Jaws (film)
[[file:_Kevin_Kline_|_Movies_|_the_Guardian|thumb|left]]
Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's 1974 novel of the same name. The film stars Roy Scheider as Martin Brody, a police chief who, with the help of a marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a professional shark hunter (Robert Shaw), hunts a man-eating great white shark that is attacking beachgoers at a summer resort town. The screenplay is credited to Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb.
Plot[edit | edit source]
The film is set in the fictional resort town of Amity Island, where a young woman is killed by a shark while swimming near the town. After discovering her remains, police chief Martin Brody wants to close the beaches, but the mayor, Larry Vaughn, overrules him, fearing that the loss of tourist revenue will cripple the town. The shark kills several more victims, including a young boy, prompting Brody to enlist the help of marine biologist Matt Hooper and professional shark hunter Quint. The trio sets out on Quint's boat, the Orca, to hunt the shark. After a series of encounters, they manage to kill the shark, but not without significant personal cost.
Cast[edit | edit source]
- Roy Scheider as Martin Brody
- Robert Shaw as Quint
- Richard Dreyfuss as Matt Hooper
- Lorraine Gary as Ellen Brody
- Murray Hamilton as Larry Vaughn
Production[edit | edit source]
Jaws was shot mostly on location on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. The production was troubled, with many delays and budget overruns. The mechanical sharks used in the film frequently malfunctioned, leading Spielberg to use them sparingly and rely more on suspense and suggestion to create fear. This approach was highly effective and has been credited with making the film more terrifying.
Music[edit | edit source]
The film's score was composed by John Williams, whose theme for the shark, a simple alternating pattern of two notes, has become iconic. Williams won an Academy Award for Best Original Score for his work on the film.
Reception[edit | edit source]
Jaws was a massive critical and commercial success. It became the highest-grossing film of all time until the release of Star Wars in 1977. The film is credited with establishing the summer blockbuster genre and has had a lasting impact on the film industry.
Legacy[edit | edit source]
Jaws has been preserved in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." It spawned three sequels, none of which matched the success of the original. The film has also inspired numerous parodies, homages, and references in popular culture.
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
External links[edit | edit source]
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073195/ Jaws ] at IMDbLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). Script error: No such module "WikidataCheck".
Navigation: Wellness - Encyclopedia - Health topics - Disease Index - Drugs - World Directory - Gray's Anatomy - Keto diet - Recipes
Search WikiMD
Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro / Zepbound) available.
Advertise on WikiMD
WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full disclaimer.
Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.
Translate this page: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
தமிழ்,
తెలుగు,
Urdu,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
বাংলা
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
Greek,
português do Brasil,
polski,
română,
русский,
Nederlands,
norsk,
svenska,
suomi,
Italian
Middle Eastern & African
عربى,
Turkish,
Persian,
Hebrew,
Afrikaans,
isiZulu,
Kiswahili,
Other
Bulgarian,
Hungarian,
Czech,
Swedish,
മലയാളം,
मराठी,
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ,
ગુજરાતી,
Portuguese,
Ukrainian
- Pages with script errors
- 1975 films
- American films
- English-language films
- Films directed by Steven Spielberg
- Films based on American novels
- Films set in New York (state)
- Films shot in Massachusetts
- Films about sharks
- Universal Pictures films
- United States National Film Registry films
- Thriller films
- 1970s thriller film stubs
Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD