Jaws (1975)

When a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers:

Peter Benchley (screenplay), Carl Gottlieb (screenplay)

Stars:

Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss

Won 3 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

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.

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Plot Keywords:

shark | beach | great white shark | blockbuster | fishing | 

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Taglines:

There is a creature alive today which has survived millions of years of evolution...without change, without passion, without logic. It lives to kill. A mindless eating machine, it will attack and devour anything. Try to imagine meeting the Devil...with JAWS.

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Genres:

Adventure | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The line, "That's some bad hat, Harry," at 16:35, is the slogan for Bad Hat Harry Production Company. Their ad page features a cartoon rendition of Martin and Harry sitting by the beach, with a shark fin in the water in the background.

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Goofs

When Chrissie is attacked by the shark, her mouth doesn't match her screams in many shots of her. This is because the audio was added in of her screams by Spielberg pouring water into Chrissie's mouth while she screamed.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

The producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of The Nation Geographical Society and Mr. L.J.V. Compagno of the Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University.

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Alternate Versions

The Finnish video version lacks the goriest scenes (Quint bitten in the end, close-up of Ben Gardner's head, severed leg falling to the bottom etc.).

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Connections

Referenced in Warehouse 13: Trials (2011)

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Soundtracks

Untitled Improvised Campfire Guitar Music
(uncredited)
Performed by Mike Haydn

User Reviews

A landmark film.

Far from being a monster movie, this is a realistic and gritty example of a town which relies on summer trade having its beaches invaded by a dangerous shark. There are genuinely suspenseful sequences, a first-rate soundtrack and believable people. The character development of the three men in the boat shows there's a lot more to this film than just a rubber fin. I'd recommend this and Jaws 2 to any fan of drama/thrillers.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Universal Studios

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 June 1975 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Les dents de la mer

Filming Locations:

Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,061,513, 22 June 1975

Gross USA:

$525,000,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$736,203,004

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zanuck/Brown Productions, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min 130 min (Extended Edition)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) Dolby (DVD) Dolby Atmos Dolby Surround 7.1 (Blu-ray release)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1