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.)
Unfortunately, none of the many Jaws releases on DVD, blu-ray, and 4k — including the fiftieth anniversary edition — has ever featured a lossless version of the film’s original mono soundtrack. This means, incredibly, that the laserdisc’s PCM audio is still the best version of the film’s soundtrack. (Incidentally, the same is true for The Godfather and Taxi Driver: their laserdisc PCM tracks are also superior to the audio available on any DVD, blu-ray, or 4k discs.)
Unfortunately, none of the many Jaws releases on DVD, blu-ray, and 4k — including the fiftieth anniversary edition — has ever featured a lossless version of the film’s original mono soundtrack. This means, incredibly, that the laserdisc’s PCM audio is still the best version of the film’s soundtrack. (Incidentally, the same is true for The Godfather and Taxi Driver: their laserdisc PCM tracks are also superior to the audio available on any DVD, blu-ray, or 4k discs.)
