Jaws

US action film. Released in 1975 and directed by Steven Spielberg, it is based on the novel by US writer Peter Benchley (1940- ). The film tells the story of a great white shark that terrorizes the waters of a US resort town, and is widely known as one of the first, and best, blockbuster Hollywood films.

Although when compared technically to later films of a similar nature (for example Deep Blue Sea 1999), the artificial shark is far from realistic, the acting and build-up of tension are so compelling that the film retains a timeless appeal. US actors Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider (1932- ) starred.