This week’s "By Popular Demand" movie at Skidompha Library in Damariscotta is Steven Spielberg’s film "Jaws," starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss.

This 1975 movie will be shown on Monday, July 29 at 6:30 p.m.

Based on Peter Benchley’s novel of the same name, it tells the story of a giant, man-eating great white shark that attacks beachgoers on a summer resort island.

These events prompt the local police chief (Scheider) to hunt it with the help of a marine biologist (Dreyfuss) and a professional shark hunter (Shaw).

Shot mostly on location on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., the film had a troubled production, going over budget and past schedule.

As the art department’s mechanical sharks suffered many malfunctions, Spielberg decided to mostly suggest the animal’s presence, employing an ominous, minimalistic theme created by composer John Williams to indicate the shark’s impending appearances.

Generally well received by critics, "Jaws" became the highest-grossing film in history at the time, and it was the most successful motion picture of all time until "Star Wars."

The film won several awards for its soundtrack and editing. In 2001, The Library of Congress selected "Jaws" for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry, being deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”

The screening of "Jaws" will be in Skidompha Library’s Porter Meeting Hall, accessed by the Elm Street entrance.

A suggested $5 donation will help the library expand and maintain its film collection. For more information, call the library at 207-563-5513 or visit its website at www.skidompha.org.