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Jaws [1976]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

In the vastly overrated 1998 book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, author Peter Biskind puts the blame for Hollywood's blockbuster mentality at least partially on Steven Spielberg's box-office success with this adaptation of Peter Benchley's bestselling novel. But you can't blame Spielberg for making a terrific film, which Jaws definitely is. The story of a Long Island town whose summer tourist business is suddenly threatened by great white shark attacks on humans bypasses the potboiler trappings of Benchley's book and goes straight for the jugular with beautifully crafted, crowd-pleasing sequences of action and suspense. This is supported by a trio of terrific performances by Roy Scheider (as the local sheriff), Richard Dreyfuss (as a shark specialist), and particularly Robert Shaw (as the old fisherman who offers to hunt the shark down). The sequences on Shaw's boat--as the three of them realise that in fact the shark is hunting them--are what entertaining moviemaking is all about. --Marshall Fine --This text refers to another version of this video.

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

In the vastly overrated 1998 book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, author Peter Biskind puts the blame for Hollywood's blockbuster mentality at least partially on Steven Spielberg's box-office success with this adaptation of Peter Benchley's bestselling novel. But you can't blame Spielberg for making a terrific movie, which Jaws definitely is. The story of a Long Island town whose summer tourist business is suddenly threatened by great-white-shark attacks on humans bypasses the potboiler trappings of Benchley's book and goes straight for the jugular with beautifully crafted, crowd-pleasing sequences of action and suspense supported by a trio of terrific performances by Roy Scheider (as the local sheriff), Richard Dreyfuss (as a shark specialist), and particularly Robert Shaw (as the old fisherman who offers to hunt the shark down). The sequences on Shaw's boat--as the three of them realise that in fact the shark is hunting them--are what entertaining moviemaking is all about. --Marshall Fine

FAIRLY FLAWED GENIUS
Review date: 2008-02-02 Rating: 10 out of 10

Full tilt Spielberg! The man certainly introduced himself to the world with a bang with this piece of brilliance. It is so cinematically compelling, most people must have thought 'Where on Earth did this guy come from?' when seeing it on its release. The man (like his style or not) is simply a creative genius, his command of the screen all the time with visually compelling scenes is almost out of this world. He makes every movie flow with action, and this masterpiece flows quite nicely, especially once he gets us out on the big water. Yes he can definitely be accused of being corny, even perhaps cartoon like in his film making at times, but boy, does he entertain.

The second half of this great film is one of the best continuous pieces of cinematic action ever created, in my opinion, the best. SS is a film maker's film maker, he does not always excell at drama, that is very true, but in this movie I think he does a marvelous job with the three men on a boat. He coaxes such sparkling performances from them, I sometimes forget there's a big fish out there hunting them down. Credibility wise, okay, you can find faults in the storyline here, the shark seems as human as them, not content with merely fulfilling its instintive desire to eat, it does seem to engage in a deadly vendetta against them. It's almost comic book adventure out there, and you do question the insane actions of the little boat's skipper as he refuses to back down from the challenge from the monster fish. Speilberg's making a point about human egos getting the better of their owners here, and it makes for a sensational cinematic ending.

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Reviews


A Film To Be Watched Again and Again
Review date: 2007-07-30 Rating: 10 out of 10

Steven Spielberg has a lot of career highlights to look back on, but this is one of his earliest, and arguably one of his finest.

All the way back in 1976/77, this film was terrifying audiences and making them jump in fright, with a plethora of tense and sinister moments, brought about by the presence of a Great White Shark which is terrorising the small seaside resort of Amity.

After some deliberation from Mayor Vaughn, local sailor Quint, played by Robert Shaw, is brought in to catch the shark for a price. However, he is also accompanied on his boat by the Chief of Police, Brody, played by Roy Schneider, and a shark expert who works for National Geographic, Hooper, played by Richard Dreyfuss.

The quarreling between the three men is hilarious, as is Quint's attempts to rule the roost and exert his authority. In particular, the tension and bickering between him and Hooper makes this film very watchable.

The scenes in which the three men try deperately to injure the shark and slow it down are tense, and there are at least a few frightening moments, especially when Hooper is foolish enough to enter the water in a metal cage, in order to jab the shark with a needle containing strychnnine. The violent scenes in this film vary in intensity, but there is a truly revolting scene towards the end in which the Shark devours it's latest meal.

All of this is directed superbly and the action is well enough paced and intense enough to make this film enjoyable to watch time and time again.

THE all time classic
Review date: 2007-06-06 Rating: 10 out of 10

I love the cinema. I love movies and regularly go to the cinema and have loads of dvds. There are many fims over the years I have seen and loved and watch repeatedly but none more than this. This film has it all. Superb acting from the three main actors, Spielberg at his best and a score that defies belief and which has never been bettered. For all the movies I have seen and loved over the years, this is the only one I can remember everything about the day I first went to see it, Queueing around the block at the ABC in Liverpool and panicing as I thought i wasn't going to get in as the cinema was nearly full. Then the feelings during watching the film itself. This is the only film I have seen where the I can remember the audience all standing and cheering at the end when the shark is killed. So what if today the effects look poor. Modern film makers who think they can just stick some CGI effects into a movie should take note of how the suspense is built in this film despite the way its villain looks. An absolutely perfect film. Never bettered in my opinion.

A Monster Hit
Review date: 2007-05-03 Rating: 10 out of 10

Spielberg's mastery, demonstrated here when he was only twenty-six years old, and displaying the maturity and storytelling prowess of a filmmaker a decade older.

A fine movie and the one that arguably ushered in the era of the summer "event" film, JAWS is a classical story of man (or men) versus monster. The monster in question is, of course, a twenty-five foot, three-ton great white shark, which is terrorising the beaches of Amityville Island. And the three unlikely allies who must destroy it are Brody, a police chief afraid of the water (Roy Schneider), Hooper, an affluent "city boy" shark expert played by Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw's grizzled, working class mariner, Quint.
The story is propelled by Mayor Larry Vaughn's insistence that the beaches remain open so as to attract a high level of tourists. "This is a summer town," he says to the reluctant chief, "we need summer dollars."
The fact that Spielberg's film is set in such an idyllic locale is what makes JAWS so seductive. It's like being on holiday yourself - aside from the killer shark. And who could deny Spielberg's visual aptitude - one need only compare it to the mediocrity of the sequels to see just what a strong performer he is (No 3 is just one of the very worst films ever made).
An important landmark of not only 1970s Hollywood but of the development of the classic American film narrative...



Spielberg Genius
Review date: 2007-04-17 Rating: 10 out of 10

Jaws was very popular when released, it was the highest grossing film of 1975. It spawned three sequels, which were all inferior. In fact, no film about Sharks or any killer fish has been able to come close to the level of Jaws.

The genius in Jaws is its ability to build suspense. The Shark is never really shown till near the end of the film. When ever the Shark is approaching its victims, we get the Sharks point of view, instead of seeing the Shark. These shots combined with John Williams very effective score, make the scenes when the Shark is about to devour his victims much more effective.

Every actor does a nice job with their performances. Roy Scheider brings Martin to life. Martin is not a showy character but Scheider is able to make us like him. Richard Dreyfuss exhibits energy in his performance as Matt Hooper. Robert Shaw is very effective as Quint, that Indiannapolis speech is still very chilling to me. Lorraine Gary and Murray Hamilton also give solid support.

People always talk about how fake the Shark looks. I think its passable but today it would definitely be done by CGI. However, the Shark is not seen that much in the film so its not that big of a deal.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Roy Scheider
Murray Hamilton
Robert Shaw
Richard Dreyfuss
Lorraine Gary

Creators:
Roy Scheider (Primary Contributor)
Robert Shaw (Primary Contributor)
Robert Shaw (Writer)
Carl Gottlieb (Writer)
David Brown (Producer)
Richard D. Zanuck (Producer)
Howard Sackler (Writer)
John Milius (Writer)
Peter Benchley (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Universal Pictures UK
Manufacturer: Universal Pictures UK
EAN: 5050582048049
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL,
Release date: 2005-11-01
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 119 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1975-06-20
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