Jaws (1975)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers:

Peter Benchley (novel)
Peter Benchley (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 June 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

Amity Island had everything. Clear skies. Gentle surf. Warm water. People flocked there every summer. It was the perfect feeding ground.

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 | Fisherman | Mayor

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 13 nominations

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Roy Scheider	...	Police Chief Martin Brody
Robert Shaw	...	Quint
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Matt Hooper
Lorraine Gary	...	Ellen Brody
Murray Hamilton	...	Mayor Larry Vaughn
Carl Gottlieb	...	Ben Meadows
Jeffrey Kramer	...	Deputy Leonard 'Lenny' Hendricks (as Jeffrey C. Kramer)
Susan Backlinie	...	Christine 'Chrissie' Watkins
Jonathan Filley	...	Tom 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 (Technicolor)

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 | 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:

Most of the film was shot handheld as that was the best way to countermand the ocean's swell.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Hooper finds the shark tooth in the hull of Ben Gardner's boat, the point is sticking up, with the root end of the tooth embedded in the wood. If the shark had lost the tooth while biting into the hull, Hooper should have found the point stuck in the wood, with the root end exposed.

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:

Featured in Back to the Black Lagoon: A Creature Chronicle (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

I Honestly Love You

The Ultimate Popcorn Movie

"Jaws" is a thrill-ride of suspense that continues to deliver the goods to the audience 25 years later. The plot is somewhat thin: a large shark is terrorizing the tourists at the local beach. However, with that said Steven Spielberg's direction is amazing. The young director (only 28 at the time) showed unlimited potential that would only increase with age. A great accomplishment that could have been a multi-million dollar bust. 5 stars out of 5.