San Francisco Frontiers - Something to get your teeth into: 'Jaws' exhibit marks 50 years

Now fans of "Jaws" -- Steven Spielberg's terrifying thriller about a man-eating shark -- can re-live the movie as it celebrates its 50th anniversary in an exhibition at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles.

"The film certainly cost me a pound of flesh, but gave me a ton of career," Spielberg told reporters as he toured exhibits of props and memorabilia from the movie that propelled him to the top ranks of Hollywood directors.

"I thought my career was virtually over halfway through production on 'Jaws', because everybody was saying to me: 'You are never going to get hired again.'

"'This film is way over budget and way over schedule, and you are a real liability as a director.'

"So I really thought that I better give this my all, because I'm not working in the industry again."

History had different ideas.

"Jaws," starring Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw, established a benchmark for thrillers, winning three Oscars and spawning three sequels as it catapulted Spielberg to stardom.

With more than 200 artifacts spread across several galleries, "Jaws: The Exhibition" is the largest display dedicated to a single film at the Academy Museum.

They join "Bruce," a life-size model of a shark that is on permanent display at the museum, and the only one that was ever actually on set (Spielberg named the model after his lawyer.)

Production notes, stills, costume pieces, and original set items from collectors -- and from the director's personal archive -- were all tracked down for the exhibition.

"It really was a cinematic treasure hunt," curator Jenny He told AFP.

Museum staff focussed on finding objects "that would put the story of Jaws together for our visitors in a tangible, physical way," He said.

In addition to seeing behind-the-scenes footage of the production, the public will also be able try their hand at reproducing the menacing, unmistakable "da-dum-da-dum" music that announces the arrival of the predator -- music that earned composer John Williams an Oscar.

They will also be able to handle a replica of the shark used in the film.

Spielberg said the exhibition was a wonderful showcase of work by collectors "who somehow knew something that I didn't."

"When we shot the opening scene of Chrissie Watkins being taken by the shark and we had a buoy floating in the water, how did anybody know to take the buoy and take it home and sit on it for 50 years?"

"Jaws: The Exhibition" opens to the public on September 14.

R.Baker--SFF