JAWS (1975)

Neha says
I didn’t step into the pool for months thanks to Spielberg’s adaptation of Peter Benchley’s bestselling novel. Now I’m older and know better but when I watched JAWS again recently that familiar dread snuck up on me and once again I jumped at all the intended places. From the opening credits that give us the killer shark’s point of view shots underwater to the theme song- one of the best movie soundtracks of all time- Spielberg prepares us for what lies ahead. The first half is dark, enveloped in paranoia and eerie in its suggestive brutality, establishing the conflict of how a small tourist island is at the mercy of shark attacks with the Chief played competently by Roy Scheider sandwiched between protecting the people and safeguarding the economic interests of the island and the Mayor whose a different kind of egoistical shark. As we move into the second half the film molds itself into an adventure story at sea with Chief Broody, shark expert Matt (Richard Dreyfuss) and shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw) coming together to catch the pirate monster that’s threatening the independence of the island. (It’s definitely not coincidental that the film builds up to the 4th of July weekend.) In lesser hands maybe the scare tactics, coincidences and premise would seem frivolous or forced but with Spielberg at the helm, the breathtaking action centerpieces underwater, ashore or aboard a dilapidated ship are genuinely exciting and the chemistry and camaraderie between the three men underscored by the high stakes of the story keep you on the edge with anticipation. An even tone and intensity, oodles of suspense and scares, good performances (I’m turning a blind eye to Shaw who mumbles inaudibly about a submarine shark attack that I was forced to watch with subtitles) and a wonderful marriage of pot boiler fanfare with an intelligent approach to characters, set-up, fear psychology and the relationship between man and nature had me riveted. A visceral experience and a terrific crowd pleaser makes this event movie stand tall and proud as one of Spielberg’s most thrilling contributions to cinema.

Ira says

“I used to hate the water”
"I can’t imagine why!”

Lull, lull, boom. Lull, lull, fin. Lull, lull, shark! When I first saw Jaws, I must’ve been eight or nine and the eloquence of the last words spoken as above, flew right over my head because by the end of this one and for many years hence, I did hate the water, and I could imagine why! By far the best shark movie ever made, Spielberg’s masterpiece is an action adventure, a frightening thriller and a suspense drama all at once. Taking us in with underwater credits and an unforgettable theme motif that for me till today, personifies the movement and onslaught of a shark (thank you John Williams) the director slips into a moody campfire scene on the beach late at night, where the free of heart play the guitar, romance each other and a young girl goes skinny dipping. She never returns and the aura of terror and doom is palpable. Carefully juxtaposing an eerie tone and the lurking presence of the unseen with a cheerful, sunny setting of a naturally and brightly lit Amity Island, Spielberg builds suspense from the word go through superb camera work, crowded frames, and a naturalistic, often overlapping or deathly silent, effective soundscape. Amity island, a beachy haven, a huge tourist destination, a summer town where everyone knows everyone and relationships are close knit, has got a problem and its out there in the water , beneath the multicolored bathing suits and behind the tingling, silvery splashing and laughter.

The second half becomes a different movie all together; and the three central male characters (all of whom are excellent particularly Robert Shaw as shark hunter, Quint) along with a boat, an open ocean and a deadly great white rule the screen, and I realized this time around that JAWS also has a great screenplay, and one I could now fully appreciate. Man versus beast, small town, big commerce, politics, its ugliness, science and experience, war and camaraderie, men of honor and experience and men of knowledge and expensive colleges all come together in this story where a cop, like a fish out of water, goes from the crime of Manhattan to the relatively quieter demands of a town only to discover a far more powerful mortal threat in nature. While when I was younger, images of bloody waters and the superbly timed, well-executed attacks stayed with me for years after, heck I couldn’t even close my eyes in the shower without thinking huge teeth were going to break through my bathroom wall, this time I got a whole lot more out of the film. This isn’t just an entertainer, the first commercial Hollywood movie to release ‘nationwide’, the father of the summer blockbuster and a hallmark movie in Hollywood’s business history, its a good film and one of the first ever ‘high concept’ ones ever made. Spielberg gives a simple premise with flesh and blood characters and a strong cast. He tells his story with clarity, sharp focus, an immense amount of tension and horrifying, explosive glimpses of that ‘things’ incredible jaws. Nature is bigger, grander, more frightening, close to home and real than we know. Darn hell, you better believe it and after watching this one you wont forget it.

NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)

Neha says
You don’t need to be told you’re watching an Alfred Hitchcock movie- there’s just a trademark tone, paranoia, suspense and style that’s as distinctive as it is repetitively enthralling. If North By NorthWest was not made by Hitchcock it would seem as homage to his own 1935 classic 39 STEPS (the parallels are uncanny) but if your more inclined to compare the film with the more traditional Hitchcockian psychological thrillers like Psycho, Vertigo, Dial M for Murder or even Rear Window, then North By NorthWest is a different Hitchcock experience. While the Master of Suspense plays to his strengths with a story that plays out like a detective thriller enveloped in mystery and intrigue, there is an epic quality to this grand outing. Train rides, shifting landscapes, a hair raising climactic chase at Mt. Rushmore and another one that involves our hero trying to outmatch a menacing airplane on his trail would give the action/spy movies a complex. In fact Hitchcock shows us he can do FUN as well as he can do creepy with a great balance of an old-school, passionate romance and adventure, wry humor, drama and action making this fit into a genre of its own that’s both entertaining and pulse-racing. The premise is simple with a suave bachelor Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) caught in a case of mistaken identity, accused of stealing and murder and on the run trying to absolve himself of crimes he did not commit while unearthing a far more sinister conspiracy along the way. But Ernest Lehman’s multi layered script and Hitchcock’s maverick eye for detail makes sure “simple” is the last term you would associate with this one. Trust him to know how to hold on to a moment be it comic, thrilling or dramatic. The pacing, Bernard Herrmann’s suspenseful soundtrack and the exhausting focus with which revelations, twists and confrontations are handled keep you on edge. My favorite scene has to be the one at the art auction where Cary Grant confronts the nefarious Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) while simultaneously sparring with his love interest Eve Kendall (Eve Marie Saint). Hitchcock gives us a master class in conflict management with such a heightened awareness of setting. We are so caught up in a moment that we don’t even realize Hitchcock is actually setting up a plot device that will catch us unaware at a later point in the film. Cary Grant even at 50 is the epitome of cool, debonair and sexy. He would have made such a brilliant James Bond. James Mason plays a great foil to Grant and makes for one of the most enigmatic villains of celluloid. Eve Marie Saint, the femme fatale of the story holds her own and brings a certain class and dignity to Kendall. North By NorthWest is everything you would expect from a Hitchcock-Grant movie and more…Hold your breadth because this creative synergy (the last, final and best of the four films they’ve done together) is in one word “explosive.”

Ira says

If you think the Bourne series is slick and suspenseful, Catch me if you Can is smart and clever and Date Night is funny, you’re missing out on the sophistication of a Hitchcockian classic NORTH BY NORTHWEST. Marked with the natural charisma, old world sex appeal (yes, he does seem to be irresistible to the opposite sex especially in this one) and coming timing of a dashing Cary Grant (his 4th spy thriller with the director), the rich and pulsating music of long-time Hitchcock collaborator Bernard Herrmann, the original and ingeniously plotted screenplay by the prolific Ernest Lehman who blends the intelligence of an espionage caper with drama, tension, humor, politics, action, adventure and sizzling romance (watch out for the train sequence in the film) in a typically Hitchcockian cloak of storytelling in tandem with the director, as well as the siren-like presence of the master filmmakers favorite female character, the evil seductress or femme fatale (an arresting Eve Marie Saint) this one is a thoughtfully told, and superbly made film.

Despite being one of his most commercial ventures in terms of its scale and exciting plot, as Hitchcock always likes, there is a sense of immediacy and intimacy to his storytelling that is unique to him. Shots are meticulously conceived, the camera alert, watching and involved, frames are carefully constructed, scenes are played out to their fullest, and in terms of story and characters, nothing is forgotten, everything is relished and little surprises provide sudden thrills or moments of wry humor. The film is long, yes, but one to be noted not just for is technical brilliance and action whoppers, as in the famous crop dusting airplane sequence where Grant is being chased by a plane or the famous climactic Mt. Rushmore set piece (where do you think our Hindi films got their inspiration from then?), but for the nuances in the color tones, the camera angles, the performances, the touches that Hitchcock is famous for and only he could achieve. Savor the master at his most entertaining best and get ready to feast your eyes on one of the first of what the international espionage thriller we know today looks like way back in 1959.