Jaws [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray]

Director: Steven Spielberg Steven Spielberg

Overview

Based on Peter Benchley's best-selling novel, Steven Spielberg's 1975 shark saga set the standard for the New Hollywood popcorn blockbuster while frightening millions of moviegoers out of the water. One early summer night on fictional Atlantic resort Amity Island, Chrissie decides to take a moonlight skinny dip while her friends party on the beach. Yanked suddenly below the ocean surface, she never returns. When pieces of her wash ashore, Police Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) suspects the worst, but Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton), mindful of the lucrative tourist trade and the approaching July 4th holiday, refuses to put the island on a business-killing shark alert. After the shark dines on a few more victims, the Mayor orders the local fishermen to catch the culprit. Satisfied with the shark they find, the greedy Mayor reopens the beaches, despite the warning from visiting ichthyologist Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) that the attacks were probably caused by a far more formidable Great White. One more fatality later, Brody and Hooper join forces with flinty old salt Quint (Robert Shaw), the only local fisherman willing to take on a Great White--especially since the price is right. The three ride off on Quint's boat "The Orca," soon coming face to teeth with the enemy.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/14/2014
UPC:	0025192251344
Original Release:	1975
Rating:	PG
Source:	UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	2:04:00
Sales rank:	1,852

Special Features

The shark is still working: the impact & legacy of Jaws; The making of Jaws; Jas: the restoration; Deleted scenes and outtakes; From the set; Storyboards; Production photos; Marketing Jaws; Jaws phenomenon; Original theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Roy Scheider	Brody
Robert Shaw	Quint
Richard Dreyfuss	Hooper
Lorraine Gary	Ellen Brody
Murray Hamilton	Vaughn
Carl Gottlieb	Meadows
Susan Backlinie	Chrissie
Jonathan Filley	Cassidy
Ted Grossman	Estuary Victim
Chris Rebello	Michael Brody
Jay Mello	Sean Brody
Lee Fierro	Mrs. Kintner
Jeffrey Voorhees	Alex Kintner
Craig Kingsbury	Ben Gardner
Robert Nevin	Medical Examiner(as Dr. Robert Nevin)
Peter Benchley	Interviewer
Jonathan Searle	Boy Swimmer with Cardboard Fin,Boy Swimmer with Cardboard Fin
Tim Aguirre	Infant on Beach
Wally Hooper Jr.	Harry
Janice T. Hull	Lady Fisherman
Stephanie Hull	Swimming Girl
Ayn Ruymen	Nurse
Christopher Sands	Lifeguard
Julie Taylor	Nurse
Steven Spielberg	Amity Point Lifestation Worker
Allison Caine	Voices
John Williams	Composer

Technical Credits

Carl Gottlieb

Peter Benchley

Howard Sackler

Steven Spielberg	Director
David Brown	Producer
Richard D. Zanuck	Producer
Carl Gottlieb	Screenwriter
Ron Taylor	Special Effects,Special Effects
Robert Mattey	Special Effects
Peter Benchley	Screenwriter
Shari Rhodes	Casting
John Carter	Sound/Sound Designer
Robert L. Hoyt	Sound/Sound Designer
Howard Sackler	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Displaying a flair for suspense worthy of Hitchcock, young Steven Spielberg terrorized a generation's moviegoers simply by showing a fin in the water. Adapted from Peter Benchley's bestseller, Spielberg's first major hit earned an Oscar nomination for best picture, spawned multiple sequels, and changed Hollywood forever by making the action-blockbuster a summer staple. A triumph of superb craftsmanship, enhanced by John Williams's menacing, Oscar-winning score, Jaws serves as a showcase for three outstanding performances. Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider star as the marine biologist and landlubber sheriff, respectively, who join forces with a grizzled fisherman (Robert Shaw) to hunt down the man-eating shark that is terrorizing a summer resort. There are echoes of Moby Dick in Shaw's obsessive, Captain Ahab-like sailor, as there are in the film's theme of the struggle between man and nature. There is also an element of gallows humor ("I think we need a bigger boat") that punctuates the terror like drops of demented glee. As viewers will see in the outstanding "Making of Jaws" documentary included on both the DVD and double-cassette VHS Anniversary Collector's Editions, this fish story succeeded because of its rich storytelling and characterization. A shock film with heart and soul to match its grit, Jaws remains a true American classic.

Barnes & Noble - Ben Wolf

Shooting on Martha's Vineyard with a mechanical shark dubbed "Bruce," 27-year-old Steven Spielberg wanted to shoot Jaws on the open water for as much terrifying realism as possible. Between rewrites of Robert Benchley's and Carl Gottlieb's script, the unruly ocean, and the glitch-laden shark, the shoot went way over schedule and the budget ballooned to $10 million, leading everyone to believe that they had a B-movie disaster on their hands. However, Spielberg and editor Verna Fields turned the liability of an obviously fake Bruce into a potent source of fear by leaving the shark unseen until the final battle. Instead, swift cuts between swimmers above the surface and underwater shark's-eye views of helplessly dangling legs, combined with John Williams's pounding score, create a relentless atmosphere of primal horror. With an ad image of a giant shark aiming for a tiny female, Universal Studios aggressively marketed Jaws as a thrilling "event," especially in primetime spots on TV, a then seldom-used advertising venue for movies. Bucking the old practice of using wide releases for stinkers, Universal opened the heavily-anticipated film in over 400 theaters in June 1975, and it shattered box office records. Tapping into an abiding dread of the unknown, made scarier by the reality of Great White sharks and corrupt bureaucrats as well as by Spielberg's effective orchestration of excitement, Jaws became the first film ever to return over $100 million to its studio. Producers David Brown and Richard D. Zanuck received a Best Picture Oscar nomination, but wunderkind Spielberg was passed over for Best Director. The film's technical achievements were rewarded with Oscars for Editing, Sound, and Score. With the lines at the box office, the proliferation of Jaws products, and a rash of reported shark attacks, Jaws became a cultural phenomenon and the first bona fide summer event movie, leading the thrill-packed and profitable way for summers to come.

All Movie Guide - Lucia Bozzola