In the vastly overrated 1998 book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, author Peter Biskind puts the blame for Hollywood's blockbuster mentality at least partially on Steven Spielberg's box-office success with this adaptation of Peter Benchley's bestselling novel. But you can't blame Spielberg for making a terrific movie, which Jaws definitely is. The story of a Long Island town whose summer tourist business is suddenly threatened by great-white-shark attacks on humans bypasses the potboiler trappings of Benchley's book and goes straight for the jugular with beautifully crafted, crowd-pleasing sequences of action and suspense supported by a trio of terrific performances by Roy Scheider (as the local sheriff), Richard Dreyfuss (as a shark specialist), and particularly Robert Shaw (as the old fisherman who offers to hunt the shark down). The sequences on Shaw's boat--as the three of them realize that in fact the shark is hunting them--are what entertaining moviemaking is all about. --Marshall Fine

The two-hour documentary called “The Making of Jaws.” It’s the full version that appeared on the Laserdisc release ten years ago and the full version of the documentary that was on the 25th anniversary DVD. The video looks appropriately dated, but I’m glad to have it recorded on DVD form. “The Making of Jaws” is a wonderful documentary feature, featuring interviews with all the major players and tells stories that otherwise would never have been heard. The interviews are intercut with scenes from the film and behind-the-scenes footage painting a complete picture of the movie and its creation. The documentary, which was filmed in 1995, is one of the best ever made for a Spielberg film. It includes interviews with Spielberg, stars Scheider and Dreyfuss, writer Gottlieb, and producers Zanuck and Brown. As with many Bouzereau documentaries, the film starts out with a bang using an extremely well-edited montage of scenes that truly convey the flavor of the film.