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 in 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 (1932–2008) starred.