Have You Ever Seen "Jaws" On the Big Screen?
Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at 3:39PM If not, don't miss your big chance Thursday night!
Bruce & Steven. True Love Always
Many readers think I'm anti-Spielberg -- when you're critical of any sacred cow people think you hate him/her -- but I love the early stuff as much as anyone. Close Encounters of the Third Kind is amazingly "open" in a way too few films are, Raiders of the Lost Ark is about as fun as adventure films can be, and the blockbuster that created Summer Movie Season, Jaws, is impeccable.
Cinemark's Classic Series is a Thursday night moviegoing option in dozens of cities, large and small (sadly it doesn't play in Manhattan though I can't really complain about our access to revivals). The fall series, which you can buy individual tickets to or in bulk for $30, features:
- August 23rd, Jaws
- August 30th, High Noon
- September 6th, Doctor Zhivago
- September 13th, Chinatown
- September 20th, The Bridge on the River Kwai
- September 27th, The African Queen
Oscar buffs will need to have seen all six at some point, so if you haven't, why not cross them off your list ASAP? I hate The African Queen (yes, it's true) but the rest of the series looks delicious and the films have been digitally restored for the occasion. Jaws, Chinatown and Doctor Zhivago in particular strike me as perfect options to seek in revival houses or in screening series like this because they're all slow boil movies paced in a way that pays off enormously in the long haul but is absolutely unlike how movies play out these days so it's best to see them on the screen without the interruptions that you'd get at home.
I wish I could see Jaws tomorrow night!
It may have scarred me as a child (even though I didn't see it until the 80s) but I love it anyway. See it for me tomorrow night! Or for yourself if you've never seen it all blown up real good.
Reader Comments (10)
I love that you hate The African Queen too. My god, that movie...but I love the rest (sans High Noon, which I haven't seen yet). I wish I could see Jaws Thursday!
I haven't seen a 70's Spielberg film.
Both The African Queen and Doctor Zhivago are way OVERRATED. Jaws is brilliant, especially on the big screen. Saw it opening weekend in 1975 with my junior high boyfriend, who was totally scared and held my hand the entire movie.
Haven't let my kids see it because we do way too much ocean swimming, and with all the shark sightings here in New England, I don't want them freaked out any more than they already are..
I saw Jaws when it first opened in theaters. Scared the hell out of me. I think that was the first movie where I screamed in terror with the rest of the audience, and then shared in the relieved laughter when the shark did NOT appear (the head popping out scene). What a great shared moment among our audience.
Too bad we don't have Cinemark here, 'cause I'd be there to see it again!
Erin
Wow, those are some really good films. I actually really liked The African Queen. Yes, it's not a great film and I don't get why Bogie won his Oscar for that film (especially when he gave better ones in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and Casablanca) but I enjoyed it as a romantic adventure comedy, something I don't take seriously but love watching (I also really enjoyed Father Goose, which is a similar film, though I enjoyed it more than The African Queen).
I'm not a huge fan of Doctor Zhivago as a whole, but it has some fantastic individual moments, and Julie Christie is stunning. Chinatown and Bridge on the River Kwai are two favorites of mine and I also really enjoyed High Noon.
I agree with everyone that Jaws is fantastic. Not really my favorite early Spielberg film (that honor goes to E.T., a movie that never fails to build a lump in my throat) but it's exciting, with well-drawn characters and it knows how to build the suspense (as well as take advantage of its humor to build it).
I saw JAWS for probably the tenth time (always was on TNT as a kid), but first time on the big screen this year at the TriBeCa Drive-In movies - right along the water in manhattan. So fun, especially to see with friends who'd never seen it before. I still jump when Richard Dreyfuss' character goes scuba-diving to see some boat wreckage...and finds a surprise :)
My grandfather took me and my brother to see Jaws during its first run on the huge screen at the historical Midland Theater in Kansas City. I was in complete terror for most of the movie while Grandpa kept saying loudly how fake it all looked. It didn't stop me from being afraid to open a closet door for fear that a Great White was waiting to swallow me whole.
Agree with Doctor Zhivago that it's just Omar Sharif and Julie Christie giving each other puppy dog eyes, although that works better than what would happen if Peter O'Toole was in it. I don't necessarily see him as a romantic lead. And Chinatown was a bit convoluted, the only Polanski that I love of the ones I've seen is Repulsion.
Also, Jaws on the big screen during the 2010 TIFF retrospective of the most influential 100 movies ever, introduced by a local film critic. The movie is prettier than I remember.
I saw 'Jaws' opening weekend (on my birthday!) with a bunch of my high school friends in Galveston. We had just spent all day on the beach, along with most of the packed theatre, and everyone was absolutely terrified! Incredible movie...
Although the slack narrative in Doctor Zhivago can test one's patience, the spellbinding imagery lingers in the memory, along with the sheer skill of filmmaking brought to bear on this moving epic. I'll admit I rarely understand exactly what is going on in the story at any given moment, but seeing Julie Christie's blinding smile reflected off the glittering tundra as nature boasts its beauty and betrays its cruelty makes the lasting impact. This is one of those films that gets better each time you see it. In my mind, David Lean's last masterpiece.