Blu-ray Review Jaws Blu-ray Review - Very Highly Recommended (1 Viewer)

[bryan4999]

I saw JAWS in 1975 at a drive-in with my mom. I was twelve. Just as they were getting ready to leave on the Orca, a light fog/mist blew in. It made it seem like like we were really on the ocean with them. It made it all the more terrifying. I will never forget it.
Eric - It would be cool if you included a trailer for your next week's presentation. Where else could you see a trailer for THE SOUND OF MUSIC before JAWS? Home Theater is so much fun!

 

[WillG]

Not contradicting. I go with the strongest memory, and more often than not it's when I first saw the film. With E.T. and BTTF I could even tell you which theatres I saw them in. ET was at several.

Guess it just how I read your post. It seemed from the first part where you mention a film calling out a specific time period makes that time period the more appropriate time to view it.

I find it similarly a missed opportunity to release A League of Their Own in the fall

Of course, for a logical marketing standpoint, post season MLB play/World Series takes place in the fall, so it's not a bad time to release it then. Did all of ALoTO take place in Summer, or by the end of the movie with the final game was it into Fall?

That's really a question for Eric but from what he has posted it's pretty clear to me that he ran the countdown as part of his pre-show with the cartoons, probably between them and the feature.

I was thinking that, especially since we're they types who wouldn't want to do anything to alter the way the film was originally shown in theaters, but since Eric used the term Intermission, I was taking that at face value.

Interesting. I would be more inclined to go a little later. I think the movie breaks down well as Amity scenes and Orca scenes so I would put the intermission in right after Quint agrees to take a pissed Hooper as "ballast." Plus I'm biased in having the second half of a play be a bit shorter than the first half. So, after the intermission, the film would continue with Quint walking down the stairs toward the Orca. YMMV.

I chose that for 2 reasons. One, it represents a very clean scene break (even going from night into the next day). Two, it gives the audience a chance to settle down after the big scare before going into another dialogue scene. Other considerations I would have would be after Vaughn signs the voucher so Brody could hire Quint, but the problem there is that Voiceover from Quint begins before the movie cuts away from the final shot of Vaughn in the hospital. Thought about right after we see the Orca leaving port, but I think the music might trail off into the next shot of Brody chumming the waters. Another possibility that could work would be right after the 4th of July attack where Brody looks out onto the ocean right before the cut to Mike Brody in the hospital.
As for your suggestion, I would probably have to respectfully disagree. I imagine that being in Quint's place to after the "Take him as Ballast" line where we cut to the Orca being loaded is too close in terms of being two halves of the same scene. So, it doesn't seem like a natural break point to me.

 

[Sgt Pepper]

It hasn't been DNR'd to death, but it's still a little overly scrubbed for my taste. I've seen the film in 35mm several times over the years, and saw an archival print of it about a year ago. It's always been a fairly grainy movie, but on blu-ray and the in the 4K digital presentation I saw a couple of weeks ago, it's starting to look precariously close to hi-def video.
It looks very good, but just a little "off" for a film of its vintage.

That's what i have been told also.........but hey it still seems like a stella release.

 

[Alan Tully]

Of all the memories I have of going to the cinema all my life (well not so much the last 15 years), I just can't remember grain. I don't want to see a film looking all plastic, but I don''t want to see a load of grain either, so a bit of grain removal, yes please. Seeing a Blu-ray on a plasma or whatever is not the same as seeing a film projected. I probably won't see this 'till the end of the year, but it looks like I'm in for a treat.

 

[Sgt Pepper]

Of all the memories I have of going to the cinema all my life (well not so much the last 15 years), I just can't remember grain. I don't want to see a film looking all plastic, but I don''t want to see a load of grain either, so a bit of grain removal, yes please. Seeing a Blu-ray on a plasma or whatever is not the same as seeing a film projected. I probably won't see this 'till the end of the year, but it looks like I'm in for a treat.

I can see your point but hey i love to see a film as intended grain and all, but that's my opinion.

 

[NY2LA]

I don't recall if I read it, or it was an on-camera interview, but somewhere I believe SS has said that the old story of Jaws having a 3 act structure (which I seem to recall hearing years ago) is wrong, and for him the first act ends with the shot through Quint's window as the orca pulls away from the dock. So if one were to interrupt for an intermission I suppose that is where he would put it.
Myself, I have long felt like I would do one between a pre-show (cartoons, shorts, trailers, etc) and the feature. That would be a nice opportunity to run that "let's all go to the lobby" promo. As for intermission clocks, etc, that is from an era of double and triple features, so especially at a drive-in, it would be originally the thing they ran onscreen between movies rather than interrupting a film. And, since Scott only ran one feature, I imagine Scott used it between the cartoons and the feature. At drive-ins, cartoons came on at sunset/dusk and the feature was held off until it was dark.

 

[Charles Smith]

I can see your point but hey i love to see a film as intended grain and all, but that's my opinion.

Hi Barry, and welcome to HTF.

It seems like most of your posts since joining the forum have concerned grain, or the possible lack thereof, in a Blu-ray of a film you like, which you're reporting on others talking about, but you haven't watched yourself. What's up with that?

 

[rich_d]

I don't recall if I read it, or it was an on-camera interview, but somewhere I believe SS has said that the old story of Jaws having a 3 act structure (which I seem to recall hearing years ago) is wrong, and for him the first act ends with the shot through Quint's window as the Orca pulls away from the dock. So if one were to interrupt for an intermission I suppose that is where he would put it.

That would be a fine choice.

 

[Sgt Pepper]

Hi Barry, and welcome to HTF.
It seems like most of your posts since joining the forum have concerned grain, or the possible lack thereof, in a Blu-ray of a film you like, which you're reporting on others talking about, but you haven't watched yourself.  What's up with that?

Your quite right i have not seen it yet (looking forward to it though). Just like to see movies as is with grain intact IMHO............and if as i said it has been removed as per Mr Spielberg's wishes that is good enough for me.

 

Guys, here is the complete program. I called it "Intermission" because drive-ins designed them to be shown between features. However, they also showed them before the first feature, which is what I do.
Anyway:

1. SkyDome Cinema Logo
2. Logo Credit
3. Tonight's Feature
4. "Jaws" Poster
5. Vintage drive-in ad
6. Donald Duck in "Sea Salts"
7. Woody Woodpecker in "The Beach Nut"
8. Coming Next Week
9. "The Sound of Music" Trailer
10. 10-minute drive-in intermission countdown clock
11. SkyDome Cinema Logo with "Feature Presentation"
12. "Jaws"

...If you want, I can post a thread in the home theater section and keep you up to date on my upcoming shows!

 

[WilliamMcK]

There were those of us who saw JAWS in 1975 who did note Mrs. Kintner's age but were not troubled by it. It was quite clear that she would have been young enough to have had a 9 year old (she looked 50-ish by 1975 standards), and equally clear that there would be no more children and no future grandchildren.
As for Jessica Tandy and Veronica Cartwright in THE BIRDS: well the age difference between siblings Mitch (Rod Taylor) and Cathy (Cartwright) was an implicit plot point (having the young daughter that needs to be raised, helps to explain why the widowed Mrs. Brenner would fear Mitch getting married). Tandy looked old enough to have a 35 year old son and young enough to have a 12 year old daughter (if she had Mitch at age 20 and Cathy at age 43).
These type of observations don't take me out of the movies in question, they make me more curious, and I pay even greater attention.

 

[bryan4999]

If you want, I can post a thread in the home theater section and keep you up to date on my upcoming shows!

If you are willing to share, I, for one, would enjoy that!

 

[Walter Kittel]

Guys, here is the complete program.

Eric, that is a nice arrangement of materials. I like the themed cartoon shorts before the main feature. Nice choices. :tu:
- Walter.

 

[rich_d]

These type of observations don't take me out of the movies in question, they make me more curious, and I pay even greater attention.

Agreed. Some things draw you in and some don't - either on initial or secondary viewing. For example, on secondary viewing, the full five count between Ben Gardner's head appearing in the flashlight's beam to Hooper reacting to the head always struck me as odd and completely unrealistic. But, is there a chance I caught that on first viewing? Heck no, I was still reacting to the shock.
Filmmakers also take 'liberties.' You know, the wet city street at night when it hasn't rained. Same thing in Jaws. Inboard powerboats are NOISY, yet Hooper's boat heading through the water sounds unfamiliar to anyone that's spent any time on a powerboat. That's because having the audience hearing a realistic conversation on a powerboat chopping through the water would not be pleasant. So we get the fantasy.

 

[Mark Oates]

For example, on secondary viewing, the full five count between Ben Gardner's head appearing in the flashlight's beam to Hooper reacting to the head always struck me as odd and completely unrealistic. But, is there a chance I caught that on first viewing?

Isn't that Spielberg's Double Whammy - like the reveal of the Phantom in the 1925 Phantom of the Opera? The first shock is the reveal to the audience, the second is her reaction as he turns to face her. With Ben Gardner, there's the shock of the head bobbing into camera (Oh my God it's the shark! Oh my god it's a man's head!) then we get a double dose from Hooper's freak-out.

 

[NY2LA]

Filmmakers also take 'liberties.' You know, the wet city street at night when it hasn't rained.

Wetting the street is S.O.P. on movie and TV shoots. Always, always, always, when I've worked on a shoot, they wet down the street. They have some reason for it that I forgot long ago, like the street won't show up otherwise, idunno, but they do it ALL the time.

 

[Vincent_P]

Wetting the street is S.O.P. on movie and TV shoots. Always, always, always, when I've worked on a shoot, they wet down the street. They have some reason for it that I forgot long ago, like the street won't show up otherwise, idunno, but they do it ALL the time.

This always bothered me about Kubrick's EYES WIDE SHUIT. They wet down the NYC sets in England, then intercut it with second-unit footage shot in the real NYC that was NOT wet down.
Vincent

 

[JamesNelson]

Wetting the street is S.O.P. on movie and TV shoots. Always, always, always, when I've worked on a shoot, they wet down the street. They have some reason for it that I forgot long ago, like the street won't show up otherwise, idunno, but they do it ALL the time.

In the commentary for Ronin, Frankenheimer said that he wet the streets when he was shooting over multiple days, for continuity in case it did rain on any of the days.

 

[haineshisway]

Of course, Bruce, as you know, I do tend to have this idiotic notion that movies should be sources of enjoyment and not neverending rage, but that's just me. And some people can't be happy unless they are complaining about movies. They kinda remind me of the Damon Runyon character in the short story MONEY FROM HOME Philly the Weeper, who is suh a guy as would walk around with loaf of bread under his arm weeping that he is hungry.
BTW, Bruce, that is not a cut on you. So please do not take it as such.

Oh, I don't. I don't ever make observations like those that have been made here - it would never occur to me to do so, and I'm not sure I believe the memories of those who say they saw the film in 1975 and thought the actress in question looked too "old." I don't know anyone in 1975 who wasn't so wrapped up in the film by that point that they would have ever noticed such a thing. Just don't believe it.

 

I was very little in the 1970s but I don't remember people questioning everything like they do today. They saw the film...they either liked it or they didn't. Most discussions I heard were about the opening scene, the shark, and the poster. And many women I knew looked as old or older than her and had kids my age.