There's something to be said for characters who instinctively know how to command the attention of a room. In the movie Jaws, there's a lot of panic going around and not a ton of good strong leadership. Richard Dreyfuss's character Hooper doesn't show up early enough to make much of an impact, and the sheriff is so terrified by the water that he's basically useless. (Side issue: why in the world would you take a job working in a beach resort town on an island if you're mortally afraid of water?) Luckily for everyone, there's Quint, former Navy captain and professional alcoholic curmudgeon. How is Quint to the audience? Well, he's at a community action meeting where they're attempting to settle on the best way to take on Bruce the shark, and he decides to get everyone's attention by scratching his fingernails across a chalkboard. Which kind of makes him a hero. Seriously, is there a better way to introduce a tough, no nonsense character?
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
