Jaws

Directed by	Steven Spielberg
Written by	Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb
Starring	Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary
Produced by	David Brown Richard D. Zanuck
Distributed by	Universal
Release date	June 20, 1975
Runtime	124 min.
Language	English
Budget
IMDb page

Jaws (1975) is an American film, based upon a bestselling novel by Peter Benchley, which tells the story of a resort town's sheriff who tries to protect beachgoers from the predations of a huge great white shark by closing the beach, only to be overruled by the town council. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss and Lorraine Gary. DVD cover or insert scan from the movie Jaws, personal scan, claiming fair use (does not detract from original work, scanned from legal copy, image is of sufficiently low resolution). ... Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg KBE (born on December 18, 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio but raised in the suburbs of Haddonfield, New Jersey and Scottsdale, Arizona), is an American film director and producer whose films range from science fiction to historical drama to horror. ... Peter Benchley (b. ... Roy Scheider Roy Scheider (born November 10, 1932) is an American actor. ... Robert Shaw (August 9, 1927 - August 28, 1978) was an English stage and film actor and writer. ... Dreyfuss as he appeared in the mid-1970s Richard Dreyfuss (born October 29, 1947) is an American actor. ... This is the movie producer David Brown David Browns, see David Brown. ... Richard Darryl Zanuck (born December 13, 1934) is an American movie producer. ... Universal Studios logo This article is about the Universal Studios movie studio and Universal Hollywood theme park. ... June 20 is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 194 days remaining. ... 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... See also: 1974 in film 1975 1976 in film 1970s in film years in film film // Events January 28 - George Lucas creates the second draft of what would eventually become Star Wars. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... Peter Benchley (b. ... Binomial name Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758) The Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias), also known as White Pointer, White Shark or Amaletz, is an exceptionally large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. ... Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg KBE (born on December 18, 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio but raised in the suburbs of Haddonfield, New Jersey and Scottsdale, Arizona), is an American film director and producer whose films range from science fiction to historical drama to horror. ... Roy Scheider Roy Scheider (born November 10, 1932) is an American actor. ... Robert Shaw (August 9, 1927 - August 28, 1978) was an English stage and film actor and writer. ... Dreyfuss as he appeared in the mid-1970s Richard Dreyfuss (born October 29, 1947) is an American actor. ...

Plot

The film opens with a young girl swimming a little far from Amity Island, a New England island that is a summer resort. (The town may be loosely based in name on the Long Island town of Amityville, but most likely it is based on Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket Island in Massachusetts). Suddenly, she begins to get jerked around and is pulled under. The next morning, Martin Brody (Scheider), the sheriff of Amity Island, finds some of her remains and concludes that she was killed in a shark attack. Amity Island is the fictional setting of the 1975 movie Jaws. ... Red states show the core of New England, the regions cultural influence may cover a greater or lesser area than shown. ... Image of Long Island taken by NASA. Long Island, New York, is an island off the North American coast, some 118 miles (190 km) long, and from 12 to 20 miles (32 km) wide, extending from New York Harbor into the North Atlantic Ocean. ... Amityville is a village located in Suffolk County, New York. ... Marthas Vineyard is roughly triangular in shape, and is approximately 30 kilometers in length. ... Nantucket is an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, formed of glacial moraine. ... State nickname: Bay State Other U.S. States Capital Boston Largest city Boston Governor Mitt Romney (R) Official languages English Area 27,360 km² (44th)  - Land 20,317 km²  - Water 7,043 km² (25. ... Orders see text Sharks are a group (superorder Selachimorpha) of fish, with a full cartilaginous skeleton, a streamlined body plan with between 5 and 7 gill slits along the sides (most often) or side of the head (the first modified slit is behind the eye and called a spiracle), dermal...

He then orders the beaches to be closed. However, the town mayor ignores the protests about the danger of more shark attacks and orders the beaches kept opened, as Amity is dependent on the money it makes from its summertime and, especially, Fourth of July business, and tells Brody to say the girl was killed by a boat propeller. A few days later, a boy is killed by the shark while swimming on a crowded beach and his mother places a substantial bounty on the animal. When marine biologist Matt Hooper examines the remains of the first victim, he becomes convinced that a very large and dangerous shark was responsible, more specifically, a Great White Shark which is an extremely voracious predator, known to be dangerous to humans. These fireworks over the Washington Monument are typical of Fourth of July celebrations In the United States, Independence Day, also called the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. ... Marine biology is the study of animal and plant life within saltwater ecosystems. ... Binomial name Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758) The Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias), also known as White Pointer, White Shark or Amaletz, is an exceptionally large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. ...

A large tiger shark is caught, but upon examining it, Hooper declares that the attacks were the work of a much larger fish. Brody wants the beaches closed, but Mayor Vaughn, again refusing to accept the possibility of danger, refuses. After another victim is devoured and Brody's son is nearly killed on the Fourth of July, Brody, Hooper, and shark hunter Quint (Shaw) set out in Quint's boat, the Orca, to face and hopefully destroy the man-eater. This article is about the mammal. ...

Production History

The film was produced by Richard Zanuck and David Brown, who had purchased the film rights to Peter Benchley's novel in 1973. His novel was loosely based on a real-life event in the summer of 1916 when a series of shark attacks killed four people along the New Jersey coast and triggered a media frenzy. They signed Spielberg to direct in the same year, prior to release of his first theatrical film, The Sugarland Express (also a Zanuck / Brown production). Despite his lack of feature film experience, Spielberg had proved adept at suspense material with the 1971 telemovie Duel. Richard Darryl Zanuck (born December 13, 1934) is an American movie producer. ... This is the movie producer David Brown David Browns, see David Brown. ... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... Orders See Classification and Shark taxonomy Sharks are a group (superorder Selachimorpha) of fish, with a full cartilaginous skeleton, a streamlined body plan with between 5 and 7 gill slits along the sides (most often) or side of the head (the first modified slit is behind the eye and called... State nickname: The Garden State Other U.S. States Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Governor Richard Codey (D) Official languages None defined Area 22,608 km² (47th)  - Land 19,231 km²  - Water 3,378 km² (14. ... The Sugarland Express is a movie starring Goldie Hawn. ... 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... A television movie (also TV movie, TV-movie, made-for-TV movie, telefilm, etc. ... Duel is a 1971 television movie directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Richard Matheson, starring Dennis Weaver and a Peterbilt 351 logging truck. ...

Peter Benchley wrote the first draft of the screenplay, with a subsequent draft prepared by Howard Sackler. Carl Gottlieb (who also appears in a supporting acting role in the film) was brought in to add humour and more depth to the characters. Gottlieb rewrote many scenes during principal photography, and John Milius contributed some dialogue polishes. Spielberg has claimed that he prepared his own draft, although it is unclear if any of the other screenwriters drew on his material. A screenplay or script is a blueprint for producing a motion picture. ... John Milius (born April 11, 1944) is a screenwriter, director, and producer. ...

The authorship of Quint's monologue about the fate of the cruiser USS Indianapolis has caused substantial controversy, with dispute as to who deserves the most credit for the speech. Spielberg tactfully describes it as a collaboration between John Milius, Howard Sackler and Robert Shaw. Gottlieb gives primary credit to Shaw, downplaying Milius' contribution. USS Indianapolis (CA-35) was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy. ... John Milius (born April 11, 1944) is a screenwriter, director, and producer. ...

Location shooting occurred at Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The film had a troubled shoot and went considerably over budget. The logistical problems of shooting at sea led to many delays, and the mechanical shark frequently malfunctioned. The three mechanical sharks were collectively nicknamed "Bruce" by the production team after Spielberg's lawyer, a piece of trivia that has been cited in a number of shark-related stories (such as the appearance of the shark in 2003's Finding Nemo). Spielberg referred to the mechanical shark as "the turd" on a British programme about famous horror scenes and confessed that they had even less flattering names for it throughout filming. Marthas Vineyard is roughly triangular in shape, and is approximately 30 kilometers in length. ... State nickname: Bay State Other U.S. States Capital Boston Largest city Boston Governor Mitt Romney (R) Official languages English Area 27,360 km² (44th)  - Land 20,317 km²  - Water 7,043 km² (25. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Finding Nemo is a computer-animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released to theatres on May 30, 2003 by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution. ...

To some degree, the delays in the production proved serendipitous. The script was refined during production, and the unreliable mechanical sharks forced Spielberg to shoot many of the scenes with the shark only hinted at. For example, for much of the shark hunt its location is represented by floating yellow barrels that have been tied to it during the hunt. This enforced restraint is widely thought to have increased the suspense of many scenes, giving it a Hitchcockian tone. Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KCB, (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was a British film director closely associated with the thriller genre. ...

Footage of real sharks was shot by Ron and Valerie Taylor in waters off South Australia, although only a handful of these shots were used in the finished film.

John Williams contributed the acclaimed film score. The main theme became a classic piece of suspense music, synonymous with approaching danger, and has echoes of the start of the fourth movement of Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 - a possible influence. This article is about John Williams, the noted film composer. ... A film score is the background music in a film, generally specially written for the film and often used to heighten emotions provoked by the imagery on the screen or by the dialogue. ... The Dvorak Simplified Keyboard layout The Dvorak Simplified Keyboard is a keyboard layout designed by Drs. ... The Symphony No. ...

Impact and Significance

Upon its release, the film rocketed past the then-$85 million gross of the reigning box-office champion, The Godfather, becoming the first movie to reach more than $100 million in box-office receipts. This feat was not matched until Star Wars, two years later in 1977. Jaws was a key film in establishing the benefits of a wide national release backed by heavy media advertising, rather than a progressive release that let a film slowly enter new markets and build support over a period of time. The wide national release pattern would become standard practice for high profile movies in the late 1970s and after. The Godfather is a novel written by Mario Puzo about a fictitious Italian Mafia family. ... For the film originally released under the name Star Wars, see Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ...

Jaws is also often cited as indicating a shift in the type of movies made by Hollywood studios. Along with The Exorcist and Star Wars, it is an example of a high-budget movie in what had previously been considered a disreputable or low-budget genre (in this case, suspense/horror). The runaway success of these films led to an increased shift in production towards such genres by studios in the following decades. The Exorcist is an influential and successful 1973 horror film, adapted by William Peter Blatty from his 1971 novel of the same name. ... For the film originally released under the name Star Wars, see Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. ...

Though a horror classic (voted to have the scariest scenes ever by a Bravo Halloween TV special), the film is widely recognized to be responsible for many fearsome and inaccurate stereotypes about sharks and their behavior. Benchley is quoted as saying that he never would have written the original novel had he known what sharks are really like in the wild. Bravo is a cable television network owned by NBC Universal, is currently seen in more than 70 million homes and was the first service dedicated to film, drama and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980. ... A jack-o-lantern Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31, usually by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting candy. ...

Jaws was followed by three sequels, generally regarded as increasingly poor in quality as compared to the original: Jaws 2 (1978), Jaws 3-D (1983) and Jaws: The Revenge (1987). Jaws 2 (1978) is the first sequel to Jaws. ... 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... Jaws 3-D (aka Jaws 3) is a 1983 horror movie and the second sequel to the 1975 classic Jaws. ... 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jaws The Revenge is a 1987s horror film. ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

30th anniversary

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the film's release, JawsFest, a festival held in Martha's Vineyard, took place in June 2005. The film has also been re-released on DVD, featuring the full two hour documentary directed by Laurent Bouzereau, which originally featured on the LaserDisc release. A one hour version of this documentary had been included on an earlier, 2000 DVD release. File links The following pages link to this file: Jaws (movie) Jawsfest ... JawsFest was a weekend long celebration of the 30th anniversary of the movie Jaws. ... Marthas Vineyard is roughly triangular in shape, and is approximately 30 kilometers in length. ... June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Pioneers LaserDisc Logo The Laserdisc (LD) was the first commercial optical disc storage medium, and was used primarily for the presentation of movies. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Awards

It won Academy Awards for Best Film Editing, Best Music (Original Score) and Best Sound. It was also nominated for Best Picture. The film is consistently on the Internet Movie Database's list of top 250 films and was #48 on American Film Institute's 100 Years, 100 Movies and #2 on its 100 Years, 100 Thrills. The shark was also anointed #18 on AFI's 100 Years, 100 Heroes and Villains, opposite Robin Hood. In 2001 the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... The Academy Award for Film Editing was first given for films issued in 1934. ... From Rule Sixteen of the Special Rules for The Music Awards Original Score: An original score is a substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer. ... This is a list of films that have received an Oscar for best sound. ... The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; the awards are voted on by other people within the industry. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb), owned by Amazon. ... The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1965 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act. ... Robin Hood is the archetypical English folk hero, an outlaw who, in modern versions of the legend, stole from the rich to give to the poor (some would say from the tax collector to refund the taxpayer). ... 2001: A Space Odyssey Dr. Dre 2001 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Library of Congress, Jefferson building The Library of Congress is the unofficial national library of the United States. ... The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress. ...

In 2005, the American Film Institute voted Roy Scheider's line "You're gonna need a bigger boat" as number 35 on its list of the top 100 movie quotes. 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

External links

• JawsMovie.com
• Jaws at the Internet Movie Database

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb), owned by Amazon. ...