Final Exam Student Choice: Film Music of Jaws
Jaws was released in 1975, directed by Stephen Spielberg, with music composed by John Williams. It’s story of overcoming a giant great white shark is well-known and the movie became the highest-grossing film until Star Wars was released a few years later. Perhaps one of the most important parts of the movie was it’s music. Williams used music to associate the main theme with the shark by only ever using it when it was in a scene. The exception was during the climax of the movie, when the shark appears with no musical score to shock the audience. Williams made the score to represent the shark as “instinctual, relentless, unstoppable…” and succeeded to create one of the most easily recognizable themes. The score is unique in design. It uses mostly the same range throughout the score, but quickly speeds up to increase tension. It then just as quickly climaxes and abruptly ends. Williams used this to better associate the theme with the shark. This is easily done with the score’s intense build-up. During the most tense moment in the movie, the climax when the three heroes begin their fight with the shark, Williams abuses the fact that the shark always appeared with the main theme and shocks the audience when the shark attacks without music. The score is not used constantly in this scene, only when there is need for a build-up of tension for the coming shark. Just like when the characters in the movie become more and more panicked, the music begins to speed up as well.
Jaws was one of my favorite films, despite being born over 20 years late. The music just the same has been one of the most intense scores that I have ever heard. It is easily the most notable part of the film to me, I simply can’t imagine it as a thriller movie without it. Though I don’t think it will cure my phobia of sharks, paying more attention to music in movies will definitely lead to a more enjoyable experience.