Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws' Debuts on Blu-ray After Undergoing Frame-By-Frame Restoration (Video)

Steven Spielberg’s summer-blockbuster template Jaws arrives on Blu-ray August 14, 2012, Universal Studios Home Entertainment announced Tuesday. The 1975 film joins a collection of 13 that Universal is digitally remastering and restoring to commemorate the studio’s 100^th Anniversary celebration.

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According to a press release issued by Universal, Jaws was restored from the original camera negative after researching and evaluating all of the existing film elements, which included inter-positives, 35mm prints and other materials. Using New York’s Cineric restoration facility, Universal scanned the negative “through a liquid gate process that eliminates surface scratches.” The files of this scanned film were transferred to servers at Universal Studios Digital Services, where the studio’s technicians balanced color, removed dirt and scratches, and otherwise repaired any damage on a frame-by-frame basis.

Here's an image of the box art for the Blu-ray release of Jaws:

The new transfer of Jaws features a 7.1 audio mix, expanding the 5.1 mix Universal created in 2000 using the original mono soundtrack. The Blu-ray further features a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix, optimizing sound for current home theater technology. In addition to a featurette about the process of restoring the movie, entitled “Jaws: The Restoration,” the Blu-ray will feature the following extras:

·      “The Shark is Working: The Impact & Legacy of Jaws” – a feature-length documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew members

·      "The Making of Jaws” -- a two-hour documentary featuring interviews with key cast and crew

·      "From the Set" -- an insider’s look at life on the set of Jaws, featuring an interview with Steven Spielberg

·      Deleted Scenes & Outtakes

·      "Jaws Archives" -- a peek inside the Jaws archives, including storyboards, production photos and marketing materials, as well as a special segment on the Jaws phenomenon

·    Original Theatrical Trailer

·    UltraViolet^™   -- a service for consumers to collect, download and stream movies and TV shows to computers, tablets and smartphones

·     A digital copy of the film

The DVD features only “Spotlight on Location: The Making of Jaws,” which features highlights from the full-length documentary featuring interviews with key cast and crew.

The other films included in Universal's 100th Anniversary celebration are All Quiet on the Western Front, The Birds, Buck Privates, Dracula (1931), Dracula Spanish (1931), Frankenstein, Schindler’s List, Out of Africa, Pillow Talk, Bride of Frankenstein, The Sting and To Kill a Mockingbird. All Quiet on the Western Front, Buck Privates, Out of Africa and To Kill a Mockingbird were released earlier this year.

Watch a teaser trailer for the forthcoming Jaws Blu-ray release below:

Below, see side-by-side images of the original negative, before and after the restroration process: