Bluemoon's Official Top 100 Films

[hilts]

I think the over-the-topness of both the violence and the revenge motive is what I liked about it. But not in my top 20 either.

The end was a tad silly

 

[BlueHammer85]

5. Jaws 17/194





Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's 1974 novel of the same name. In the film, a man-eating great white shark attacks beachgoers at a summer resort town, prompting police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) to hunt it with the help of a marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a professional shark hunter (Robert Shaw). Murray Hamilton plays the mayor, and Lorraine Gary portrays Brody's wife. The screenplay is credited to Benchley, who wrote the first drafts, and actor-writer Carl Gottlieb, who rewrote the script during principal photography.

Shot mostly on location on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, Jaws was the first major motion picture to be shot on the ocean, and resultingly had a troubled production, going over budget and past schedule. As the art department's mechanical sharks often malfunctioned, Spielberg decided to mostly suggest the shark's presence, employing an ominous and minimalist theme created by composer John Williams to indicate its impending appearances. Spielberg and others have compared this suggestive approach to that of director Alfred Hitchcock. Universal Pictures gave the film what was then an exceptionally wide release for a major studio picture, on over 450 screens, accompanied by an extensive marketing campaign with a heavy emphasis on television spots and tie-in merchandise.

Jaws was the prototypical summer blockbuster, regarded as a watershed moment in motion picture history, and it won several awards for its music and editing. It was the highest-grossing film until the release of Star Wars in 1977. Both films were pivotal in establishing the modern Hollywood business model, which pursues high box-office returns from action and adventure films with simple high-concept premises, released during the summer in thousands of theaters and heavily advertised. Jaws was followed by three sequels, all with neither Spielberg nor Benchley, and many imitative thrillers. In 2001, it was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

 

[RobMCFC]

Great film. Surprised it's not higher (although it was in the lower reaches of my top 20).

That reverse dolly shot of Brody sitting on the beach when he realises there's trouble in the water is one of the best shots in cinema history.

Along with Star Wars, it changed the way films are marketed forever.

Shame it'll be mostly gangster flicks above this, hope Shawshank wins now!

 

[Dr Jacoby]

As good as Jaws is, I didn’t expect it to be in the top 20.

 

[OB1]

Great film. Surprised it's not higher (although it was in the lower reaches of my top 20).

That reverse dolly shot of Brody sitting on the beach when he realises there's trouble in the water is one of the best shots in cinema history.

Along with Star Wars, it changed the way films are marketed forever.

Shame it'll be mostly gangster flicks above this, hope Shawshank wins now!

I had it at #4.

It was never going to win but it is a great movie.

Spielberg nicked the reverse dolly shot as you call it from Hitchcock but it was perfect for the moment in the film. I know that I wrote in my diary after seeing the movie at the ABC on Deansgate that it was the best film I'd ever seen at that point. a real event movie. My fondness for the film has barely waned.

I read both the book and the book about making the movie. Film is actually better than the book.

Spielberg used to sneak into theatres just to watch the bit where the head appears, which is one of the great movie scenes in a movie that is packed with classic ones; including, for me, the best ever: when they sit around in the cabin swapping stories.

 

[RobMCFC]

I've got the DVD that has a 2 hour making of doc on there. Think I'll have to watch both the film and the doc again soon as I love watching documentaries about the making of films.

 

[BlueHammer85]

As good as Jaws is, I didn’t expect it to be in the top 20.

I was surprised by how highly this was ranked to be fair.

 

[RobMCFC]

Jaws was the runaway winner on a poll I ran on another forum in 2013. FWIW, here is the top 10 from that poll:-

1 Jaws 21/263.00
2 Aliens 19/225.00
3 The Empire Strikes Back 14/198.33
4 The Thing 13/192.00
5 Raiders of the Lost Ark 15/179.67
6 Goodfellas 13/172.00
7 Star Wars 15/170.33
8 Alien 13/162.00
9 The Godfather 11/162.00
10 Blade Runner 13/146.00

 

[BlueHammer85]

Jaws was the runaway winner on a poll I ran on another forum in 2013. FWIW, here is the top 10 from that poll:-

1 Jaws 21/263.00
2 Aliens 19/225.00
3 The Empire Strikes Back 14/198.33
4 The Thing 13/192.00
5 Raiders of the Lost Ark 15/179.67
6 Goodfellas 13/172.00
7 Star Wars 15/170.33
8 Alien 13/162.00
9 The Godfather 11/162.00
10 Blade Runner 13/146.00

how can Shawshank not be in a Top 10

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

5. Jaws 17/194

View attachment 4799



Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's 1974 novel of the same name. In the film, a man-eating great white shark attacks beachgoers at a summer resort town, prompting police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) to hunt it with the help of a marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a professional shark hunter (Robert Shaw). Murray Hamilton plays the mayor, and Lorraine Gary portrays Brody's wife. The screenplay is credited to Benchley, who wrote the first drafts, and actor-writer Carl Gottlieb, who rewrote the script during principal photography.

Shot mostly on location on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, Jaws was the first major motion picture to be shot on the ocean, and resultingly had a troubled production, going over budget and past schedule. As the art department's mechanical sharks often malfunctioned, Spielberg decided to mostly suggest the shark's presence, employing an ominous and minimalist theme created by composer John Williams to indicate its impending appearances. Spielberg and others have compared this suggestive approach to that of director Alfred Hitchcock. Universal Pictures gave the film what was then an exceptionally wide release for a major studio picture, on over 450 screens, accompanied by an extensive marketing campaign with a heavy emphasis on television spots and tie-in merchandise.

Jaws was the prototypical summer blockbuster, regarded as a watershed moment in motion picture history, and it won several awards for its music and editing. It was the highest-grossing film until the release of Star Wars in 1977. Both films were pivotal in establishing the modern Hollywood business model, which pursues high box-office returns from action and adventure films with simple high-concept premises, released during the summer in thousands of theaters and heavily advertised. Jaws was followed by three sequels, all with neither Spielberg nor Benchley, and many imitative thrillers. In 2001, it was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Still great, despite the rubber shark.
Came out right at the time I started open sea swimming races with the club I was with.
1976 & 77 in particular was a great summer.
This films put the heebie-jeebies up me for years. Particularly as a Baskin shark had been spotted off Lambay Island just a week before I was due to swim the Ireland's Eye to Howth Head race.
I was only 14 years old and the older guys were having great craic scaring the younger lads.
I had no idea at the time that Baskin Sharks were harmless, just that judging by the picture taken from the yacht the week before, they were huge.


Jaws scared a lot of people out of the water back in the 70's.