…I’m tired and I want to go to bed. I had a little drink about an hour ago and it’s gone right to my head…”
I had a… well, it was a very challenging day at work today. And so I needed some reassurance and comfort when I got home. I needed… comfort food.
Only my comfort food is not, well, actual food. It’s movies.
Tonight, it was Jaws.
Setup the video projector, put the disc in, and forgot all my troubles.
Have I mentioned that I consider Jaws a near-perfect movie before? If not, then I have been remiss in my blogging duties.
Jaws is nearly perfect. More than Gone with the Wind, more than Casablanca, and more than Citizen Kane. And I love ALL those films.
Why is Jaws special to me, more than the above? Because I have read about the making of many many films and the making of Jaws was far far worse than the other “disastrous” shoots I have read of. Worse than any Herzog shoot. Worse than shooting Apocalypse Now.
It was brutal. It almost made Spielberg hang up his directing cap, when he had barely begun.
If you doubt me, just read up on the making of the film. Heck, a whole documentary has been made highlighting the turmoil of the filming (and the films impact).
So, besides being a fantastic movie to begin with, it is, to me, inspirational. Because, if Steven can get through all he had to push/force himself through to make Jaws, then any of the daily frustrations I have, well.. they pale in comparison.
I am not tying to shoot a major motion picture at sea, with three different boats and a mechanical shark to coordinate, for example.
I am also not fighting for my life against a great white shark – that, too, is something to be thankful for.
Quick addendum – tonight was the first time I was able to watch the movie with my 10-year old son, Hunter, and I took great pleasure in seeing it through his eyes. He enjoyed it, and “jumped” at the proper moments.
It holds up.
I have no doubt it will ALWAYS hold up as a great film, for generations still to come.
Thanks again, Steve, for pushing past the obstacles and making it work. It encourages me, even with obstacles and barriers unplanned for, to keep going.
In the end, it’s worth it. Even if the results are not shown to an audience of millions.