The DVD special edition of this timeless classic

Rating: Null/10 (15 July 2000)

The true beauty of this anniversary edition can be appreciated in the scene on the docks where the town mayor is heard cautioning Chief Brody about the implications of "yelling shark". In the laserdisc version, the gray flannel of the mayor's blazer adopts a dancing rainbow spectrum of colors, whereas the intricate details of his decorated suit jacket look flawless (though no less fashionably disastrous) on this DVD edition.
My only question about the footage that accompanies such "special edition" releases as this is, Who recorded the audio!??? It never ceases to amaze me how much money is spent marketing and releasing these retouched classics, while for some unknown reason, skilled audio technicians seem to always have inordinate difficulties getting a simple "clean take" of the commentary sessions. As writer/director/actor Carl Gotltieb speaks of his involvement with the film during "The Making of Jaws" featurette of this "DTS" disc, your ears feel like those of the Great White itself, preying along under 40 feet of ocean as his speech penetrates the water like muffled subtones. I've made better quality recordings in my apartment with a $68 mic than is heard on parts of this over-saturated recording!
Despite that, the supplemental material is intriguing and insightful; any true "Jaws" fan will surely gleam at some of the anecdotes of Spielberg and others. A timeless classic and well worth every penny.