Reely Bernie Faves: Jaws (1975)

Jaws (1975), Alien (1979), and Rosemary’s Baby (1968) are so mind-numbingly effective because we, the audience, never get to see the very thing causing the horror until the end. Our own minds do the wandering and second-guessing, and once the suspense reaches a breaking point—BAM!—you’re gonna need a bigger boat, the alien ends up having three jaws of acid-dripping razor teeth, and we still don’t even know what that freaking demon baby looks like!

For me, Jaws is all about the notorious ascending minor second—an interval in music theory that instantly distinguishes itself as an approaching man-eating shark, whether played on a piano or by a string orchestra as intended. The shark may not be visible, but you know it’s there because the music tells you it’s there. John Williams at his minimalist finest!

Jaws is ternary in form, delivering thrills in the beginning, the expositional pause-and-gather halfway point, and then an action-packed denouement in a boat too small. No minute is wasted, no second is offered to catch your breath. It is a summer blockbuster movie made to entertain and rake in the bucks—a dolly zoom shot of hard earned pulp exploitation.

The Steven Spielberg/John Williams collaborations of cinema aren’t just about suspending disbelief but encouraging your fantasies to complete the picture. The malfunctioning animatronic shark (“Bruce”) was a gift of creativity. Replacing it with ocean surface POV shots, yellow barrel movement indications, and sharp editing were ingenious moves, Mr. Spielberg.

On a personal note, I will continue my dad’s Halloween tradition of playing the Jaws theme at our front door for trick-or-treaters. Only, instead of a 1988 “ghettoblaster,” it will be through a JBL Bluetooth speaker 😉

Jaws. My favorite thrill ride of all time!

(Notice the PG rating on the poster above.)

Reely Bernie Faves:

1. Amadeus (1984)

2. Magnolia (1999)

3. Poltergeist (1982)

4. Pulp Fiction (1994)

5. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

6. The Godfather Part II (1974)

7. Weekend at Bernie’s (1989)

8. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

9. Goodfellas (1990)

10. Nosferatu (1922)

11. Pollock (2000)

12. Kicking and Screaming (1995)

13. Jaws (1975)

14. Fargo (1996)

15. Citizen Kane (1941)

16. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

17. The Endless Summer (1966)

18. Back to the Future (1985)

19. Angel Heart (1987)

20. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

21. The Goonies (1985)

22. Trainspotting (1996)

23. King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)

24. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

25. Bambi (1942)

26. The Paradise Lost Trilogy (1996-2011)

27. Psycho (1960)

28. Parenthood (1989)

29. Swingers (1996)

30. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

31. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

32. Smoke (1995)

33. Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)

34. A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

35. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

36. City of God (2002)

37. 1917 (2019)

38. Black Swan (2010)

39. School of Rock (2003)

40. Mulholland Drive (2001)

41. Groundhog Day (1993)

42. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

43. The Greatest Showman (2017)

44. National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)

45. The Florida Project (2017)

46. Cinema Paradiso (1988)

47. So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993)

48. Shadowlands (1993)

49. Steve Jobs (2015)

50. ¡Three Amigos! (1986)