When one teaches poetry in the classroom, there are two ideas one frequently and immediately has to demolish before interesting conversations can occur. The first is that there exists a definitive understanding, or interpretation, of what a poem means. This notion is often held by otherwise smart students who are terrified by poetry, because they've been taught that symbolism is about one-to-one correspondence or decoding (The moon in Bishop's "Insomnia" represents loneliness!) and that the goal of a class like this is to figure out the hidden, fixed meaning of the poem and then write a paper demonstrating that, like a champion puzzler, they've followed the clues through to success.
Jaws is a really fascinating film in that its plot is so basic yet not at all underdeveloped, which leaves it open to so many readings. Or, as you seem to be arguing, because it is ripe for any interpretation, it doesn't favor any single interpretation. For all the richness available within the breadth of cinematic expression, I can't think of another film with this exact evergreen quality.
I very much enjoyed this take on the film. Look forward to reading more.
Thanks for taking the time to read, and for the kind words about the piece! I really like the notion of it as having an "evergreen quality" - I think that precisely captures something about it that's difficult to put into words.
Jaws is a really fascinating film in that its plot is so basic yet not at all underdeveloped, which leaves it open to so many readings. Or, as you seem to be arguing, because it is ripe for any interpretation, it doesn't favor any single interpretation. For all the richness available within the breadth of cinematic expression, I can't think of another film with this exact evergreen quality.
I very much enjoyed this take on the film. Look forward to reading more.
Thanks for taking the time to read, and for the kind words about the piece! I really like the notion of it as having an "evergreen quality" - I think that precisely captures something about it that's difficult to put into words.