Amity is a serene beach town and the island hasn’t had a murder in 25 years. But then police chief Martin Brody, recently relocated from New York, faces a threat worse than any human perpetrator – a great white shark kills a swimmer and, a little later, a young boy. A bounty is put on the fish’s head, triggering an amateur shark-hunting frenzy. But oceanologist Matt Hooper doesn’t believe the culprit is among the dead sharks proffered up. After the local business community pressures Brody not to close the beaches, another swimmer is killed. The town agrees to pay Sam Quint, ex-military man and professional shark hunter, to kill the beast. Brody and Hooper set out to sea with him … In classic Hitchcockian style, the source of the terror remains invisible below the surface, its mounting menace conjured up solely by composer John Williams’ staccato strings. Jaws thus provided a perfect way for audiences to project the fears that had recently been visited on America. Underlaid with reflections on the environment as well as an anti-commercialisation message, Spielberg’s thriller would become one of the first blockbusters, heralding a passing of the baton to a younger generation of Hollywood hitmakers.
by Steven Spielberg
with Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Carl Gottlieb, Jeffrey C. Kramer, Susan Backlinie, Jonathan Filley, Ted Grossman
USA 1975 English 124’ Colour Rating R16

With

  • Roy Scheider
  • Robert Shaw
  • Richard Dreyfuss
  • Lorraine Gary
  • Murray Hamilton
  • Carl Gottlieb
  • Jeffrey C. Kramer
  • Susan Backlinie
  • Jonathan Filley
  • Ted Grossman

Crew

Director Steven Spielberg
Screenplay Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb based on the novel by Peter Benchley
Cinematography Bill Butler
Editing Verna Fields
Music John Williams
Sound John Carter, Robert Hoyt
Art Director Joseph Alves Jr.
Producers Richard D. Zanuck, David Brown

Produced by

Zanuck/Brown Company

Universal Pictures

Additional information

DCP: Universal Pictures International Germany