Jaws (1975)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers:

Peter Benchley (screenplay) and
Carl Gottlieb (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 June 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

The Nation's No.1 Best-Selling Book now the Screen's Super-Thriller

Plot:

When a gigantic great white shark begins to menace the small island community of Amity, a police chief, a marine scientist and grizzled fisherman set out to stop it.

Plot Keywords:

Shark | Beach | Island | Mayor | Fisherman

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 13 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Nov. 12	4:00 PM	HBO
Fri. Nov. 20	2:00 PM	HBO

Cast

Roy Scheider	...	Brody
Robert Shaw	...	Quint
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Hooper
Lorraine Gary	...	Ellen Brody
Murray Hamilton	...	Vaughn
Carl Gottlieb	...	Meadows
Jeffrey Kramer	...	Hendricks (as Jeffrey C. Kramer)
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

Also Known As:

Hajen (Finland: Swedish title) (Sweden) [sv]
Les dents de la mer (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Tiburón (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
вЕКЧЯРХ (Soviet Union: Russian title) [ru]
Ajkula (Serbia) [sr]
Celisti (Czechoslovakia: Czech title) [cs]
Celuste (Czechoslovakia: Slovak title) [sk]
Dødens gab (Denmark) [da]
De zomer van de witte haai (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
Der weiße Hai (West Germany) [de]
Haisommer (Norway) [no]
Jaws - Denizin disleri (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Lo squalo (Italy) [it]
Melta'ot (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
O Tubarão (Portugal) [pt]
Ralje (Croatia) (DVD title) [hr]
Szczeki (Poland) [pl]
Ta sagonia tou karharia (Greece) [el]
Tappajahai (Finland) [fi]
Tubarão (Brazil) [pt]

Runtime:

124 min | USA:130 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1995) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Spain:T | USA:TV-14 | Brazil:14 | New Zealand:M | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Denmark:15 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Israel:PG | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 (video rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Sweden:15 | Taiwan:GP | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | USA:PG (Certificate #24175) | West Germany:16 | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

American Legion Memorial Bridge, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Zanuck/Brown Productions

Trivia:

The first actor to be signed on was Lorraine Gary as Ellen Brody. Steven Spielberg hired her after seeing her in The Marcus-Nelson Murders (1973) (TV), because he thought she was so naturalistic.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jaws attacks Hooper's cage, there is live footage of a real Great White with a rope hanging from its mouth. This shark's mouth is clearly much smaller than Jaws' mouth when it attacks the boat moments later.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Tom Cassidy: What's your name again?
Christine 'Chrissie' Watkins: Chrissie.
Tom Cassidy: Where are we going?
Christine 'Chrissie' Watkins: Swimming

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Greek: Friday Night Frights (#1.6)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Show Me The Way To Go Home

Not your average fish story...

Widely regarded as the film that began the "summer movie blockbuster era", JAWS (1975) was also rightfully one of the year's most critically acclaimed movies. It was also the recipient of an Academy Award Nomination for Best Picture and a winner of Oscars for film editing (Verna Fields) and music score (John Williams). One of the reasons the film received no acting nods is that everyone involved is so good, how could one single out just one or two? (I personally feel Robert Shaw should have gotten a Best Actor nomination, however). Roy Scheider is wonderful as New York cop Martin Brody, who has relocated to a small coastal island town, only to have his bad case of "aquaphobia" put to the ultimate test. Richard Dreyfuss is perfectly cast as a shark expert and provides some truly funny comic bits along the way. Lorraine Gary (who director Steven Spielberg says was the first person to be cast for the film) does an excellent job of being the concerned wife and mother. Finally, there's Murray Hamilton, who gives one of the best performances of his career as Mayor Vaughn, who seems to be more concerned about the economy of the town than the safety of the residents. In a way, Vaughn is really the film's villain. Solid cast indeed. The screenplay (by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb) is tight and well-written, as is Spielberg's direction. Whether it was the mechanical shark's failure to operate correctly or Spielberg's decision to simply see less of the shark until the end of the film, the "less is more" idea works perfectly, particularly in the opening scene, which is chilling to this day.

One thing I do want to add: if you choose to watch this film at home, do yourself a favor and rent or buy the WIDESCREEN version. The full-screen pan and scan version is a travesty that ruins the great camerawork that Spielberg and cameraman Bill Butler made. I always recommend the widescreen version but it is especially important for JAWS.

No offense to fans of ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, but this is the film that should have taken home the Oscar gold. Grade: A+