When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police (Roy Scheider), a young marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a grizzled shark hunter (Robert Shaw) embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again.

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To celebrate the release, here are 10 surprising facts about the film…

» Author Peter Benchley originally wanted Robert Redford, Paul Newman and Steve McQueen to star in the film.

» The animatronic shark was nicknamed “Bruce” after Steven Spielberg’s lawyer. Spielberg also referred to the shark as “the great white turd”.

» Lee Marvin was considered for the role of Quint, while Charlton Heston was considered for the role of Chief Brody.

» The highest-grossing of all-time in the U.S. until Star Wars, Jaws was the first blockbuster, with over 67 million Americans going to see the movie when it was released in the summer 1975.

» The famous line “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” was improvised by Roy Scheider.

» When Roy Scheider lifts his shirt to show an appendix incision, this is the actor’s own scar.

» Brody’s dog in the film is actually Steven Spielberg’s real dog.

» The animatronic had never been tested in the water before filming and sank to the ocean floor when it was put in the water at Martha’s Vineyard.

» Author Peter Benchley appears in a cameo as a reporter on the beach.

» Steven Spielberg re-shot the scene in which the head of a shark victim appears in the hole in the bottom of the boat after showing the film to preview audiences because he wanted them to “scream louder”.

> Find out more about the film on the official Facebook page.

What’s your favourite moment in Jaws? Let us know below…