At first glance, Benchley’s story seems simple enough: A charming beach community is suddenly terrorized by a giant (and very hungry) great white shark that stakes a claim off their shores, and three brave but wildly different men set about eliminating the threat. The potential for a good movie is certainly there, but in the right hands it could be great, perhaps even timeless.
This was only the second theatrical feature film directed by then-27-year-old Spielberg and he exceeded all expectations despite facing countless challenges that drove the production over schedule and over budget, but it was ultimately a worthwhile investment and a portent of great things ahead for the young filmmaker. Universal Studios certainly agreed, churning out three sequels and even three different theme-park attractions. An unending series of home-video editions also followed, and now we’re offered the Jaws 50th Anniversary Edition 4K.
The contents of the Ultra HD disc here are identical to the 2020 release, and the companion HD Blu-ray dates all the way back to 2012, so there’s not much new we can add to our original review in terms of audio and video quality. The archival film restoration utilized is now 13 years old but remains reference-standard, while the high-res presentation of the audio in either classic mono or newfangled Dolby Atmos is a total treat.
What sets the new edition apart is the inclusion of a third disc, packing the brand-new feature-length documentary Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story by veteran supplementarian and Spielberg expert Laurent Bouzereau. (It doesn’t appear in the official photo above but Universal even slapped a little sticker on the front of the package so potential buyers will know that this release contains the extra disc.) I’m generally not a fan of today’s celebrities gushing about how much they love a movie or reminiscing about the first time they saw it, as here, but the stories of the people who were actually there for Jaws’ genesis make it well worth a watch. Bouzereau’s 1995 documentary, “The Making of Jaws” (also included in this set) offers an interesting comparison: Jaws @ 50 not only brings a very different focus these three decades later, and new perspective from the participants, but it displays a more polished creative approach.
The Jaws 50th Anniversary Edition 4K is also available as a SteelBook.
By a happy coincidence, I finally got around to watching Bouzereau’s John Williams documentary on Disney+ just recently, and of course Spielberg and the maestro wax nostalgic about Jaws’ musical score with its instantly recognizable leitmotif representing the unseen shark and its importance to the success of the film. Williams composed and conducted his way to the second of his five Oscars, and the resulting soundtrack album has now been re-issued as a limited-edition LP.
Jaws (Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) “Blood in the Water” Translucent Blue/Red Splatter color vinyl is a single-platter, as it was in 1975, with 12 tracks collecting all the moments we remember, and not just the two notes of doom. We marvel at how quickly dread transitions to a bouncy, adventurous spirit in “One Barrel Chase” (Side 2, Track 1); feel the chill of “The Indianapolis Story” (Side 1, Track 5), as Quint recounts his experience with the boat that delivered The Bomb; and appreciate the work that the music is doing to pull together a scene the way “Promenade (Tourists on the Menu)” (Side 1, Track 3) does.
The music has been restored, mixed, edited and mastered by the incomparable Mike Matessino, keeping the integrity of the vintage mix while raising it to modern standards, and the red/blue “splatter” treatment is a cheeky departure from basic black.
jaws50music.com
