Jaws (1975)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1974
Running Times: 119 mins     124 mins     127 mins
Length:
Format: 35mm/70mm (in UK)/Panavision (anamorphic)
Colour Format: Technicolor
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: mono

DIRECTION

Director: Steven Spielberg

SCRIPT
Script: Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb
Additional Dialogue (Indianapolis dialogue): John Milius (uncredited), Howard Sackler (uncredited), Robert Shaw (uncredited)
Novel: Peter Benchley

DIRECTION
1st Assistant Director: Tom Joyner
2nd Assistant Director: Barbara Bass

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Bill Butler
Camera Operators: Michael Chapman, Ron Zarilla (uncredited)
Additional Camera Operator: Fred Schuler (uncredited)
Underwater Photography: Rexford Metz
Live Shark Footage: Ron Taylor, Valerie Taylor

EDITING
Editors: Verna Fields, Steven Spielberg (uncredited)
Assistant Editor: Jeff Gourson (uncredited)

MUSIC
Music: John Williams

SOUND
Sound: John R. Carter, Robert Hoyt
Recorded On: Westrex Recording System

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Cosmetics: Cinematique

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Robert A. Mattey
Titles / Optical Effects: Universal Title

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Joseph Alves Jr
Set Decorator: John M. Dwyer

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Supervisor: Charlsie Bryant
Technical Advisor: Manfred Zendar

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks To: The National Geographical Society; Mr L.J.V. Compagno of The Department of
Biological Sciences, Stanford University

LOCATIONS
Locations: Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA; Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA; Joseph Sylva State Beach, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA; Menemsha, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA; Seal Rocks, Australia

CASTING
Location Casting: Shari Rhodes

CAST

Roy Scheider (Chief Martin Brody)
Robert Shaw (Quint)
Richard Dreyfuss (Matt Hooper)
Lorraine Gary (Ellen Brody)
Murray Hamilton (Mayor Larry Vaughn)
Carl Gottlieb (Meadows)
Jeffrey C. Kramer (Hendricks)
Susan Backlinie (Chrissie Watkins)
Jonathan Filley (Cassidy)
Ted Grossman (estuary victim)
Chris Rebello (Michael Brody)
Jay Mello (Sean Brody)
Lee Fierro (Mrs Kintner)
Jeffrey Voorhees (Alex M. Kintner)
Craig Kingsbury (Ben Gardner)
Dr. Robert Nevin (medical examiner)
Peter Benchley (interviewer)

UNCREDITED CAST

Allison Caine (additional voice)
Robert Carroll (Polk)
Edward Chalmers Jr (Denherder)
Robert Chambers (Charlie)
Cyprien P.R. Dube (Posner)
Belle McDonald (Selectman's wife)
Donald Poole (harbour master)
Steven Spielberg (voice on radio)
Alfred Wilde (Mr Wiseman)

PLOT SUMMARY

As the 4th July holidays approach, the Long Island coastal resort of Amity is menaced by a gigantic Great White shark that prowls the waters attacking holidaymakers and locals alike.

The first of the summer blockbuster 'event' movies and still one the very best. An almost flawless example of how to make a relentless thriller - perfectly paced, with a superb cast and top notch direction, the only real let down are the special effects. But even they can't ruin one of the best films of the 1970s.

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Universal Pictures
Video Distributor: MCA
Laserdisc Distributor: MCA Universal

Australia
Rating: M

Finland
Rating: K-16

France
Rating: -12

Germany
Rating: 16

Netherlands
Video Rating: 16

Norway
Rating: 15; 16 (in 1976)

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: PG; 15 (on DVD due to some of the extras)

USA
Rating: PG-13 (revised rating)

1975
June
20: USA - theatrical release

December
18: Netherlands - theatrical release
19: Finland - theatrical release
20: Sweden - theatrical release
26: Denmark - theatrical release

1976
February
16: Norway - theatrical release

1981
October
8: UK - television broadcast (on ITV)

1982
September
4: UK - television broadcast (on ITV)

1984
April
23: UK - television broadcast (on ITV)

1992
June
10: UK - television broadcast (on BBC1)

1993
July
13: UK - television broadcast (on BBC1)

1997
November
8: UK - television broadcast (on BBC1)

1999
July
17: UK - television broadcast (on BBC1)

2000
November
29: UK - television broadcast (on BBC1)

2001
December
28: UK - television broadcast (on BBC1)

2002
January
5: USA - television broadcast (on TNT)
6: USA - television broadcast (on TNT)

December
25: UK - television broadcast (on ITV)

2003
September
27: UK - television broadcast (on ITV2)

November
27: UK - television broadcast (on ITV2)

2004
January
18: UK - television broadcast (on ITV)

February
11: UK - television broadcast (on Sky One)

2005
February
8: UK - shown at the National Film Theatre, London
13: UK - shown at the National Film Theatre, London

September
4: UK - television broadcast (on ITV)

2006
December
23: UK - television broadcast (on ITV)

2007
April
12: UK - television broadcast (on ITV3)

July
28: UK - television broadcast (on ITV)

August
5: UK - television broadcast (on ITV3)

2008
February
2: UK - television broadcast (on ITV3)
3: UK - television broadcast (on ITV3)

July
28: UK - television broadcast (on ITV)

She was the first.

The terrifying motion picture from the terrifying No. 1 best seller.

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

Ajkula - Serbian title
Celisti - Czech Czechoslovakian title
Celuste - Slovak Czechoslovakia title
Dents de la mer, Les - French/French Canadian title
Dødens gab - Danish title
Haisommer - Norwegian title
Hajen - Swedish Finnish title
Jaws - Denizin disleri - Turkish title
Melta'ot - Israeli title
Ralje - Croatian DVD title
Sagonia tou karharia, Ta - Greek title
Squalo, Lo - Italian title
Stillness in the Water - working title
Szczeki - Polish title
Tappajahai - Finnish title
Tiburón - Argentine/Spanish title
Tubarão - Brazilian title
Tubarão, O - Portuguese title
Weiße Hai, Der - West German title
Zomer van de witte haai, De - Flemish Belgian title

SEQUELS
Jaws 2 (1978)
Jaws 3-D (1983)
Jaws: The Revenge (1987)

SEE ALSO
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (1998)
Airplane! (1980)
American Tickler (1976)
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Coming Soon (1982)
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Gums (1976)
Jipangu (1990)
Killer Fish (1978)
Shark - Oceano nella rosso (1984)
Orca (1977)
Piranha II: The Spawning (1981)
Saturday the 14th (1981)
Spaceballs (1987)
Tintorera (1977)
L'ultimo squalo (1980)
Vertigo (1958)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (1998)
100 Years at the Movies (1994)
The American Film Institute's Tribute to Steven Spielberg (1995)
The Making of Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1995)
Terror in the Aisles (1984)
The Universal Story (1995)
Visions of Light (1992)

Entertainment Weekly no.549 (14 July 2000) p.58
DVD review (by Marc Beranrdin)

Flicks September 2000 p.79
illustrated DVD review (by Phil Hoad)

Literature/Film Quarterly v.4 no.3 (1976) pp. 196-214
article (The Exorcist and Jaws by Stephen E. Bowles)

Take One v.4 no.10 (1975) pp.8-12
article (At Sea with Steven Spielberg by David Helpern)

Video Watchdog 14 pp.58-59
review

BOOKS

Nightmare Movies (2nd edition) p.69
review (by Kim Newman)

On Location on Martha's Vineyard: The Making of the Movie Jaws - Edith Blake (Orleans, Mass.: Lower Cape Publishing Company (1975))

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

boats, islands, police, sharks, underwater

Last Updated: 21 November, 2008