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Jaws (1975)

8.2
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Ratings: 8.2/10 from 247,688 users   Metascore: 79/100
Reviews: 847 user | 315 critic | 9 from Metacritic.com

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.

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(screenplay), (screenplay), 1 more credit »
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Title: Jaws (1975)

Jaws (1975) on IMDb 8.2/10

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Top 250 #144 | Won 3 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 14 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Hendricks (as Jeffrey C. Kramer)
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Jonathan Filley ...
Ted Grossman ...
Chris Rebello ...
Jay Mello ...
Lee Fierro ...
Jeffrey Voorhees ...
Craig Kingsbury ...
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Storyline

It's a hot summer on Amity Island, a small community whose main business is its beaches. When new Sheriff Martin Brody discovers the remains of a shark attack victim, his first inclination is to close the beaches to swimmers. This doesn't sit well with Mayor Larry Vaughn and several of the local businessmen. Brody backs down to his regret as that weekend a young boy is killed by the predator. The dead boy's mother puts out a bounty on the shark and Amity is soon swamped with amateur hunters and fisherman hoping to cash in on the reward. A local fisherman with much experience hunting sharks, Quint, offers to hunt down the creature for a hefty fee. Soon Quint, Brody and Matt Hooper from the Oceanographic Institute are at sea hunting the Great White shark. As Brody succinctly surmises after their first encounter with the creature, they're going to need a bigger boat. Written by garykmcd

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

When beaches open this summer, you will be taken by Jaws. See more »


Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

20 June 1975 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Stillness in the Water  »

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$260,000,000 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (TV)

Sound Mix:

(Westrex Recording System)| (Dolby 5.1)| (DTS 5.1)| (DTS HD Master Audio)

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Shaw could not stand Richard Dreyfuss and they argued all the time, which resulted in some good tension between Hooper and Quint. See more »

Goofs

When there is a false alarm in the water, a lady screams when she sees the fin. Behind her there are a girl and a boy on a blow-up raft. In the next shot a man is seen in a similar position, and behind him, there is now an extra girl on the raft. See more »

Quotes

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

Crazy Credits

During the end credits, if you look carefully, you can see Brody and Hooper slowly floating to the shore. See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Anthropophagus (2012) See more »

Soundtracks

" (You're) Having My Baby"
Written by Paul Anka
Performed by Paul Anka with Odia Coates
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Not your average fish story...
23 September 2001 | by (Los Angeles) – See all my reviews

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+


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