The Screen Addict Recommends โ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ @๐ฑ๐ฌ: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐
It is no secret that I am a huge fan of High Concept โ the idea of summing up a film in a single sentence and/or image that is so striking and powerful (not to mention merchandisable) that it takes even less time than an elevator ride to sell it to a studio executive.
My favorite example of a High-Concept pitch was always: โSchwarzenegger. DeVito. Twins.โ After watching Laurent Bouzereauโs ๐๐ฎ๐๐ @๐ฑ๐ฌ: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ on Disney+ however, I am forced to reconsider.
I donโt believe there has ever been (or ever will be) a title and movie poster more effective than those of Spielbergโs masterpiece. The word โJawsโ combined with the image of a gigantic, menacing shark rapidly ascending towards an unsuspecting swimmer, makes us immediately want to see this movie. Forget a trailer or glowing reviews, this High-Concept approach is all it takes.
One of the many wonderful anecdotes I learned from Bouzereauโs beautiful documentary, is that Peter Benchley spent months mulling over the perfect title for his novel (โWho Dat Noshinโ on My Legโ, anyone?) and only decided on โJawsโ on the actual day the manuscript went to press.
The bookโs iconic cover image of the rising shark โ which Universal ended up using for the movie poster as well โ was the result of a makeover by artist Roger Kastel, after the original drawing was deemed to look too much like a penis with teeth. Fair enough, I guess!
The rest, as they say, is High-Concept history. Fifty years on, the ๐๐ฎ๐๐ iconography is ubiquitous, and still appears frequently on t-shirts, lunchboxes and bath towels across the globe.
Hell, โJawsโ is basically synonymous with shark, these days. As is John Williamsโ menacing score.
๐@๐ฑ๐ฌ:๐ง๐๐๐ฆ is a comprehensive time-capsule for what is arguably one of the most important and influential films ever made. My only bone of contention is that there is no new interview with Richard Dreyfuss, the only surviving member of the main cast. I sure hope this is not because of recent controversies surrounding the actor. That would be very petty.
In any eventโฆ
Seek it out & get your fix