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JAWS 1975 600ft Digest DAVE Films
This film goes, without saying, as of the greatest film-making achievements of the 70’s that is still
just as highly regarded today as when it was released. One could say that we have almost seen too much of this film … it seems too common. It is a delight, therefore, to see it in a new way, that refreshes that feeling of having seen it for the first time.
Digests are highly misunderstood in our day and age. There is, in fact, an art to the digest. The greatest of digests not only give you the best scenes from a film, but also tell a cohesive story in a short amount of time in comparison to the original feature. This takes an artist of sorts, a person who understands how to tell a compressed story, but maintain the ebb and flow of the orignal film, not bastardizing the original film, but showing a loving homage to the film in a modicum of time.
This … Dave has done!
Before going into the cut of the digest, I’d like to give some major kudos in a number of categories.
First, there is the gorgeous saturation of color. One thing that I have always frowned upon, is what I call “that 70’s color” that we often see in super 8 digest films from the 70’s. Even in unfaded, full color digests, the color always has that slightly muted colors. Take for instance, the 2X400ft JAWS digest released by Universal 8 in the 70’s. I had a perfectly unfaded copy just recently, and, while the color was unfaded, it just had a 70’s color. I’d compare it to a eastmancolor print of a Techni-
color original. There is just no comparison. The color of this JAWS digests is extremely good, with a full range and highly accurate, especially facial tones. Facial tones are some of the first colors that are the first to become inaccurate. 10 out of 10 in this regard.
The second big compliment is the very low level of grain to the print. The Universal 8 2X400ft had that same, in my opinion, excessive grain level, which was common with all the Universal 8 films. This digests really looks fantastic, even when expanded to a large screen. Definitely a 10 out of 10 in this regard.
The third big plus is the sharpness of this print. Once again, a common flaw of the Universal 8 digests, JAWS notwithstanding, was that they were sharp, but sharp for the 1970’s super 8. This digests is very easy on the eyes. When I first projected it, it was on a good 10 foot screen and even at this size, it was very easy on the eyes. 10 ot of 10 in this department as well. As with the best of Super 8 prints, we are given a print that rivals 16MM quality.
My only slight criticism, is that the daytime, outdoor shots at least appear to be the slightest bit, overly bright. This may just be my own preference, however. The underwater sequences are exactly spot on, however.
A major surprise that I was not expecting was the wonderful letterboxing of the print! From the stills that were supplied on this forum before the digest was released, it appeared that there was only a slight letterboxing to the print, and my one sorrow was that the Universal 8 digest had a better letterboxing to it, mostly simulating the original scope of the released feature, but I would miss that with the new digest. I am happy to say that this digest has the same level of letterboxing that the original digest had. I am losing nothing, but gaining everything!
Now, onto the soundtrack …
This is stereo, and the stereo seperation is very good. I must confess that when it comes to super 8, though the stereo capability is there, the mag stripe … is often not. That is, you can get a stereo recording, but because of the mag stripe instability, you will tend to either have drop offs in sound or a vibration in sound. This soundtrack, while the stereo separation is very good, and the audio is incredibly crisp, there is that occasional vibration to the soundtrack, and during the loudest portions of the audio, a slight distortion, but know that I am a recording artist, who’s quite sensitive to these kind of things, and the average ear might not pick up on these at all.
The stereo is the amongst the best that I have heard on super 8. The original score, by John Williams, comes forth very strongly and is miels ahead of the original super 8 releases. Also, to it’ great credit, the low end is AWESOME. They will give you’re sub-woofers a real workout! The only other issue, which is also common, is that there tends to be a little more hiss to the soundtrack thn desired, which may be due to the mag stripe quality. However, if you have a Dolby surround unit, this should cure much of the hiss, as the soundtrack is so sharp and clear.
Another plus to this digest is that it came in a deluxe plastic case. Think70’s Gepe or Bonum plastic boxes. I was expecting some highly degradable white box … further pleasure for the Oz-meister!
The edit of the digest …
We begin with the Universal pictures logo, (yay!), and then have the full intro sequence with our lovely nude swimmer, (so sharp, that I won’t point out to my 13 year old, that she is quite visible from below!), we then switch to finding what is left of her corpse. We then cut to the first attack on the beach with the mothers son being gloriously munched and the float washing up on the shore, without the boy. We then cut to Brody and Hoopers first meeting, as well as the “autopsy” of the ladies corpse, (this is no boating accident!).
We then cut to the second shark attack on the beach, (dig the severed leg falling to the bottom!), and Brody’s son narrowly escaping being munched. Cut to the meeting where Quinn announces that he will kill the shark, but not for free, (you’ll get the head, the tail, the whole damned thing), and then cutting to Brody demanding that the mayor signs the order to pay Quinn for his services. Cut to Brody and his wife saying goodbye, as well as Quinn chiding Hooper for his shark cage. We also have Quinn and Hooper testing they’re manliness is a game of “crush the drinking apparatus”.
Now we are out to sea! Cut to Brody slugging chum into the sea, backing away and announcing his classic line …
“ Were going to need a bigger boat! “
We have a truncated version of the barrel attachment scene, as well as all of them taking they’re shots. We now cut to a fairly long, complete scene of Hooper in his cage and narrowly escaping being lunch. Now we cut to Quinn’s exit scene, fighting bravely but becoming the final victim. We now come to Brody’s final confrontation with the shark, blowing the tank with the triumphant …
“Smile you son of a BLOWIE!!”
We then end nicely with Hooper returning to the surface, finding that Quinn didn’t make it, and they dog paddle back to the shore, commenting, “I was always afraid of the water”. We end with a decent listing of the credits, as well as the cast.
This was very well edited. You see no cut lines or splice evidence. I would have liked, perhaps, some dissolves from one completed scene to the next, but that really isn’t an issue.
Now, I am sure that everybody will say that they thought this or that should have been in there, and I am no different. The edit works very well, however. I liked how Dave included the quick discussion of what the air tanks are capable of (Ka-blowie!), if not properly handled, which, of course, feeds into the final battle sequence, with Brody and the shark.
The only thing I would personally suggest is, perhaps, an additional 200ft footer down the road, (hey, a fellow can dream!), that would include more of the camaradie or arguing between the three on the boat, perhaps the head popping out of the sunken ship, but that would be all that would be needed, as Dave did a great job of encapsulating the first half of the movie that happens “topside”. A little more to the second half would have been great, but keeping this to the length of a 600ft reel, must have been a head scratching and frustrating process.
I can tell you this, Dave should have been back in the days of 70’s digests for super 8, as he would have been a major credit to the craft.
In all departments, a 10 out of 10! You buy this digest, you will not be disappointed! And, as I always sign off …
Long live Super 8!!!
This film goes, without saying, as of the greatest film-making achievements of the 70’s that is still
just as highly regarded today as when it was released. One could say that we have almost seen too much of this film … it seems too common. It is a delight, therefore, to see it in a new way, that refreshes that feeling of having seen it for the first time.
Digests are highly misunderstood in our day and age. There is, in fact, an art to the digest. The greatest of digests not only give you the best scenes from a film, but also tell a cohesive story in a short amount of time in comparison to the original feature. This takes an artist of sorts, a person who understands how to tell a compressed story, but maintain the ebb and flow of the orignal film, not bastardizing the original film, but showing a loving homage to the film in a modicum of time.
This … Dave has done!
Before going into the cut of the digest, I’d like to give some major kudos in a number of categories.
First, there is the gorgeous saturation of color. One thing that I have always frowned upon, is what I call “that 70’s color” that we often see in super 8 digest films from the 70’s. Even in unfaded, full color digests, the color always has that slightly muted colors. Take for instance, the 2X400ft JAWS digest released by Universal 8 in the 70’s. I had a perfectly unfaded copy just recently, and, while the color was unfaded, it just had a 70’s color. I’d compare it to a eastmancolor print of a Techni-
color original. There is just no comparison. The color of this JAWS digests is extremely good, with a full range and highly accurate, especially facial tones. Facial tones are some of the first colors that are the first to become inaccurate. 10 out of 10 in this regard.
The second big compliment is the very low level of grain to the print. The Universal 8 2X400ft had that same, in my opinion, excessive grain level, which was common with all the Universal 8 films. This digests really looks fantastic, even when expanded to a large screen. Definitely a 10 out of 10 in this regard.
The third big plus is the sharpness of this print. Once again, a common flaw of the Universal 8 digests, JAWS notwithstanding, was that they were sharp, but sharp for the 1970’s super 8. This digests is very easy on the eyes. When I first projected it, it was on a good 10 foot screen and even at this size, it was very easy on the eyes. 10 ot of 10 in this department as well. As with the best of Super 8 prints, we are given a print that rivals 16MM quality.
My only slight criticism, is that the daytime, outdoor shots at least appear to be the slightest bit, overly bright. This may just be my own preference, however. The underwater sequences are exactly spot on, however.
A major surprise that I was not expecting was the wonderful letterboxing of the print! From the stills that were supplied on this forum before the digest was released, it appeared that there was only a slight letterboxing to the print, and my one sorrow was that the Universal 8 digest had a better letterboxing to it, mostly simulating the original scope of the released feature, but I would miss that with the new digest. I am happy to say that this digest has the same level of letterboxing that the original digest had. I am losing nothing, but gaining everything!
Now, onto the soundtrack …
This is stereo, and the stereo seperation is very good. I must confess that when it comes to super 8, though the stereo capability is there, the mag stripe … is often not. That is, you can get a stereo recording, but because of the mag stripe instability, you will tend to either have drop offs in sound or a vibration in sound. This soundtrack, while the stereo separation is very good, and the audio is incredibly crisp, there is that occasional vibration to the soundtrack, and during the loudest portions of the audio, a slight distortion, but know that I am a recording artist, who’s quite sensitive to these kind of things, and the average ear might not pick up on these at all.
The stereo is the amongst the best that I have heard on super 8. The original score, by John Williams, comes forth very strongly and is miels ahead of the original super 8 releases. Also, to it’ great credit, the low end is AWESOME. They will give you’re sub-woofers a real workout! The only other issue, which is also common, is that there tends to be a little more hiss to the soundtrack thn desired, which may be due to the mag stripe quality. However, if you have a Dolby surround unit, this should cure much of the hiss, as the soundtrack is so sharp and clear.
Another plus to this digest is that it came in a deluxe plastic case. Think70’s Gepe or Bonum plastic boxes. I was expecting some highly degradable white box … further pleasure for the Oz-meister!
The edit of the digest …
We begin with the Universal pictures logo, (yay!), and then have the full intro sequence with our lovely nude swimmer, (so sharp, that I won’t point out to my 13 year old, that she is quite visible from below!), we then switch to finding what is left of her corpse. We then cut to the first attack on the beach with the mothers son being gloriously munched and the float washing up on the shore, without the boy. We then cut to Brody and Hoopers first meeting, as well as the “autopsy” of the ladies corpse, (this is no boating accident!).
We then cut to the second shark attack on the beach, (dig the severed leg falling to the bottom!), and Brody’s son narrowly escaping being munched. Cut to the meeting where Quinn announces that he will kill the shark, but not for free, (you’ll get the head, the tail, the whole damned thing), and then cutting to Brody demanding that the mayor signs the order to pay Quinn for his services. Cut to Brody and his wife saying goodbye, as well as Quinn chiding Hooper for his shark cage. We also have Quinn and Hooper testing they’re manliness is a game of “crush the drinking apparatus”.
Now we are out to sea! Cut to Brody slugging chum into the sea, backing away and announcing his classic line …
“ Were going to need a bigger boat! “
We have a truncated version of the barrel attachment scene, as well as all of them taking they’re shots. We now cut to a fairly long, complete scene of Hooper in his cage and narrowly escaping being lunch. Now we cut to Quinn’s exit scene, fighting bravely but becoming the final victim. We now come to Brody’s final confrontation with the shark, blowing the tank with the triumphant …
“Smile you son of a BLOWIE!!”
We then end nicely with Hooper returning to the surface, finding that Quinn didn’t make it, and they dog paddle back to the shore, commenting, “I was always afraid of the water”. We end with a decent listing of the credits, as well as the cast.
This was very well edited. You see no cut lines or splice evidence. I would have liked, perhaps, some dissolves from one completed scene to the next, but that really isn’t an issue.
Now, I am sure that everybody will say that they thought this or that should have been in there, and I am no different. The edit works very well, however. I liked how Dave included the quick discussion of what the air tanks are capable of (Ka-blowie!), if not properly handled, which, of course, feeds into the final battle sequence, with Brody and the shark.
The only thing I would personally suggest is, perhaps, an additional 200ft footer down the road, (hey, a fellow can dream!), that would include more of the camaradie or arguing between the three on the boat, perhaps the head popping out of the sunken ship, but that would be all that would be needed, as Dave did a great job of encapsulating the first half of the movie that happens “topside”. A little more to the second half would have been great, but keeping this to the length of a 600ft reel, must have been a head scratching and frustrating process.
I can tell you this, Dave should have been back in the days of 70’s digests for super 8, as he would have been a major credit to the craft.
In all departments, a 10 out of 10! You buy this digest, you will not be disappointed! And, as I always sign off …
Long live Super 8!!!
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