All That Jazz (1979)

An autobiographical musical drama directed by Bob Fosse. It’s a noble failure – high on ambition, low on satisfaction. 

The “story”, what there is of one, deals with a character supposedly based on Fosse himself. Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider) is a theatre director and choreographer. He’s a womaniser, chain-smoker and drug user whose health is getting worse by the day. When he’s eventually hospitalised, the remainder of the film plays out as a sort of fantasy/dream sequence that blends scenes from his life with high-concept showbiz production numbers. These take place in an imaginary nightclub with the angel of death played by Jessica Lange. 

The problem is that Joe's character is established in the first five-to-10 minutes and is left with nowhere to go. It’s never explained how he got to be who he is, why he behaves like this, why his family put up with him, and why we should care. A brief bit of back story (Joe as a teen) is quickly abandoned, and way too much of the film is taken up with him hallucinating while in hospital. That time could have been used for character development. 

The impressionistic scenes are a spectacle, but there’s an ugly quality to the visuals that’s off-putting. Ultimately it becomes wearying.

The French Connection (1971)

Crime thriller starring Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider as New York cops “Popeye” and “Cloudy”, investigating a drug deal. 

There are plenty of thrilling moments, including a particularly exciting car/train chase scene, but it’s prevented from being a masterpiece by a few confusing plot elements. It’s frustrating because there’s so much that’s great about the film. 

Hackman gives the performance of a lifetime. There is something incredibly believable about him, so he makes the drama seem real. Scheider is also appealing, and the chemistry of the pair adds a great deal.

It looks fantastic, too, with the urban shots presented in a way that’s extremely gritty and convincing.

In 1975, Hackman starred in a sequel.

Jaws (1975)

I’ve seen this gem several times now and never tire of it. Steven Spielberg lost his way in later years, but with this film and Duel (1971) he could do no wrong.

There is no way that Jaws deserves its “12” certificate. In the first scene alone you see drug-taking and nudity. Then there’s a fair bit of “threat”, dismemberment, gore and all-out horror.

It’s full of great little details: Roy Scheider’s son copying his gestures at the meal table; that ultra-dramatic on-the-beach shot that zooms in and pans out at the same time; the iconic “shark approaching” music by John Williams; Quint’s war story; “You’re gonna need a bigger boat”; and the grisly fingers-down-the-blackboard moment at the town meeting.

It really kicks off when the three men go to sea to hunt the killer great white. There’s a macho issue going on between the guys, as well as a theme of class: tough-talking fisherman Robert Shaw is less than impressed with college-educated oceanographer Richard Dreyfuss. As the police chief, Roy Scheider somehow strikes a balance between them. Each man’s character is extremely well drawn. Also excellent is Murray Hamilton as the town mayor who prioritses Amity’s lucrative 4th July celebrations over beach safety.

The shark looks incredibly realistic. So convincingly did the film make these creatures look evil that a great disservice was done to the way they are perceived and their subsequent ecological protection.

My only other real criticism is the intrusively jaunty music used in some of the action sequences. In typical Spielberg style, on a couple of occasions he over-eggs the “adventure” aspect and makes the drama seem silly. But the damage is minimal here compared to in his later films.

Those points aside, it’s a masterful study in suspense.