We had a very retro-themed weekend recently as we saw two classics of 70's cinema. On Sunday the Stroud Apollo cinema showed a beautifully restored print of Jaws, a film I have vivid memories of watching back in those far-off days of 1975. Possibly the first real blockbuster of the modern age, Jaws was one of the few movies you could legitimately call a phenomenon, and was responsible for mentally scarring a whole generation of cinema-goers. It was great to see it on the big screen again after all this time, to revel in the expanded detail of the widescreen image and to enjoy the bloody loud soundtrack...
Before that, on the Saturday, Sarah and I went to the good ol' Guildhall to watch Woody Allen's classic Annie Hall. A delightfully witty and charming love story, Allen's masterpiece is still fresh and funny and fantastic. A more in-depth review may follow soon...
I've never seen Jaws, but I remember seeing Annie Hall in my local cinema with a friend when it first came out in 1977. A year or so later, I saw it again in The Odeon in Southsea (now demolished) with the same friend a day or two before his wedding. His marriage didn't last, but it's nice to see that some things (Annie Hall) will be around forever.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to hear others speak of Jaws as a traumatic experience when, in all seriousness, to me it seems like a comedy about the provincialism of small town life. Admittedly that may have something to do with not seeing it until many years after it was released, and so viewing it through the lens of all the subsequent films it influenced. As a result, what comes through most strongly is the humanity that later films neglected in their rush to be scare machines.
ReplyDeleteAlso: a couple of years back I visited the town where it was filmed; you might be pleased to hear it looks exactly the same today as it did 37 years ago!
Annie Hall on the other hand I saw when it was new. On my most recent viewing a week ago, I was shocked to realize that one scene was filmed three blocks away from my present home...!
@Kid
ReplyDeleteQuite surprised to hear you say you've never seen Jaws! I would have thought it was very hard to avoid. Is this a conscious decision or have you just never been bothered about it?
I was 10 when Annie Hall came out, so I didn't see it until many years later on telly... and I've loved it ever since!
@Richard
That's an interesting take on Jaws:-)
There's certainly plenty of humour and subtle social comment in the film but I never would have thought of it as a comedy. You're spot on about the humanity in the film: the script and performances make the story unforgettable just as much as the big fish...
I'm intrigued now: which scene from Annie Hall was filmed three blocks away...?
It's the scene after Alvy has just had an argument with Annie, and he asks random passersby how their relationships work. One woman tells him something like "I'm shallow and have no opinions or ideas, and he's exactly the same." That scene was filmed on West Fourth Street and MacDougal Street, and I walk past that corner nearly every day!
ReplyDeletePlease forgive me harping on this, but I can't resist sharing this link in connection with the preceding discussion of Annie Hall locations:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.scoutingny.com/?p=5733
If you look very closely, you might spot a familiar name hidden somewhere in there.
Thanks for the link, Richard. Fascinating stuff!
ReplyDeleteI'm storing all this information for the day I finally get to New York :-)
One day...