Thirty three years ago, a young director, by the name of Steven Spielberg, overcame many obstacles to deliver a pulse-pounding adventure story bent on redefining fear.
Steven Spielberg has made a wide assortment of films over his nearly forty years in cinema. However, one continual theme has been persistent throughout most of his stories. As he has noted: “I've discovered I've got this preoccupation with ordinary people pursued by large forces”.
Ordinary and the Extraordinary
In ‘Duel’ (1971), an ordinary man is terrorized by a large, grotesque oil tanker. In ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ (1977), a small community is visited by aliens. In ‘Jurassic Park’ (1993), visitors are introduced to dinosaurs. Ordinary human beings and their relationship to all things extraordinary is a typical fixture of Spielberg films and it is this thematic element which helps to formulate many memorable characters and situations.
In ‘Jaws’ (1975), Spielberg exploits this thematic issue to create a memorable adventure film while simultaneously providing an incredibly in-depth character analysis. ‘Jaws’, on the outset, is a film about a shark terrorizing a small costal community but it is also a film that analyzes society’s preconceived notions about fear, courage, class, masculinity and geographical displacement.
The Faceless Enemy of Jaws
One key attribute exploited joyfully by ‘Jaws’ is in its refusal to provide a visual composition for its attacking offender. As an adventure/horror film, ‘Jaws’ succeeds largely on the basis that the audience rarely captures a glimpse of the shark. The fact that the audience cannot see what or who is behind the attacks highlights a fear and paranoia which conveys so much more then if the shark were to be viewed on a consistent basis.
There has always been an unspoken fear concerning the nature of a faceless enemy in a foreign land. Man has always been deemed fragile in the face of nature and the unseen which goes to highlight the fact that society has always feared what they cannot see, explain or define.
Obviously, the audience is aware that a shark is perpetrating these attacks but since they are unable to verify their assumptions creates an uncomfortable fragile mindset. In perhaps the most frightening use of camera work in cinematic history, there are many shots which occur from beneath the surface of the water eyeing potential victims swimming above. The audience takes on the perspective of the shark as it moves closer and closer to its intended prey while being prodded along by a wonderfully written score by John Williams. These people are unaware of a potential attack but the audience has become fully aware of what is about to occur. The unknown being stalked by the unknown is perhaps the most frightening capability of film. The audience is left in a vulnerable and defenseless position.
Conclusion
The idea of terror is wonderfully exploited by Spielberg and it is clear that he succeeds in filming these types of situations. However, the film has become a classic for more then what he has been able to incorporate visually. Where Spielberg truly excels is in his focus on characters and their relationship to the world around them.
