Jaws

Universal's release of yet another Jaws DVD, the 30th anniversary edition, seems a poor ploy to not only cash in on the director's name but to ride the coattails of Spielberg's latest film. Nonetheless, Jaws is still great (watching it after seeing War of the Worlds made me miss the Spielberg of yesteryear). This taut thriller still feels fresh, even as the shark starts to look more than a little rubbery. The characters are three dimensional, the script is lean and focused, and there is a refreshing lack of family dysfunction, a quality that has plagued many of Spielberg's more recent projects, including A.I. and War of the Worlds.

This 2-disc set offers little more than its predecessor, released in 2000. Universal is marketing the DVD on the strength a two-hour documentary, originally included on the film's laserdisc box set. Unfortunately, the documentary is ten years old (there was a one-hour version on the prevous VHS and DVD editions).

Having ditched my VHS copy at this point it seems as though the documentary has been fleshed-out with never-ending horror stories of filming at sea, as told by Spielberg and his cast (interviews are included with Roy Scheider and a highly energetic Richard Dreyfus), as well as an extensive discussion with "shark experts" from Australia as they recall capturing the live footage of sharks in their natural habitat and then provoking them to attack the cage used for the scenes in which Hooper is placed underwater.

The format of the documentary is rather irritating -- it feels a bit too scripted -- and made me wish there was a commentary track, instead of just talking heads (Spielberg has stated on-the-record that he is not interested in recording commentary tracks for his films). One of the more revealing discussions surrounds the creation of the script, with author Peter Benchley, screenwriter Carl Gottlieb, and Spielberg hashing out the exact details. The majority of Spielberg's ideas were tossed out and obviously for the better, as he recounts his rather arbitrary notion to include the elderly couple from The Sugarland Express.

The best feature unavailable on previous editions is an interview with Spielberg filming on location, circa 1970 (this disc omits the fascinating trailers from the previous DVD release). This short piece, about ten minutes long, is from British television and provides some excellent shots of the young director at work but most of this material is included in the "making-of" feature. Also featured are deleted scenes, outtakes, and a Jaws archive that contains stills, storyboards, and press material. Both Dolby Digital/Surround and DTS 5.1 are available for your auditory pleasure and the transfer is excellent, with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Thankfully, the Jaws trivia game is not included. -- Jenny Jediny