Academy Museum
WAMG Attends Preview Of JAWS 50th Anniversary Exhibit At The Academy of Motion Pictures Museum
The Academy of Motion Pictures Museum in Los Angeles held a preview for their new exhibit, JAWS: The Exhibition, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the movie that has long been considered the first cinematic “blockbuster.” The one that started it all.
Directed by Oscar® winner Steven Spielberg, JAWS set the standard for edge-of-your-seat suspense, quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon and forever changing the movie industry 50 years ago on June 20, 1975. When the seaside community of Amity Island 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. Featuring John Williams’s unforgettable, pulse-racing score, Jaws, now five decades later, remains one of the most influential and gripping adventures in motion picture history.
Jaws: The Exhibition is the museum’s first large-scale exhibition dedicated to a single film, and the largest exhibition ever mounted showcasing Universal Pictures’ landmark summer blockbuster, which earned three Academy Awards® and was nominated for Best Picture. The exhibition celebrates the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975) and will remain on view through July 26, 2026. The Academy Museum has also announced that in 2028, it will honor the legacy of Steven Spielberg and mount the first-ever retrospective exhibition dedicated to Spielberg’s era-defining career, providing visitors with insight into his creative process and bringing them closer than ever to his filmography.
The press members were treated to a full orchestra performing the iconic John Williams score from the movie, accompanied by clips and images from the film on the big screen. And I must say, it was rather glorious. And that wasn’t even the best part. The man responsible for literally ALL of this, Steven Spielberg, was there to welcome us and officially open the exhibit.
“This exhibition is awesome,” said Spielberg. “Every room has the minutiae of how this picture came together and it proves how this motion picture industry is really, truly a collaborative art form. This is an art form that only survives by getting the best people in all the right positions. I am so proud to be part of it . . . and people have a chance between now and July to come here to the Academy Museum and live it for the first time.”
His remarks included funny stories about the production, and where he feared his career would end up if this little film of his flopped. It was endearing to say the least and made it all the more exciting to get to the exhibit and check out all the cool stuff. And it was VERY cool!
Who can forget the menacing baritone piano keys that are forever burned into the lexicon of American pop culture – the 2 notes that strike fear into anyone that has ever swam in the ocean. This fantastic exhibit has something for everyone – from interactive experiences to original props and photos for even the most die-hard fans of the movie.
Featuring more than 200 original objects and behind-the-scenes stories, the exhibit is the largest ever organized about Steven Spielberg’s JAWS. Items that have never been on display before, including ones from the personal collections of Steven Spielberg and AMBLIN, are displayed in a multi-gallery experience for all ages.
Fans of the film who live in or are visiting LA should not miss this exciting exhibit, which again will be on display until July 2026. A must see!
The exhibition follows the film’s narrative, taking visitors from the opening credits to the film’s gripping conclusion. Expanding on the three-act structure of the film, the story is told in six sections: “The Unseen Danger,” “Amity Island Welcomes You,” “Sunday at the Beach,” “The Shark’s Rampage,” “Adventure Ahead,” and “Into the Deep.” A seventh, concluding gallery explores the enduring impact of the film.
The exhibition includes:
– Behind-the-scenes photos of Spielberg on set, the construction of the mechanical shark used in production, location scouting, and the cast and crew during filming, as well as Super 8 foot-age shot by Steven Spielberg during the making of Jaws
– Handwritten and hand-sketched materials, including Steven Spielberg’s annotated script, storyboards and original concept illustrations of the shark by production designer Joe Alves, composer John Williams’s sheet music, and sketches of a shark rising from the depths by the artist behind the iconic Jaws poster image, Roger Kastel
– Filming and editing equipment, including the Moviola machine used by the film’s editor Verna Fields, the original Jaws clapper board from the collection of Steven Spielberg, and the Panavision Underwater Camera used to shoot key scenes
– Original props, including the prop head of Ben Gardner used for the film’s indelible “jump scare,” Quint’s fighting chair and the shark weathervane from his shack, Hooper’s shark cage, components of the Orca, and the “Beach Closed” sign
– Recreations of the “Amity Island Welcomes You” billboards, orange and white striped beach cabanas, and the shark chalkboard drawing featured during Quint’s introduction (remade for the Academy Museum by production designer Joe Alves)
– Promotional items, from original theatrical release posters from around the world to innovative merchandise such as the Jaws “Feeding Time” cereal box, iron-on patches, toys, accessories and even products from Universal theme parks around the globe
– Interactives, including opportunities to recreate the film’s dolly zoom effect, play John Williams’s two-note score that signals the shark’s approach, and operate a scale replica of the mechanical shark
The Academy Museum Store will launch an exclusive line of Jaws-inspired merchandise, including a commemorative 50th anniversary vinyl pressing of John Williams’s Oscar-winning film score in collaboration with Mondo, an exclusive 1975 variant screen printed poster, a Jaws Amity Island ringer tee, Jaws hoodie, “The Game of Jaws” 50th anniversary edition, and Jaws Amity Island billboard scaled prop replica.
Jaws: The Exhibition will be the museum’s fifth large-scale exhibition in its Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery, following Hayao Miyazaki (2021–22), Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971 (2022–23), John Waters: Pope of Trash (2023–24), and Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema . The exhibition’s advisory group comprises ocean conservationist and marine policy advocate Wendy Benchley; Associate Professor in the Division of Cinema and Media Studies at USC J.D. Connor; sound mixer Peter J. Devlin; and editor Terilyn A. Shropshire.
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