Name: Period: Date: Due: Jaws (1975) directed by Steven Spielberg Cast Roy Scheider as Police Chief Martin Brody Robert Shaw as Quint Richard Dreyfuss as Matt Hooper Lorraine Gary as Ellen Brody Murray Hamilton as Mayor Larry Vaughn Crew Director: Steven Spielberg Producers: David Brown and Richard D. Zanuck Writers: Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb (screenplay) and Peter Benchley (novel) Editor: Verna Fields Director of Photography: Bill Butler Music: John Williams Distribution/Studio Company: Universal Pictures MPAA Rating: PG Running Time: 124 minutes Background and Introduction to Jaws The scariest horror films are ones that prey on realism, and the greatest disaster films are based on disasters that occur frequently. Jaws combines both genres perfectly. We read about shark attacks nearly every summer, and be honest: How many of you have thought of an animal attack while on the beach or out in nature? This fear may have been instilled due to thrillers like Jaws. Loosely based on the real life Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916, Jaws was written by Peter Benchley. After learning the true nature of sharks in wild life years later, Benchley said he would have never written the novel. After submitting a few failed adapted screenplays, Benchley bowed out of the project and playwright Howard Sackler polished the work as an uncredited writer. With the new script in tow, producers signed Spielberg to direct even though his first feature length film had been released. With one of the most recognizable musical scores in film history thanks to John Williams, who was also unknown at the time, Jaws became a landmark film in motion picture history. The film s popularity catapulted Spielberg and Williams to stardom, and the duo continue to work together on future projects today. Despite being plagued with an abundance of technical flaws in production, Jaws was tremendously successful both critically and commercially and it was the first film to coin the term blockbuster, for the film s queue lines stretched (busted) beyond city blocks. It was also the first film to apply the concept of wide release (mass distribution across the nation at the same time) in its distribution pattern, which created the new paradigm of distributing and marketing major motion pictures simultaneously, a business practice which continues today. Jaws and Star Wars are considered by film historians to have marked the beginning of the new business paradigm in American filmmaking, the beginning of the end of the New Hollywood period, the beginning of high concept films, and the beginning of movie studios distributing their big-release action and adventure pictures during the summer. Jaws revolutionized how future movies were made (especially films in the genres of adventure and horror), and it became the model for many movies to come.
Pre-Viewing, During Viewing, and Post-Viewing Notes Directions: Conscientious film students prepare themselves for a film by writing any notes about the film that may be important during the pre-viewing process and any notes that the group presentation will make for our post-viewing discussion of the film. Jot down any lecture or discussion material here. In addition, this page is used to record your notes while you watch the film. In the left column, describe scenes from the film that seem intriguing, interesting, or relative to your life. In the right column, write a response to the scene you described in the left column. You may write what you think the scene means, what the scene reminds you of, what you don t understand, how you feel about it, or any other comments. Main Points Notes Summary
Comprehension Questions Directions: Answer the following questions as you watch the film. 1. The opening scene is one of the most shocking scenes in cinema history. What cinematic techniques does Spielberg employ (e.g. music, color, texture, voice, and editing) to both prepare and shock us? 2. Police Chief Martin Brody is portrayed differently from some of the other authority figures we have seen in other movies this year. What differentiates this police officer from others we have seen? 3. Besides the shark, who is the antagonist? Why is this person an obstacle to the protagonist? 4. What fear does Chief Brody have to conquer in order to solve his central conflict? 5. Quint and Hooper compare scars to size up their masculinity. In doing so, they bond together. What about this act defines what it means to be a man to these men? 6. Quint s recounting of the U.S.S. Indianapolis is true. Research it online. When you hear Quint recount this story, does your opinion of him change? Why or why not? Is he still a stereotypical fisherman, a revenge-seeking lunatic, or someone else? Explain. 7. Why does Quint break the radio, preventing them from being able to communicate with anyone? 8. Certainly, the central conflict of Jaws is man vs. nature. Explain how man vs. self and man vs. man are evident in this movie, too.
Discussion Questions Directions: Answer the following questions after you watch the film. We ll discuss them in a seminar. 1. One of the themes of Jaws is Materialistic consumption (i.e. money) shouldn t drive one s life. Explain how the people of Amity Island forget that money isn t everything. 2. How is Quint a stereotype of a fisherman? What characteristics does he possess that showcase this stereotype? 3. Jaws musical score, written by John Williams, is one of the most famous scores of cinema history. How does Horner adjust the pitch, volume, and tempo of the score to the suspense of the film? 4. Jaws is the first film we ve seen that can be considered a creature feature. Creature features are movies that feature monsters or aliens that terrorize a group of people. Typically, monsters are a manifestation of our inner fears. What fears does Jaws manifest? Why? 5. Roughly, Spielberg shot twenty-five percent of the film from water level to provide the viewers the perspective as if they were treading water. What is the effect of these shots on you? Are there other shots that Spielberg employs that heighten the suspense?
Genre Study Jaws is a film in the genre of horror thriller. Look at the definitions of both genres by themselves and then the hybrid definition of both genres, which is provided by Wikipedia. Horror films are movies that strive to elicit responses of fear, horror and terror from viewers. Their plots frequently involve themes of the supernatural. Horror movies also usually include a central villain. Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. Literary devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers are used extensively. In horror thrillers, conflict between the main characters is mental, emotional, and physical. What sets the horror thriller apart is the main element of fear throughout the story. The main character(s) is not only up against a superior force, but they are or will soon become the victims themselves and directly feel the fear that comes by attracting the monster's attention. Other well-known examples are Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, Thomas Harris' The Silence of the Lambs, Danny Boyle s 28 Days Later, or any of the Saw films. Directions: Answer the following questions of genre study based on your viewing of Jaws. 1. What are some of the conventions (widely used and accepted devices, practices, or techniques) of horror thrillers that Jaws exemplifies in style, subject matter, and values? a. What conventions of style in fantasy films does Jaws exhibit? For example, what techniques (e.g. camera shots or camera movement) does Jaws use? Look closely at the scenes where the shark attacks. b. What conventions of subject matter in horror thrillers does Jaws exhibit? c. What conventions of values in horror thrillers does Jaws exhibit? What lessons does Jaws teach or what behaviors does the film approve? 2. Horror thrillers have been criticized for graphic violence and dismissed as low budget B-movies and exploitation films. Is Jaws such a film? Make an argument criticizing or defending Jaws. 3. A red herring is a narrative element intended to distract the reader from a more important event in the plot, usually a twist ending. In film, the red herring element is usually conveyed visually. When is a red herring used in Jaws?