Jaws (1975)

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers:

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

Release Date:

20 June 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Horror | 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:

Female Nudity | North Atlantic | Woman Killed By Shark | Child Eaten | Imitation

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 13 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. May 22

8:00 PM

TCM

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

Runtime:

124 min | USA:130 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Spain:T | USA:TV-14 | Brazil:14 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1995) | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original 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 | West Germany:16 | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Zanuck/Brown Productions

Trivia:

Richard Dreyfuss originally turned down the role of Hooper but had worries after the initial screening of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974) and asked for his part back.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Like Quint said, "Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, he doesn't even seem to be livin'... 'til he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then..." So for all those scenes where we see Jaws attack someone, like Quint or the guy in the pond, his eyes should have rolled back as a way to protect them.

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:

Spoofed in Daisy Does... (2006)

Soundtrack:

Show Me The Way To Go Home

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.