Steven Spielberg's Jaws centers around the efforts of a local sheriff to hunt a killer shark that has been plaguing the beaches of a peaceful resort town called Amity Island. It became the first film to earn over $100 million at the box office and is considered the first summer blockbuster (so named because people queued around the block to watch it). Jaws is still agreed to be one of the best films ever made due to its iconic characters, masterful horror filmmaking and John William's legendary score. One of my favourite scenes from the movie consists of an unforgetable monologue delivered by Robert Shaw, who plays a gruff sea captain called Quint.
The scene picks up with our three protagonists- Chief Brody, marine specialist Matt Hooper and Quint- drinking together on a boat whilst out hunting the Great White that has been plaguing tourist town Amity Island. The men begin to drunkenly compare scars which leads to Quint speaking about his time in the war, delivering the atomic bomb to Hiroshima.
According to the internet (which means the following is 100% true, of course), the first time that Robert Shaw performed the monologue he was intoxicated, having had troubles with alcohol throughout the filming of Jaws. None of the footage could be used but they reshot the speech the next day and Shaw nailed the speech in one take, giving an incredibly powerful performance.
This is the type of scene that, if made today, would have been left on the cutting room floor for slowing the pacing of the story. Though Jaws is most commonly associated with its famous shark scares, much of the run-time actually consists of character moments rather than shark carnage. And this is what makes the story so enduring. Quint's speech gives us a valuable insight into why he is so obsessed with catching sharks, and its inclusion is also the main reason why his ultimate fate is so impactful.
Serious credit is also due to the writers: Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb as well as a few contributions from others including Robert Shaw himself). The Indianapolis story is visceral and impactful without any reliance on flashbacks- the power of the words, delivered beautifully by Shaw, somehow makes for the most horrific scene in the film.
Spielberg's natural talent for filmmaking is on full display in the movie. As well as wringing every bit of tension from the script, he also blends the comedic and horror tones of the movie expertly, seen in microcosm in the Indianpolis scene; the characters go from having a drunken laugh to silently listening to Quint's haunting speech.
Speaking of silence, John William's famously distinctive score is subdued here. The mark of a good soundtrack is also to know when it is not needed- instead of the music telling us to be horrified, Spielberg leaves it to the script and performance to literally do the talking. All we hear is the creaking of the boat to remind us of the vulnerability of the men- surrounded by dangerous waters and an elusive shark.
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