Steven Spielberg’s iconic blockbuster Jaws was first released fifty years ago, in 1975. The new fiftieth anniversary 4k blu-ray from Universal is a repackaging of the previous edition, though it does include one additional blu-ray disc: the new documentary Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story. The feature-length documentary was directed by Laurent Bouzereau, who made the excellent The Making of Jaws for the film’s ‘signature edition’ laserdisc in 1995. (Bouzereau also directed the superb The Making of Psycho for that film’s ‘signature edition’ laserdisc.)
Jaws @ 50 has an awkward title (surely the ‘@’ symbol wasn’t necessary?), but it includes new interviews with Spielberg, who is more open about the personal impact of Jaws than he has been in previous interviews. Its release on blu-ray came almost a month before its 10th July broadcast on the National Geographic Channel.
Jaws @ 50 has an awkward title (surely the ‘@’ symbol wasn’t necessary?), but it includes new interviews with Spielberg, who is more open about the personal impact of Jaws than he has been in previous interviews. Its release on blu-ray came almost a month before its 10th July broadcast on the National Geographic Channel.
There have already been a handful of decent Jaws documentaries — Bouzereau’s in 1995, In the Teeth of Jaws from BBC2 in 1997, The Shark Is Still Working in 2007, and Jaws: The Inside Story from the Biography Channel in 2010 — but Jaws @ 50 still manages to present some previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage and new production anecdotes. (The Shark Is Still Working, which covers the film’s cult following in a bit too much detail, is included on recent Jaws blu-ray and 4k releases.)
New foley effects were created for a 5.1 surround sound mix when the film was released on DVD, and the optional mono soundtrack on blu-ray and 4k releases is not a lossless version. So, incredibly, the most authentic recording of the Jaws soundtrack is the laserdisc PCM audio track, and this is also true for other classic films such as The Godfather and Taxi Driver.
Similarly, new foley effects were added to a 5.1 mix of Psycho for its blu-ray release: if you hear the shower squeak when Janet Leigh turns it on, you’re listening to the 5.1 mix. The only lossless mono versions are the UK fiftieth anniversary blu-ray and the German box set from Turbine Media.
Similarly, new foley effects were added to a 5.1 mix of Psycho for its blu-ray release: if you hear the shower squeak when Janet Leigh turns it on, you’re listening to the 5.1 mix. The only lossless mono versions are the UK fiftieth anniversary blu-ray and the German box set from Turbine Media.