Blu-ray collectors can get ready to tick another movie off their wish list, as Steven Spielberg’s classic Jaws has been announced for the HD format. It’s a title which has been notable in its absence, but judging by Universal’s treatment of the movie, it looks like it’ll have been worth the wait.
The film has spent some time in Universal’s Digital Services studio, where the color has been balanced, scratches and dirt removed frame-by frame, and the audio up-mixed to DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio. Steven Spielberg has been involved all the way, and the entire process took several months.
Jaws will be released as a “Combo” pack, featuring the movie on Blu-ray along with a DVD, digital copy and for a limited time, an UltraViolet copy too. Universal has selected Jaws to feature in its 100th Anniversary series of Blu-ray releases, alongside other newly restored titles including The Sting, The Birds, Dracula and Schindler’s List.
For many, just the news that a remastered edition of Jaws will be making it to Blu-ray is enough, but there’s more good news: Universal will be including the documentary The Shark is Still Working: The Impact and Legacy of Jaws on the disc.
Produced by fans, this two-hour documentary features interviews with almost everybody involved with the film — from Peter Benchley to John Williams — and also those influenced by it in later years. Despite being made in 2009, it has been little-seen, and its inclusion here is most welcome.
Joining The Shark is Still Working is The Making of Jaws, the same documentary found on previous DVD releases, plus an in-depth look at the restoration process, an insider’s view of the set, deleted scenes and an archive of Jaws production and promotional material.
Jaws will swim onto Blu-ray on 14 August in North America, while UK fans will have to wait until 3 September to get their hands on the movie. One consolation for those in the UK is that they’ll also be getting a limited edition Steelbook of Jaws too, the cover art of which you can see above on the right.
With the Indiana Jones series also heading to Blu-ray later this year, 2012 is shaping up to be a great year for Spielberg fans.
