Figure 1 Jaws (1975)

Film review- Jaws Hannah Milliner

Jaws was released in 1975 directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is about 3 male characters that go out to sea to hunt down a shark involved in multiple attacks. Brody the chief of police located in a small sea side town that has a fear of the water. Hopper an oceanographer came from a wealthy family and Quint who is the stereotypical fisherman/ sailor. While the three (Fig 2) are in the boat each take a valuable role in psychoanalysis. As Roff suggests each of the characters have a very distinct quality to their personality. Quint more than Hopper since the old sea salt is the Id, hes more physical, the hard drinker; hes the one who even initiates the showing of the scars in the memorable scene. Brody, the peace keeper, the consciousness of the two, must keep order. He cant take sides. He has to consider both viewpoints. (Roff, 2010) what Roff could be suggesting is that Quint is the Id because he acts more primitive than the other two, his methods are also primal in contrast to Hooper the Ego the more intellectual and his techniques are more refined and modern. Brody on the other hand is seen as the super ego that has to keep the peace when the other two are fighting for control. With the Psychoanalysis in mind Jaws can be seen to be a visual representation of the fear that comes with being the Id. The Primal Id in the Oedipal Complex wants to eliminate the Father parent because the Id has Castration anxiety which means it fears that the father would emasculate him by castrating him. This does become a reality when the shark bites into Quint from below the waist line.

Figure 2 Id, Ego and Super Ego (1975)

Jaws also uses suspense to frighten the audience using camera angles, music and false direction. Pigeon makes a point that the audience is constantly being shifted between points of view. The spectator is constantly torn between enjoying this narrative for pulp adventure and pleasure, and being subjected to a disturbing feeling of being eaten alive as suggested in its exploration of primal fear. (Pigeon, 2007) When the audience is shifted from the sharks point (fig 3) of view to the humans view, it creates a sensation of fear; because they know the shark is there its just a matter of when itll attack. The shark is rarely seen in throughout the film, but Spielberg used different ways of showing its presence besides the camera view. He also used buoyant items such as barrels and the broken pier to show the movements of the shark (fig 4) , so the audience and the characters are unable to see just how dangerous the shark is.

Although originally the shark was set to appear quite often, but because it kept breaking down during filming Spielberg had to try to be clever about when he used it. Because it doesnt appear that often it is feared even more.

Figure 3 Shark cam (1975)

Figure 4 Barrel (1975)

In Jaws because of the simplicity of the story it allows a lot of room for people to come up with meanings for the film. The shark is the greatest example of this. Gans mentions that the shark could be a representation of economic forces. The shark is an instinct-driven eating machine which can represent impersonal and relentless economic forces (Gans, 1976) the shark could very well be a reflection of the economical state within the town in which Jaws is set, or could be considered to reflect the recession occurring in America between 1973- 1975. However in Freudian terms the shark would be considered as a symbol of castration. The first victim was attacked below the waist as was Quint.

Roff, D (2010) Sea and Space: The Freud of Jaws and Star Trek At: http://www.forcesofgeek.com/2010/06/sea-and-space-freud-of-jaws-and-star.html (Accessed on 4/2/14) Gans, H (1976) Jaws: Urban Hero Saves Small Town Social Policy At: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XBjbvsOnm4IC&pg=PR14&lpg=PR14&dq=freudian+in+steven+spiel berg+Jaws&source=bl&ots=xtawfd63zI&sig=cnJYs12mbblB72hCIwVBqhbRKk4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rS3xUuy 3IISUhQfUl4CgBQ&ved=0CFYQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=Jaws&f=false (4/2/14) Pigeon, T (2007) Jaws: Another (Deserving) Look At: http://www.thecinematicart.com/2007/06/another-deserving-look-at-overlooked.html (4/2/14) Figure 1 Jaws (1975) Jaws. Directed by Steven Spielberg [movie poster] USA: Universal Pictures. At: http://www.impawards.com/1975/jaws.html (Accessed 4/2/14) Figure 2 Id, Ego and Super Ego. (1975) Jaws. Directed by Steven Spielberg [film still] USA: Universal Pictures. At: http://images.fandango.com/r91.6/ImageRenderer/375/375/nox.jpg/2333/images/masterrepository/fa ndango/2333/2333.jpg (Accessed 4/2/14) Figure 3 Shark cam (1975) Jaws. Directed by Steven Spielberg [film still] USA: Universal Pictures. At: http://armchairaudience.blogspot.co.uk/2013_11_01_archive.html (Accessed 4/2/14) Figure 4 Barrel (1975) Jaws. Directed by Steven Spielberg [film still] USA: Universal Pictures. At: http://drnorth.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/vlcsnap-38970.png%3Fw%3D584 (Accessed 4/2/14)