On Jaws: The Most Famous Shark in Cinema

Having seen Jaws numerous times over the course of my life, it has been an interesting experience viewing it again in an academic context and taking a closer look at the film from an analytical perspective. Watching Jaws through this academic lens and looking specifically at the techniques Spielberg uses to engage and manipulate the audience and their emotions has allowed me to see beyond the pure entertainment value of the film and appreciate the true skill and craft that has gone into its creation. As Warren Buckland points out, Spielberg, even at this early stage in his career, is already a master of creating effective and dynamic shots that are well-composed and attain what he calls "organic unity."

One scene in particular that I found really interesting (which Buckland mentions as well), is the scene of the second shark attack. I thought it was a clever move of Spielberg to create suspense by teasing the audience and cutting between a variety of different characters: the young boy (Alex), the man with his dog, the older woman on the raft, the young couple, and so on. Here, Spielberg cleverly tricks the audience into believing that each of these people will be the shark's next victim by showing the beach as Chief Brody sees it, as he jumps at each possible hint of danger in the water. What impresses me most about this scene is that although we assume Alex will end up being the one eaten by the shark from the very beginning of the scene (since he is the only character introduced by name and the camera links he and Brody by panning from one to the other), Spielberg is still able to give the audience some doubt before fulfilling these expectations. I thought it was especially inventive of Spielberg to include the shot where we see from Brody's POV looking over the shoulder of an older man who is speaking to him. But like Brody, we do not pay any attention to what this man says because we are really watching the young girl in the water behind him, waiting for the next possible attack. When she screams, we are almost happy that our anticipation has been satisfied at last (as sick as that may be), only to find that she is actually just playing around with her boyfriend. It takes a skilled director like Steven Spielberg to accomplish such a play of emotions here, causing the audience to possibly even be disappointed when the girl has not actually been attacked.

After watching the fim again, it is no wonder that Jaws became the first summer blockbuster and launched us into a new era of 21st century filmmaking. Not only is it an extremely entertaining (and sometimes terrifying) movie, but it is an expertly shot and creatively crafted film thanks to Steven Spielberg. At such an early point in his career, an achievement like Jaws is a sign of Spielberg's natural talent as a director and an indication of his future success and acclaim to come years later.