Original JAWS added back, please.

Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2004 5:20 am Post subject:

True.

Talking about the difference between the 2 versions:
I did use the scene "First Victim" as an example in a lecture about the use of filmmusic, as I believe Jaws is one of the most perfectly edited and spotted movies ever. I did show the students the same scene 5 times:

a) without music, just sound fx
b) with the original music
c) with the uncut music from the collector's edition soundtrack
d) with "The Blue Danube" by Johann Strauss
e) with "Kontakte" (=contacts) by Karlheinz Stockhausen

The music, as it's presented in the film, has it's peak when the victim gets dragged under water by the shark, and it remains silent afterwards. All you can see is calm sea, all you can hear is the little bell from the buoj. Very powerful use of music and sound.
Now, I noticed that the new music from the collector's soundtrack misses the point where the swimmer is dragged under water by about 1 second, the build-up is too long and the peak too late. After that, the music is still playing very quietly, while we see the calm sea and Chief Brody standing at the window.

That lead me to the conclusion that either

a) that scene was re-edited after John Williams did record the score, and they had to edit the music accordingly
b) the orchestra (that wasn't playing to a click track, even John Williams conducting didn't have one) had timing problems and missed the peak
c) John Williams did want it that way, but it didn't work in the movie and they decided to edit the music.

Probably, it's both the orchestra paying inaccurately and John Williams wanting the music to go on after the victim got killed.

Either way, every student believed that the original, edited filmmusic was better, and that the new collector's version lowered the impact of the scene. I feel the same way - it just works better in the movie. However, from a compositional point-of-view, the new, uncut version is far superior than the truncated one in my opinion.
Now, we can't argue over which version should be included on CD, but since there are different rules for music helping a movie and music you enjoy listening to at home, I prefer the original, uncut vision by John Williams - whether it may have worked for that particular scene or not.