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

Runtime:

124 min | USA:130 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

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

An instant classic!

When I first saw the film, "Jaws" I was immediately frightened by the unseen terror that pulls the human psychosis to the depths of the ocean...literally! Steven Spielberg had made himself the most successful director of all time when he went all out with this one! Running to the back of the house and turning all the lights on were just a few things I resorted to after watching the opening for the first time!!! I Never watched anymore of it until 1-3 years later. I was highly hesitant because to a young child, a skinny dippers suffering to the wrath of the giant unknown mouth was the most horrifying sequence in film history at the time...and it still is now! Once I finally got the courage to view the film, I was still in for a lot of suprises. The cinematography is superb in its ruthless attempt to bring the audience to the depths of a powerful ocean, and to the eyes of the dark, wretched creature the inhabits it. The story of the killer shark attacking the only unfortunate island in the world is more than scary. It could have been any place in the world, and it had to be Amitty Island. The shark could have easily lost it's way in the swaying currents of the ocean, but as the opposite inhabitants of the beach get angry, this big mother is here to stay! The technique is wild, absolutely wild, and John Williams score earned more than an oscar for it! Creepy piano notes enter this films titles, and the blue depths of the uncharted territory beneath the sea let us all know that no sense, however small, was to be spared. The first victim, alone will haunt those who view it for the rest of their days, and the rest of the story is more like a battle. This strange battle is often more focused on understanding the other side. What Brody, Quint, and Hooper must do is plunge into the depths themselves, and seek out the unruly monster of the sea. The common theme in this terrific classic is survival, and why not? Survival is a natural instinct to all animal alike. The shark must survive, as it makes so clear by snagging unsuspecting swimmers, but also the people, they to have to survive, but the island is not big enough for both man and fish together. Always a joy to experience over and over again, this film is the ultimate scare show to end them all! Sometimes, a lot of us fans can not seem to get enough of this instant classic!