Quint

• Players will experience the original trilogy of films like never before with brand-new mechanical features inspired by iconic movie moments and state-of-the-art technology.
• JAWS pinball games are available in Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition (LE) models.
• View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240104942301/en/
  JAWS brings players to the beloved, fictional locale of Amity Island, located off the coast of Long Island, New York.
• Playing as Quint, Stern’s JAWS pinball games will have players grabbing their harpoons and helping Amity Island save the Fourth of July!

• But the reverse is often the case with popular fiction, which benefits from the immersive, visceral quality of the cinema.
• Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel Jaws, which turns 50 this year, was a smash.
• Yet when we think of Jaws, images from Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film adaptation are what come to mind – along with John Williams’ iconic theme music.
• Read more:
  From Jaws to Star Wars to Harry Potter: John Williams, 90 today, is our greatest living composer

‘The shark material is brilliant’

• A career journalist, Benchley is effective in describing actions, events and scenery: shark hunting, the ocean, Quint’s boat.
• The shark material is brilliant – the few times it cuts to the shark’s point of view (recalling Spielberg’s redeployment of the creature’s point of view from Creature from the Black Lagoon), the writing becomes electric, effortless.
• Benchley is at his best when describing the movements of the shark in the water.
• But the material about people is less confident – the writing is uneven and trite in places, with moments between characters sometimes strained in order to generate the necessary action.

Characters ‘loathsome in places’

• One of the great joys of the film is the developing friendship between Hooper and Brody, culminating in their delightful final exchange.
• After the shark is dead and they are kicking their way back to shore, Brody laughs: “I used to hate the water.” Hooper replies, “I can’t imagine why”.

• The characters in the novel are thus thoroughly unappealing – even loathsome in places.
• In the novel, Brody is “jealous and injured, inadequate and outraged”, a chauvinistic beer-guzzling bully, an obsessive – and often self-loathing – jerk.
• Ellen is also much less sympathetic in the novel (though admittedly in the film she’s a cardboard cutout of virtuous motherhood and wifedom).
• Martin, the middle son, age twelve, lounged in an easy chair, his shoeless feet propped up on the coffee table.
• Martin, the middle son, age twelve, lounged in an easy chair, his shoeless feet propped up on the coffee table.

Is ‘easy to swallow’ better?

• At the same time, Benchley – despite occasional flaws in the writing – does capture something of the dismal inconsistencies and banalities of being human.
• The complex self-loathing of the characters contrasts with the brutal and unthinking power – the genius for action and killing – of the shark.
• The film redacts the frailties and faults of the characters, turning an adult (albeit imperfect) novel into family-friendly fodder.
• It comes as no surprise that the film also excises much of the novel’s pointed class critique.
• […] Their bodies were lean, their muscles toned by boxing lessons at age nine, riding lessons at twelve, and tennis lessons ever since.

Benchley’s novel lingers longer

• Benchley, horrified by the bad rap his novel gave sharks, would go on to become an ecological activist focused on shark protection.
• Benchley’s Jaws may not immediately grab one as easily as Spielberg’s, and it’s certainly not as technically accomplished.

Ari Mattes does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• Despite decades of western stabilisation efforts, the region remains mired in multiple inter-linked conflicts that are manipulated and exploited by local politicians.
• But this is only the latest in a set of worrying developments in relations between Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo and between Kosovo and Serbia.
• The mass resignation was a protest triggered by attempts to force ethnic Serb drivers to adopt official Kosovo number plates.

The west’s response

• It noted that the elections “do not offer a long-term political solution” for the four municipalities.
• Throughout the following four weeks, western diplomats sought to avert further escalation – but to little avail.
• The statement condemned “Kosovo’s decision to force access to municipal buildings in northern Kosovo despite our call for restraint”.

Entrenched divisions

• Once an autonomous province within the Serbian republic of the former socialist federation of Yugoslavia, its status is far from resolved.
• The conflict between Serbs and Albanians goes back for decades and builds on selective memories of a supposedly centuries-old confrontation between different ethnic groups.
• While recognised today by some 100 countries around the world, it remains opposed by Serbia, China and Russia.
• In addition, Kosovo is not recognised by five EU member states, four of which are Nato members.

• QuintEvents , the industry-leading provider of official ticket, hospitality and travel experiences to many of the world's most prominent sports and entertainment events, is pleased to announce the appointment of Nickolas Cardinale as Chief Operating Officer.
• Cardinale enters the role following the transition of Brian Ruede from President/COO to CEO which took place on Jan. 1 of 2023.
• As Chief Operating Officer, Cardinale will lead the day-to-day operations of the business including event operations and logistics, client services, human resources and information technology.
• "We are thrilled to welcome Nick to the QuintEvents Executive team," said CEO Brian Ruede.