Jaws

Theatrical Release Date: 1975 06 20 (USA) / 2012 08 23 (USA - Rerelease)

UPC: 025192091223

Studio: Universal Studios

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Violence, Not For Children, Adult Language]

Summary: 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. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Category: Thriller

Awards: Anthony Asquith Award – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Picture – British Academy of Film and Television Arts 100 Greatest American Movies – American Film Institute U.S. National Film Registry – Library of Congress Best Director – Directors Guild of America Best Picture - Drama – null Best Director – null Best Screenplay – null Best Screenplay – null Best Original Score – null Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Score – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Screenplay – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Director – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Screenplay – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Picture – People's Choice Awards

Features: Spotlight on location "The Making of Jaws"
Deleted scenes and outtakes
"Get Out of the Water" trivia game
Shark world
Production photos and storyboards
Original theatrical trailers
Screen saver

Jaws

Format: DVD

Release Date: 07/11/2000

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 125 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,French

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
0. Chapter List
1. Main Titles [:17]
2. Chrissie's Last Swim [:28]
3. A Feast for the Crabs [1:04]
4. If You Yell Shark... [5:37]
5. Blood on the Beach [:07]
6. The Town Meeting [3:46]
7. The Shark & Sunday Dinner [2:15]
8. The Expert [4:35]
9. The Wrong Shark [:08]
10. The Dead of Night [2:11]
11. July 4th [3:58]
12. Predator in the Pond [3:10]
13. The Shark Hunters [:08]
14. Face-to-Face [:37]
15. Scars [4:19]
16. The Chase [3:27]
17. Hooper Goes In [7:13]
18. Quint's Last Stand [1:49]
19. Brody & the Beast [4:50]
20. End Titles [3:21]

Lucia Bozzola

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. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Chris Rebello  Actor 
Peter Benchley  Actor 
Jay Mello  Actor 
Allison Caine  Actor 
Peter Benchley  Screenwriter 
David Brown  Producer 
Carl Gottlieb  Screenwriter 
Steven Spielberg  Director 
John Williams  Composer (Music Score) 
Richard D. Zanuck  Producer 
Roy Scheider  Actor 
Robert Shaw  Actor 
Richard Dreyfuss  Actor 
Lorraine Gary  Actor 
Murray Hamilton  Actor 
Carl Gottlieb  Actor 
Jeffrey Kramer  Actor 
Susan Backlinie  Actor 
Jonathan Filley  Actor 
Ted Grossman  Actor 
Lee Fierro  Actor 
Jeffrey Voorhees  Actor 
Craig Kingsbury  Actor 
Dr. Robert Nevin  Actor 

Country: USA