When I was about seven or eight, I used to fear watching Jaws. It wasn't because of the shark, I knew that sharks only swam in the sea, and it wasn't the blood shown on screen. It was mainly due to the music and fine directing of Steven Spielberg. Spielberg believed that 'less was more' and in the case of Jaws, that theory was true. I know it's true because it worked on me. The music was simple enough to remember and it always accompanied a shark attack. And what I didn't see, I pictured in my mind, and what I saw in my mind was always far worse than what could have been shown on screen. As a result, I was almost like Pavlov's dogs since when I heard the Jaws Theme, I freaked. Such is the power of the music that Williams composed and ever since, it has become known almost worldwide.
Prior to his making it big with his scores for the Star Wars Trilogy and the Indiana Jones films, this was Williams biggest hit. From it's almost heartbeat type opening, Williams's theme still brings fear to mind when it is heard. As with all of his major works, Spielberg sets up several themes that he uses over and over to give the audience a sense of forewarning that the characters on screen are oblivious to. None is more ominous than the Main Titles. For our three heroes, Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss, their theme is presented in Out to Sea. A particularly good rendition of their theme is heard in End Title.
For the more adventurous portions of the film, Williams again uses his established themes to set the pace and mood. Using the themes presented in Out to Sea and the Main Titles, Williams combines the two in the music for the showdown between our heroes and the shark. His combination of the two is so smooth that it isn't even discernable. And that is where the skill of Williams and his style become evident. Jaws is one of the better of Williams's scores and is worth picking up if you're not too scared. I still get goosebumps when listening to it all alone.
Total time: 34:52
1: Main Title (Theme From Jaws) (2:16)
2: Chrissie's Death (1:40)
3: Promenade (Tourists on the Menu) (2:46)
4: Out to Sea (2:27)
5: The Indianapolis Story (2:25)
6: Sea Attack Number One (5:24)
7: One Barrel Chase (3:04)
8: Preparing the Cage (3:24)
9: Night Search (3:29)
10: The Underwater Siege (2:31)
11: Hand to Hand Combat (2:32)
12: End Title (Theme From Jaws) (2:18)