Spielberg was employing a strategy used by Alfred(ˈalfrəd) Hitchcock throughout his career. “A bomb(bäm) is under the table, and it explodes(ikˈsplōd): That is surprise,” said Hitchcock. “The bomb is under the table but it does not explode: That is suspense(səˈspens).” Spielberg leaves the shark under the table for most of the movie. And many of its manifestations(-ˌfesˈtāSHən,ˌmanəfəˈstāSHən) in the later part of the film are at second hand: We don’t see the shark but the results of his actions. The payoff is one of the most effective thrillers(ˈTHrilər) ever made.

The movie takes place over the Fourth of July weekend on Amity(ˈamədē) Island, a tourist resort that feeds off the dollars of its visitors. A famous opening sequence(ˈsēkwəns) establishes(əˈstabliSH) the presence(ˈprezəns) of a man-eating shark in the coastal(ˈkōstəl) waters; a girl goes swimming by moonlight and is dragged under, screaming. All evidence points to a shark, but Mayor(ˈmāər) Vaughn (Murray(ˈmərē) Hamilton(ˈhaməltən)) doesn’t want to scare(ske(ə)r) away tourists, and orders Brody (Roy(roi) Scheider), the police chief, to keep the beaches open. “If people can’t swim here, they’ll be glad to swim in the beaches of Cape(kāp) Cod(käd), the Hamptons(ˈham(p)tənz), Long Island,” the mayor tells Brody, who spits(spit) back: “That doesn’t mean we have to serve them up a smorgasbord(ˈsmôrgəsˌbôrd).” But the mayor strides(strīd) on the beach wearing a sport coat and tie, encouraging people to go into the water. They do, with predictable(prəˈdiktəb(ə)l) results.

…
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-jaws-1975