I've
actually collected laserdiscs for quite sometime and this is is a dvd transfer
from the 20th anniversary laser version. If you don't own it, it's a must and
the beauty of the dvd version is you don't have to flip the disc.
For
those of you not familiar, Jaws is based on the best selling novel by Peter Benchley.
It tells the story of a killer great white shark attacking the quiet beach community
of Amityville. It's up to a police chief (Roy Scheider), a marine biologist (Richard
Dreyfuss), and a fisherman (Robert Shaw), to stop the killing machine
This
was one of the earliest efforts from the incredible Steven Spielberg, and it remains
one of his strongest films. Not only does the masterful director create a great
monster movie, but a compelling character study as well.
Included
in this special collector's edition are trailers, outtakes, a digitally remastered,
widescreen version of the film, and an absorbing documentary on the making of
Jaws with cast and crew interviews. Spielberg discusses how he initially wanted
the audience to see more of the shark, but he couldn't get the mechanical beast
to work, so he was forced to cut back, heightening the suspense. This, in effect,
was one of the saving graces of the film which actually went over schedule and
over budget.
Released
in the 70's, Jaws remains a timeless piece of entertainment. It's a suspense masterpiece,
and with this new version, you can admire it in all its exhilarating glory. Also,
Spielberg fans will be happy to know that Jurassic Park will hit dvd in a couple
of months. Still no word on E.T., Schindler's List, Close Encounters of the Third
Kind, or the Indiana Jones trilogy.
