Jaws is 50

 The fieldwork went OK but I am VERY sore today from all the digging and working in the heat.

But tonight, I'm watching "Jaws" for the first time ever. A lot is being made about its 50th anniversary. 

I was six when it came out, so not an appropriate movie for me to go and see (and after the "crab scene" - if you know, you know - close to the very beginning, I wondered if it was an appropriate movie for me NOW but I'm sticking with it). And my parents really weren't into that kind of movie - my dad liked sci-fi, and my mom liked comedies, and they both generally tolerated kids' movies, so what we tended to see were things like the Pink Panther movies, or the Star Wars franchise, or whatever Disney had made.  

Also, we didn't get cable until I was into high school, so a lot of the movies that got second-runs on places like HBO were movies I didn't get to see.

I mean, I get it's a cultural touchstone, and I know some of the references from the other properties that used them (the "nails on chalkboard" thing has been used in SpongeBob SquarePants, and Bob's Burgers, and some other places).

Additionally, I JUST remember a couple shark-themed cartoons coming out about that time. Jabberjaw was probably the most famous - basically the Scooby-Doo franchise, but with a goofy shark instead of a dog, and a few differences in the humans. But there was also a cartoon in the Pink Panther multiverse, Misterjaw, which had a shark with a vest and a German accent (Arte Johnson doing his "German Guy" voice from Laugh-in, which in the 70s, would have recalled Hogan's Heroes, or....uh....the historical situation that spawned the show Hogan's Heroes). I remember watching Misterjaw and kind of liking it, but then again I was six.... 

And yeah, I feel kind of bad for the shark. Truth is most sharks aren't dangerous to humans, and the ones that will attack only do so because they're confused. And I doubt I'd find the movie frightening because I never encounter sharks - I live in a landlocked state, if I went to the ocean I'd probably not swim in the water, and frankly, I'd rather watch a shark swim (I've been to aquariums that had them) than possibly risk being mistaken by it for a big fish.

And yeah, this is the movie that gave sharks a bad name. I'm sure a lot of sharks were needlessly killed after it came out. (Basically things in nature - if you're going out into nature, you're an invader in its territory, not the other way 'round. I tell students my practice with snakes is to give them a wide berth in the field rather than harming them. The only creatures like these that I will go after are fire ants in my lawn (they are an invasive anyway), or poison ivy (because I get rash, and the city doesn't love it when you have it in your yard), or venomous spiders in my house (present a risk) or rodents in the house (damaging, and can carry disease). But out in the field, I leave things where they are and leave them alone.

 

One of the things, not very far in, that's striking to me: it's very much a movie of its time. The hair, the clothing - that's all mid-70s. I remember people dressing like that, I remember those hairstyles. I think the fact that it was shot on Martha's Vineyard instead of some backlot built up to look like a New England town gives it a bit more recognizable realism. (And yeah, I know, the sharks were all mechanical - but honestly I think in a lot of cases the so-called "practical effects" age better than something like cgi - which was non existent when this was made - would)

And yes, I realize it's a bigger movie than one about a shark - the shark is supposed to represent evil, though the mayor of the town is pretty much another "bad guy" in his own right - the kind of venal politician who cares about money more than people, and cares about the image of his town. And there are references to Moby-Dick, which I have *mostly* read (I bogged down about 2/3 of the way through)

And also, the fact that the shark is never really seen - at least, not as far into the viewing as I am right now - is another thing. The idea of a faceless evil, you know it's out there, it could be blamed for "bad things" for profit, maybe it's not as great of a threat as it's made out to be...

(I admit though I find Richard Dreyfuss' character a little annoying. You'd think as an ecologist I'd find him interesting but he is kind of annoying)