When the Academy Museum first opened in September 2021, certainly one of its hottest (and largest) artifacts was the only real surviving full scale mannequin of the shark from Steven Spielberg‘s “Jaws,” lovingly restored by particular results grasp Greg Nicotero. 4 years later, the museum is coming full circle with “Jaws: The Exhibition,” a large enterprise that opens to the general public on September 14 and supplies an unprecedented alternative for a deep dive into each side of the creation, reception, and legacy of Spielberg’s masterpiece.
“Our aim within the exhibition area is to parallel the sense of pleasure, revelation, and discovery that’s spurred by the cinema area,” senior exhibitions curator Jenny He instructed IndieWire. “Whether or not you’ve seen ‘Jaws’ extra instances than you possibly can depend, or when you’ve by no means watched the movie, this exhibition goals to remember the film expertise. Guests can discover their favourite ‘Jaws’ moments or uncover this basic movie for the primary time.” The exhibition marks the primary time the museum’s largest area has ever been dedicated to a single film, although it’s indicative of the movie’s expansiveness and significance that He nonetheless felt the most important problem was determining what was important and what could possibly be omitted.
“Since exhibitions are a type of spatial storytelling, the problem in any exhibition is area limitations,” He stated, “however it’s much more pronounced with ‘Jaws.’ Each body of this near-perfect movie could be analyzed and explored.” The intention behind the exhibit is to take viewers by means of “Jaws” scene-by-scene by means of unique manufacturing artworks and objects, interactive moments, and immersive re-creations, all using many works which have by no means been made out there for public viewing.
designer Joe AlvesCommon Studios Licensing LLC
Amongst these are unique idea illustrations by manufacturing designer Joe Alves, the Panavision underwater digital camera used for the movie, behind-the-scenes images captured by increase operator Frank Meadows, and Quint’s sport-fishing combating chair from the Orca boat. Most significantly, the museum had entry to Spielberg’s private assortment, which “led to insightful confirmations of his imprint on each side of the movie’s manufacturing,” based on He. Spielberg’s sketches and notes will likely be on show alongside objects sourced from personal collectors, a lot of which give a way of the advertising and marketing blitz that accompanied “Jaws” upon its launch and afterwards.
“We could have on view a big show of classic merchandise, which assistant curator Emily Rauber Rodriguez has meticulously sourced from two in-depth collections of ‘Jaws’ memorabilia,” He stated, noting that different artifacts required a little bit of detective work. “By way of a persistent search, curatorial assistant Alexandra James Salichs has positioned movie editor Verna Fields’s Academy Award for ‘Jaws,’ which had a number of house owners after Fields’s passing.”
Probably the most revolutionary points of “Jaws: The Exhibition” is its immersive high quality, because the Academy Museum has discovered methods of inserting guests within the sneakers of the movie’s characters and filmmakers. “Guests can create their very own dolly zoom shot, a cinematography method conceived by director Alfred Hitchcock and executed by second-unit cameraman Irmin Roberts for Vertigo (1958),” He stated. “Steven Spielberg and director of pictures Invoice Butler tailored the dolly zoom for ‘Jaws’ to completely telegraph police chief Martin Brody’s dread.”
One other activation permits guests to play composer John Williams’s well-known two-note theme that indicators the shark’s strategy. “We will even have a scale duplicate of the mechanical shark, constructed by KNB EFX co-founders Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger,” He stated. “Guests can turn into part of the ‘Jaws’ particular results workforce and transfer the shark themselves!” In one other occasion, the museum spotlights a narrative about an unplanned sinking of the Orca, when a manufacturing boat that was pulling the onscreen boat went too quick and yanked out the Orca’s planking.
As He explains, “Steven Spielberg recalled, ‘I’ve this picture to today of [production sound mixer] John [Carter] sinking holding his recorder. Months later, he was holding an Oscar in these fingers!’ This story will likely be instructed through a re-creation of the Orca out on an ‘open sea’ immersive atmosphere.” One other well-known story from “Jaws” regarding a reshoot in Verna Fields’ pool that yielded the movie’s largest bounce scare is expounded to exhibit guests in a “pool” atmosphere, with the thought being, as He places it, to “make the manufacturing historical past tangible.”
Movie excerpts from “Jaws” will likely be proven all through the exhibition, in inventive viewing areas are motivated by the movie’s manufacturing design. “Guests can step inside a cabana to observe a seashore scene. and sit contained in the Orca’s cabin for Quint’s USS Indianapolis monologue,” He stated, noting that curating the exhibition has deepened her admiration for a film, and a filmmaker, she already cherished.
“I’ve at all times been an unbelievable fan of ‘Jaws’ and the work of Steven Spielberg,” He stated. “As the primary fashionable summer season blockbuster, ‘Jaws’ modified not solely the movie trade’s launch methods, it additionally altered the expectations of audiences. The summer season turned the time to see the movies that everybody goes to be speaking about, capturing the eye of movie fanatics and informal moviegoers alike. 50 years later, this template stays in place.”
Given the film’s fiftieth anniversary this yr, honoring it on the Academy Museum was a no brainer for He and her colleagues. “Its significance has stood the take a look at of time,” He stated. “I’ve attended quite a few ‘Jaws’ screenings through the years, together with a number of anniversary screenings this yr. The theaters have been at all times packed and offered out.” Now, He hopes the museum’s exhibition will encourage each a deeper and broader understanding of a film that just about everybody who loves motion pictures adores. “We’re excited to current ‘Jaws’ like by no means earlier than.”
“Jaws: The Exhibition” runs on the Academy Museum from September 14, 2025 to July 26, 2026.