Well, in a way it was a no-brainer: one of the most iconic films of all time, the first of the huge summer blockbusters, and the film that single-handedly ushered in the modern era of film. On the other hand, make no mistake: this film is TERRIFYING. I had to think hard about whether to include it for our viewing. I might not have done so two years ago when we started the festival, with the kids a bit younger. But now, well, the balance was clearly in favor of its inclusion. And I am so glad we did.
Specs:
2 hours. The film is rated PG because there was no PG-13 at the time. I am rather inclined to believe it deserved an R.
Our family's average rating on a scale from 1-10:
8.38
More about the film and our reaction to it:
Jaws is not a perfect movie -- there is the touch of the absurd about it, especially at the end of the film when the shark becomes implausibly vengeful in its actions. But it is very close to perfect. And this is coming from a woman who does not love scary films -- wait..., does not even really like scary films. The movie is just so stinkin' well made, that one cannot help appreciating it.
If you were to show this film to a modern audience, chances are they would be scared out of their britches. And that may be, in large measure, because they didn't seriously believe a movie 40 years old could still pack such a punch. Even though I warned my boys this was going to be unpleasant, horrible and intense, I don't really think they believed me. That is, until 5 minutes in when a woman skinny-dipping in the ocean at night was bitten in half. This is the stuff phobias are made of. I told the kids "that's what's called being 'put on notice' about what the film is going to contain." But its not the gore that makes Jaws lingeringly great, it is the talent of a great director with a strong story behind him. The suspense that Spielberg creates is incredible.
The power of this film is multilayered. It is built through mood, and music, and perspective, and back story, and fantastic actors playing enjoyable characters. You can't help but get sucked in. (Figuratively PLEASE). Oh, and we just have to mention Robert Shaw, who we had just seen in The Sting. Amazing that he managed to age 20 years for this role in just 2. He was incredible; and we could hardly believe it was the same actor.
Parent concerns are many. Please don't watch this film figuring it is tame just because it is old. The movie is very graphic and disturbing. My 12 year old did have shark nightmares after it (though he doesn't regret watching). It's genre should be considered "horror" because that is is basic purpose -- to scare the crud out of you. There is no question in my mind that it would be PG-13 today -- in fact, I'm not sure why it didn't get an R rating back then. We loved it; but it is not for the faint of heart.
Iconic Image:
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