Swansea's film club regulars went on an evening out to watch the classic 1975 Shark Movie from then 20 something Steven Spielberg. What an occasion it was as we all settled in to check out the movie we had seen countless times since our childhood, but this time on the big screen.
I was born in the year of the movies original release so this has been my first opportunity to experience it on the silver screen and that is definitely where this picture belongs and looks very much at home. It was the first picture of its kind to be known as the summer blockbuster doing incredible business at the theatre's that year and changing the way Hollywood marketed its future movies toward summer audiences.
The movie based on Peter Benchley's novel is a perfect blend of action, suspense and drama that only Spielberg could deliver and like his debut feature Duel moves along at breakneck pace from its opening attack scene on the shore of Amity Beach to its final siege on Quint's boat - The Orca.
The actors involved have become legendary and to watch Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss go fishing for the 3 tonne, 25 foot Great White whilst continually clashing in a barage of bickering banter is thoroughly entertaining. Robert Shaw's portrayal of Shark Hunter Quint is more noticeably a triumph of sea veteran and mad survivalist. I was very impressed to find how well the effects still hold up and actually look even better due to the sheer scope of the movie, beach scenes are expansive and seem to be even more dramatic making the few early shots of the shark attacking its shallow water victims much more effective. When the lead character's encounter the Shark out in its domain, the close up shots are extremely menacing - especially the underwater cage scene!!
The Jaws legacy continues, still having the power to shock and entertain in equal measures proving more than ever its deserved position as one of the best movies of all time... 10/10
Universal's 100th anniversary celebration continues with its catalogue of classics to be released this year... Universal's Cinematic classics are currently available on DVD and Blu-Ray in commemorative releases!!
No comments:
Post a Comment