Jaws (1975)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers:

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

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

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
Dr. Robert Nevin	...	Medical Examiner
Peter Benchley	...	TV Interviewer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Chris Anastasio	...	Out of Towner (uncredited)
John Bahr	...	Beach Guitarist (uncredited)
Allison Caine	...	Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)
Robert Carroll	...	Mr. Polk (uncredited)
Edward Chalmers Jr.	...	Mr. Denherder (uncredited)
Robert Chambers	...	Charlie (uncredited)
Denise Cheshire	...	Swimming Chrissie, First Victim (uncredited)
Fritzi Jane Courtney	...	Mrs. Taft (uncredited)
Cyprian R. Dube	...	Mr. Posner (uncredited)
Paul Goulart	...	Clarinet Player in Music Store (uncredited)
Mike Haydn	...	Bonfire Guitarist (uncredited)
Duncan Inches	...	Townsperson (uncredited)
Belle McDonald	...	Mrs. Posner (uncredited)
Donald Poole	...	Frank Silva, Harbor Master (uncredited)
Peggy Scott	...	Polly (uncredited)
Steven Spielberg	...	Amity Point Lifestation Worker (voice) (uncredited)
Alfred Wilde	...	Harry Wiseman (uncredited)
Dick Young	...	Pratt (uncredited)

Directed by
Steven Spielberg

Writing credits
Peter Benchley		(novel)
Peter Benchley		(screenplay) and
Carl Gottlieb		(screenplay)
Howard Sackler		(Indianapolis monologue) uncredited and
John Milius		(Indianapolis monologue) uncredited and
Robert Shaw		(Indianapolis monologue) uncredited

Produced by
David Brown	....	producer
Richard D. Zanuck	....	producer

Original Music by
John Williams

Cinematography by
Bill Butler		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Verna Fields

Production Design by
Joe Alves		(as Joseph Alves Jr.)

Set Decoration by
John M. Dwyer

Makeup Department
Del Armstrong	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Verne Caruso	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Jim Gillespie	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
James Fargo	....	unit production manager (as Jim Fargo)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Barbara Bass	....	second assistant director
Tom Joyner	....	first assistant director
Joe Alves	....	second unit director (uncredited)
Verna Fields	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
Thomas Wright	....	production illustrator (uncredited)

Sound Department
John R. Carter	....	sound
Robert L. Hoyt	....	sound (as Robert Hoyt)
Gregory King	....	sound re-recording mixer (25th anniversary release)
Norval D. Crutcher III	....	sound effects editor (2000 restoration) (uncredited)
George Fredrick	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Gary S. Gerlich	....	sound supervisor (2000 restoration) (uncredited)
Walter A. Gest	....	adr recordist (uncredited)
Roger Heman Jr.	....	sound (uncredited)
William Hooper	....	sound effects editor (2000 restoration) (uncredited)
Andy Koyama	....	2001 restoration sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Richard LeGrand Jr.	....	supervising sound editor (2000 restoration) (uncredited)
Earl Madery	....	sound (uncredited)
Colin C. Mouat	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Patrick O'Sullivan	....	sound editor (2000 restoration) (uncredited)
Walter Spencer	....	dialog editor: restoration (uncredited)
Roger Sword	....	sound editor (uncredited)
James Troutman	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Robert A. Mattey	....	special effects
Kevin Pike	....	special effects assistant
Roy Arbogast	....	special mechanical effects (uncredited)
Richard S. Edwards	....	explosive expert (uncredited)
Richard Stutsman	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Eddie Surkin	....	special effects crew (uncredited)

Stunts
Richard E. Butler	....	stunts (uncredited)
Howard Curtis	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ted Grossman	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Frank James Sparks	....	stunt double: Richard Dreyfuss (uncredited)
Fred Zendar	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Ziker	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Chapman	....	camera operator
Rexford L. Metz	....	underwater photographer (as Rexford Metz)
Vito Carenzo	....	grip (uncredited)
James A. Contner	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Louis Goldman	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Fred Schuler	....	additional camera operator (uncredited)
Ronald Vidor	....	underwater camera operator (uncredited)
Dennis Young	....	underwater grip (uncredited)
Ron Zarilla	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Casting Department
Shari Rhodes	....	location casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Louise Clark	....	wardrobe: women (uncredited)
Robert Ellsworth	....	wardrobe: men (uncredited)

Editorial Department
William C. Carruth	....	assistant editor (uncredited)
Jeff Gourson	....	assistant film editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Bob Bain	....	musician: guitar (uncredited)
Joseph Glassman	....	music editor (uncredited)
Tommy Johnson	....	musician: tuba soloist (uncredited)
Paul Kegg	....	musician: cello (uncredited)
Steven Spielberg	....	musician: clarinet in orchestra (uncredited)
John Williams	....	conductor (uncredited)

Other crew
Charlsie Bryant	....	script supervisor
William S. Gilmore	....	production executive (as William S. Gilmore Jr.)
Ron Taylor	....	live shark footage
Valerie Taylor	....	live shark footage
Fred Zendar	....	technical advisor (as Manfred Zendar)
Al Ebner	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Rick Fields	....	assistant: Mr. Spielberg (uncredited)
Ron Veto	....	underwater diver (uncredited)

Thanks
L.J.V. Compagno	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Zanuck/Brown Productions (for)
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinema International Corp. (1975) (UK) (theatrical)
• Cinéma International Corporation (CIC) (1976) (France) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1979) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• DiscoVision (1981) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MCA Home Video (1984) (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1996) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• CIC Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Prem'er Video Fil'm (Russia) (VHS)
• Universal Home Video (200?) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Cinematique  cosmetics
• Decca Records  soundtrack released by
• MCA Records  soundtrack released by
• National Geographic Society  the producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of (as The National Geographical Society)
• Panavision  filmed in
• The Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University  the producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of
• Universal Title  titles and opticals
• Varèse Sarabande  score album released by
• Westrex Recording System  recording system

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:

Roy Scheider stated in an interview that in the scene where Lee Fierro (Mrs. Kintner) smacks him in the face, she was actually hitting him. Apparently, the actress could not fake a slap and so the multiple takes were some of the "most painful" of his (Scheider's) acting career.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the town meeting, the shot before Quint scrapes his fingers over a chalk drawing of a man-eating shark on the blackboard shows the back of the meeting room, including the blackboard. There is no drawing, and Quint is not in the shot, even though both are there a split second 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 Tremors II: Aftershocks (1996) (V)

Soundtrack:

I Honestly Love You

If this movie scares you to the point where you can't go back into the water, then Spielberg has done job well done

Jaws is a movie the I grew up with, it's like the first real horror film I ever watched. What a great one to start with, right? This movie not only scarred me out of the water, I was afraid to go to the bathroom! I thought Jaws was going to pop up out of the toilet and bite my butt! :D I know it was silly, but that was how much Jaws effected me. I know also that it has not lost it's effect to this day. I'm questioning, because it seems like all the terrific horror films came out of the 70's.

Jaws is based on the best seller book by Peter Benchley. Steven Spielberg, before he was STEVEN Spielberg turned this horrifying book and made it into a reason to hate sharks. He brilliantly took what could have been a cheesy movie and turned it into a classic that will never be forgotten. To this day, I still need a friend to hold onto, it's that score! Duh na... duh na.... dun dun dun dun.... Oh, my gosh, that music just scares the heck out of me! On such a low budget, Jaws not only turned into one of the greatest horror movies of all time, it turned into one of the greatest movies, period.

Jaws starts off with one of the most terrifying scenes in horror movie cinema, a young pretty girl goes into the water and is brutally attacked and killed by an unknown creature in the water. The next day Chief Brody investigates suspecting a shark attack, and urges the mayor, Larry Vaughn, to shut down the beach, but afraid of a panic and less tourists, Larry ignores the chief's suggestions and keeps the beach open leading to another attack on a young boy. Brody calls in Matt Hooper, a marine scientist to see if they can find the shark. But when another attack ensues and almost kills Brody's young son, Michael, he, Matt, and a cocky man, Quint go out to find Jaws themselves.

This turns into several of the greatest cinematic scenes of all time, like the "Indianapolis" speech brilliantly given by Quint, how he describes seeing his first shark was just so intense and you couldn't turn away from the screen. Then, one thing that is interesting about this movie, you do not see the shark until Brody is just chucking blood to attract the shark over his shoulder and Jaws appears roaring out of the water! "We're gonna need a bigger boat!" he replies to Quint. And then the scene where Jaws jumps onto the boat and Quint is trapped sliding into Jaw's, well, jaws! That's the scene that nightmares are made out of! Jaws is one of my favorite films of all time. It's one of those films that should never be missed, because it is so important. To many, including myself, the shark looks fake, but it's your imagination that gets with you. Spielberg embraced that and you could tell there was just something special about him. Jaws will scare you out of the water just like The Exorcist scared you to the church!

10/10