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.
After bursting onto the scene in 1971 with his made-for-TV suspense thriller “Duel,” and then again in 1974 with “The Sugarland Express,” which starred Goldie Hawn, Steven Spielberg adapted Peter Benchley’s best-selling novel ‘Jaws,’ about a great white shark that preys upon a small resort town, into a big-screen adaptation and started what we now know as the Hollywood Blockbuster. We are so used to it nowadays but back in 1975 when “Jaws” was first released, it made more than $7 million in its opening weekend and went on to gross over $100 million that year, the first film in American history to ever do so, beating “The Godfather” as the highest-grossing film at the North American box office.
Everything about “Jaws” works perfectly; the acting, Spielberg’s top-notch direction, Bill Butler’s cinematography, the iconic movie soundtrack by John Williams, Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb’s screenplay, for this movie, the stars aligned and absolutely everything worked flawlessly. The interplay between the three central protagonists, Brody, Hooper, and Quint, is essentially what makes the film work. While everything I just mentioned, the direction, cinematography, music, screenplay, and every behind-the-scenes element is essential in making a movie successful, in the end, we sit down to watch what transpires onscreen and the chemistry between our, pardon the pun, fish-out-of-water trio, is why “Jaws” has endured for over 45 years.
Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) has just moved from New York City to the small island of Amity where he does everything by the book, not realizing that the Amity Town Council has the final say in all matters pertaining to the town, even when it comes to police matters. After the first shark attack, he wants to close the beaches but the town’s mayor, Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton), overrules him, stating that their entire economy is based on the dollars of visiting tourists and that closing down the beaches could have dire consequences on their local community. When a young boy is killed by the shark in broad daylight in front of everyone, Brody forces Vaughn to hire Quint (Robert Shaw), a local fisherman and shark hunter who insists on capturing the shark by himself so he can keep the $10,000 bounty all to himself but Brody insists that he and Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfus), a consulting oceanographer, tag along with him, much to Quint’s chagrin. As they head out to the open sea to track down and kill the shark, they quickly discover that it is much smarter than they thought and soon the tables are turned and they become the hunted as they try to make their way back to land.
Part of the reason why “Jaws” was so successful and why it continues to scare audiences, even to this day, is because the shark is hardly seen throughout the film. In the last act, it becomes more visible but early on, you might see the fin or hear to iconic “dun dun dun dun dun dun” score which lets you know it is nearby but you never see the shark in its entirety and originally, this was not how it was supposed to happen. The mechanical shark, which was named Bruce, after Spielberg’s lawyer, kept malfunctioning so Spielberg had more time to work on character development and story exposition while the shark was being repaired. In the end, the lack of the shark is what made the movie scarier. Imagine watching a horror film and the killer jumps out in full view early on and then continuously appears throughout, after a while, its unrelenting presence stops being scary because you have time to analyze and scrutinize its visage. Spielberg would later present “Jurassic Park” in much the same way, allowing you to see the dinosaurs occasionally and for the most part, in the rain and in the dark. That is why the movie was sometimes referred to as “Jaws on land.”
Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfus, and Robert Shaw were absolutely perfect in their respective roles. Their continuous banter and repartee are what made them more endearing as the film progressed and in the end, there was a perfect sense of comradery between the three men. Peter Benchley’s book had certain elements that Spielberg chose to excise from the movie and one was the ending. Originally, both Quint and Hooper die but in the film, Hooper survives, along with Brody. One other element was an adulterous affair between Hooper and Brody’s wife, Ellen, this aspect was also cut out as Spielberg felt it would jeopardize the friendship of the three men hunting the shark. Most book-to-film adaptations fare poorly overall, with many stating that the book was better but in this instance, on the whole, the movie was as good as, if not better than its written counterpart.
“Jaws” is that rare feat of filmmaking magic, where every facet, both in front of and behind the camera, blend together perfectly to put forth a magnificent crowning achievement. Watching it in 4K Ultra HD makes for an even greater viewing experience. One of the extras on the Blu-ray, titled “JAWS: The Restoration,” is a short ten-minute feature on how the film was painstakingly restored, frame-by-frame, to give the appearance of a modern-day blockbuster. If you haven’t seen this version, I promise you, it is well worth it. This version also includes:
• The Making of JAWS
• The Shark Is Still Working: The Impact & Legacy of JAWS
• JAWS: The Restoration
• Deleted Scenes and Outtakes
• From the Set
• Theatrical Trailer
Additional Bonus Features on Blu-ray:
• Storyboards
• Production Photos
• Marketing JAWS
• JAWS Phenomenon
Available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™, and Digital HD June 2nd
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