Jaws (1975)

This is a solid movie. When a young woman is killed by a shark, the new chief of police (Roy Scheider) decides that the beaches should be closed on Amity Island. However, the town mayor is concerned that any bad publicity will hurt the local economy so he convinces the medical examiner to alter his report and say that the girl's death was due to a boating accident. As the shark continues to attack, the townspeople realize the danger they are in. Marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) arrives to evaluate what is happening. He joins an expedition with the police chief and a local hunter to find and kill the deadly fish.

It is based on the 1974 novel written by Peter Benchley and he has a cameo appearance as a news reporter. The film was shot in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The theme was performed by John williams. The film is credited for demonstrating that summer releases could be successful. There were three sequels, but none of those were directed by Spielberg. Three full-sized mechanical sharks were used during filming. Footage of real sharks was also used. The underwater scene was shot in a swimming pool. Jaws has similarities to Moby-Dick, including an obsessed character intent on killing an animal swimming in the ocean. Jaws won three Academy Awards for Best Film Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score and Best Sound.