Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Jaws



A to Z Blogging Challenge: Movie Memories
Blogging about the movies that made an impact on my life

I met my hubby in the year of Jaws (1975). It was our second date movie, the first being Shampoo. I was 18 and we were in love. We got married the following year and have been happily married for 34 years.

At the time, my future hubby was into tropical fish. I remember coming back from the movie and watching his fish swimming in the tank, thinking to myself, "I hope sharks don't hold grudges against fish owners." You, know, release of the captives and all that jazz.

The fact that we lived in the land-locked Rocky Mountains didn't really enter into the equation.

When I studied film in college, Jaws was used as an example of masterful filmmaking: action, drama, compelling characters, visual motifs, cinematography, internal conflict, strong dialog and superb performances.

If you ever get a chance, watch The Making of Jaws. It shows how Spielberg made the movie. Fascinating.

BRODY: We're gonna need a bigger boat.

33 comments:

Sheila Siler said...

We showed Jaws to our kids not that long ago and it still is a powerful movie. Great post, and congratulations on 34 years!

Angela said...

I didn't see Jaws until after I graduated from college. I just assumed it was a movie about a Shark. Man, was I wrong!

Luana Krause said...

Sheila: It's a classic! I never get tired of watching it.

Luana Krause said...

Angela: So true! The book is excellent as well. One of my favorite novels. Author Peter Benchley.

Hart Johnson said...

1975? I saw Jaws in the theater, but i had to only be 9! I can't belive my mom let me go! It definitely is a well-done movie--imposed a shark fear in a lot of people! (not me, but then it would take a lot to keep me out of the water)

Unknown said...

One of the scariest movies ever. I just had a Jawsathon not so long ago :) Great choice as always!

PK HREZO said...

How cool. I love that your doing movies A-Z. Great idea! Jaws is one of my all time fave films. I know it by heart and I never get tired of watching it. I prefer the film over the book even--better story, tho props always go to Benchley for dreaming up the idea. I won't let my kids watch it, cuz living in FLA, they'd never swim in the ocean again. But my fave is the end when it's just 3 dudes in a boat battling a fish. Such awesome film making. It will forever be a classic.

Marjorie said...

Jaws was terrifying. The later films were not so great.

Luana Krause said...

Hart: It was promoted as a scary movie, but it went a lot deeper (no pun intended). One of my faves as well.

Luana Krause said...

Siv: Thanks for stopping by. I never get enough of Jaws. The book and the movie. I've seen/read both several times.

Luana Krause said...

Pk: I actually prefer the film over the book as well. Which is surprising since books are almost always better than the movie. Just go to show how you can take an EXCELLENT book and adapt it to create an EXCELLENT film! Kudos to Benchley and Spielberg! BTW: The music by John Williams is BRILLIANT!

Luana Krause said...

Marjorie: I totally agree. The sequels were all horrible. Why can't Hollywood leave well enough alone. They did the same thing with Psycho. Taking a classic and rehashing it into garbage. Sigh.

Gail M Baugniet - Author said...

I have watched the making of Jaws and agree, it is fascinating. Now I think I'll watch it again.

Margaret Hall said...

ANOTHER fave...It was so chilling for it's time...Lots of conversation about the thrill factor of the movie...Love your thoughts and posting of the movies..

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Susan Kane said...

Great post! I was pregnant with our first baby when we went to a drive-in to see "Jaws". It was in Orange county, CA; a fog rolled in from the ocean and settled all around the cars. When the theme not-to-be-forgotten music came on, we all got creeped out.
Thanks for writing this post!

nutschell said...

I've never watched jaws, so I never got why it was so popular. maybe i should try renting it.:Pthanks for the post and great meeting you through the a-z
nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com

Luana Krause said...

Gail: I think I'll watch it again, too. It's funny; since I've been posting these movies, I've been watching them again. I have most of them on DVD or VHS.

Luana Krause said...

Margaret: It's one of the best movies ever made. And it's not the subject matter, it's the way the story was told. It could have been done any number of ways, but Spielberg's vision was unique and in my opinion, genius.

Luana Krause said...

Susan: That must have been so cool to see Jaws at the drive in with the fog rolling in. Uber Creepy!

Arlee Bird said...

Was it really that long ago?! You got married about the same time I did, but commendably you were able to stay married. I'm on my third, and hopefully last wife.


Lee
Tossing It Out
Twitter hashtag: #atozchallenge

Luana Krause said...

nutschell: Thanks for stopping by! Yes, you really should see the movie. The irony that the police chief is afraid of water and ends up in a stand-off with a Great White is fantastic! I also liked the contrast between Hooper and Quint...young, tech-savy scientist in fancy yacht vs the traditional fisherman in rickety boat.

Luana Krause said...

Hi, Arlee: It wasn't easy...a lot of give and take along the way, but totally worth it. Thanks for posting. Happy blogging!

MTeacress said...

Would you believe I've never watched Jaws? It's a shame, and I should fix it soon. It was used as a good example of horror at the last writers conference I attended. :)

MTeacress said...
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Tyrean Martinson said...

Great post! I watched that movie all by myself, without permission from my parents, and it scared me bad as a kid. Now, I think it's a pretty interesting movie.

Gujjari said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Gujjari said...

Jaws is a lovely movie, which I saw at my 14yrs...

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

With warm regards.

http://mydaughtersdreams.blogspot.com

Luana Krause said...

Michelle: Jaws is definitely scary...I noticed in the film that the "music" only played when the shark was around. No other time.

Luana Krause said...

Tyrean: I don't think anyone knew how realistic it was going to be, which is what makes it so frightening. Thanks for stopping by!

Luana Krause said...

Gujjari: It's good to watch a movie again after a long time...you see things you missed. Even now I alwasy find things in Jaws that I never noticed before.

Craig Edwards said...

A certified classic that singlehandedly created the Summer Movie Season! I saw this at 8 in the theater and it's one of the reasons I love movies so much now. The making-of IS a fascinating story too! One of my all time faves! Nicely chosen!

Luana Krause said...

Craig: Believe it or not, I have friends who don't like this movie. It blows my mind! How can they not see that this is one of the greatest movies of all time?! Everytime I watch it I get something new from it...a line of dialog, a bit of nonverbal moments from the actors, a subtle visual motif or beautiful camera shot..it's neverending.

Luana Krause said...

Craig: Believe it or not, I have friends who don't like this movie. It blows my mind! How can they not see that this is one of the greatest movies of all time?! Everytime I watch it I get something new from it...a line of dialog, a bit of nonverbal moments from the actors, a subtle visual motif or beautiful camera shot..it's neverending.