Why JAWS isn't the (shark) movie you think it is
It’s easy to minimise Steven Spielberg’s classic adventure as a ‘shark movie’ and nothing else.
And even though the movie necessarily cuts out many of the plot threads from Peter Benchley’s original novel that the film is based on (Hoopers affair with Ellen Brody and mafia links to the mayor of Amity for example) there are still many details and narratives that make this much more than a straight line adventure story.
Where’s the shark?
If any evidence were needed that the film is more than just a shark movie, consider this, we don’t properly see the shark until the 1 hour 21 mark!
Much of the tension and shock is skilfully achieved by Spielberg before we even witness the famous Great White. Indeed the intense and terrifying opening scene works because we don’t see the perpetrator. Subsequent attacks offer only glimpses and partial reveals of the predatory great white to the audience.
“We need Summer Dollars”
It’s often forgotten that Jaws is a study of small town politics and economics. Almost from the start Chief Brody is placed in an impossible position.
Brody, concerned about shark attacks, wants to close the beaches, but Mayor Vaughan resists, pressuring Brody because of his fear of economic repercussions. Vaughan even convinces the coroner to change the cause of death from ‘shark attack’ to ‘boating accident’. They argue about the decision, with Brody emphasizing safety and the mayor prioritizing tourism. It’s a tense confrontation reflecting the human conflict between safety and economic interests.
Facing our Fears
Jaws is an analysis of primal human fears. Man versus nature.
We learn early on that Chief Brody is afraid of open water. This is emphasised in the dramatic beach scene where Alex Kintner becomes the sharks second victim. Brody refuses to enter the shallows, even when panicked swimmers are fleeing, he can only bark orders and awkwardly tiptoe at the edge of the water.
Later, driven by guilt and the need to protect his family, Brody faces his fear by going after the Shark with Quint and Hooper on the Orca. Then, at the climax of the movie, alone and on a sinking ship he emerges triumphant, killing the deadly maneater. “I used to hate the water” he says as he and Hooper swim back to dry land.
So yes, on the face of it, Jaws is a movie about a man-eating shark. Explore it’s layers and nuance however, and you’ll find human fears, community politics and master storytelling with barely a dorsal fin in sight.
Words by Paul McKay
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