Steven Spielberg Hails ‘Awesome’ 50th Anniversary Jaws Exhibit at Academy Museum/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Steven Spielberg celebrated the opening of a new Academy Museum exhibit marking the 50th anniversary of Jaws. The display features over 200 artifacts, from mechanical shark models to iconic props, honoring the film’s legacy. Spielberg called the exhibition “awesome,” reflecting on how the troubled 1975 shoot launched his career.
Spielberg Marks Jaws 50th Anniversary Exhibit: Quick Looks
- Exhibit runs at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures through July 2026.
- Features 200+ artifacts, including buoys, shark fins, cameras, and props.
- Visitors can try interactive displays: dolly-zoom, mechanical sharks, and Orca’s galley.
- The only surviving full-scale mechanical shark “Bruce” is on permanent display.
- Museum preview featured a live 68-piece orchestra playing John Williams’ score.
- Spielberg praised the exhibit, saying it shows film as a collaborative art form.
- Production of Jaws ran 100 days over schedule amid constant setbacks.
- Spielberg joked about seasickness: “I’ve never seen so much vomit in my life.”
- Despite struggles, Jaws became a cultural phenomenon and launched the blockbuster era.
- Museum director Amy Homma announced a full Spielberg retrospective for 2028.
Steven Spielberg Hails “Awesome” 50th Anniversary Jaws Exhibit at Academy Museum
Deep Look
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has unveiled its first-ever single-film exhibition, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws—a film that not only terrified audiences in 1975 but also redefined Hollywood cinema.
Spielberg’s Emotional Return to Jaws
Appearing at a media preview, Spielberg, now 78, reflected on his 26-year-old self making the film that would launch his career. He recalled how, during the shoot of the iconic opening scene with a woman swimming past a buoy, his main concern was simply keeping his job.
“How did anybody know to take the buoy and sit on it for 50 years?” Spielberg asked, marveling at how such an overlooked prop now stands as a cultural artifact. That buoy, saved by marine mechanic Lynn Murphy and later sold to a collector, now greets visitors as they enter the exhibit.
“This exhibition is just awesome,” Spielberg said. “Every room has the minutiae of how this picture got together.”
Inside the Exhibit
Running chronologically through the film’s three acts, the exhibition features over 200 items that bring Jaws back to life.
Highlights include:
- Bruce, the only surviving 25-foot mechanical shark, permanently suspended above the museum escalators.
- A keyboard where visitors can play John Williams’ ominous two-note score.
- A dolly-zoom station that lets guests recreate the famous close-up of Roy Scheider’s horrified face.
- A scale model of the mechanical shark, which patrons can manually operate.
- A recreation of the Orca’s galley, where Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw shared scars and sea shanties.
- Relics like a dorsal fin prop, aquatic cameras, editor Verna Fields’ Moviola, and casting notes from Peter Benchley’s adaptation.
Two musicians who performed on Williams’ original score joined a 68-piece orchestra for the media preview, surrounding guests with the chilling notes that defined cinematic suspense.
Museum director Amy Homma emphasized Jaws’ importance to the institution, calling “Bruce” its “unofficial mascot” and announcing plans for a full Spielberg retrospective in 2028.
A Film Born From Struggle
While Jaws is now a cornerstone of cinema history, Spielberg recounted the grueling process of making it. Shooting on the Atlantic Ocean proved nearly impossible, with constant breakdowns, unfavorable weather, and unwanted boats ruining takes. The production ran 100 days over schedule, testing everyone’s patience.
“I thought I could take a Hollywood crew 12 miles out into the ocean with a mechanical shark and it would all go swimmingly,” Spielberg joked. Instead, the crew endured endless downtime, seasickness, and frustration. “I’ve never seen so much vomit in my life.”
Despite the chaos, the camaraderie among cast and crew carried the production forward.
“This exhibition proves film is a collaborative art form,” Spielberg said. “There’s no place for auteurs.”
The Legacy of Jaws
When Jaws finally premiered in 1975, it shocked audiences and revolutionized the film industry. It introduced the concept of the summer blockbuster, changed how movies were marketed, and gave Spielberg the career momentum that led to decades of cinematic classics.
“The film certainly cost me a pound of flesh,” Spielberg admitted, “but gave me a ton of career.”
Fifty years later, Jaws remains as thrilling as ever—and this Academy Museum exhibition immerses fans not only in the terror of the shark but in the ingenuity, struggle, and creativity of the team who brought it to life.
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