‘Jaws’ exhibit at Martha’s Vineyard Museum

It wasn’t only “Jaws” that burst onto the big screen in 1975, but the Vineyard itself. Moviegoers traveled to our shores from their seats in cinemas around the world. To honor the phenomenon of this first summer blockbuster, the M.V. Museum has devoted nearly its entire space to “‘Jaws’ at 50: A Deeper Dive,” running through Sept. 7.

The introductory wall label eloquently orients us to the show, which is told through a local lens: “This exhibition invites you to dive beneath the surface of ‘Jaws’ — from the creation of one of Hollywood’s most iconic movie monsters to the everyday Islanders who helped bring the story to life. Along the way, you’ll explore the mishaps and challenges that nearly sank the production, the lasting ways the film left its mark on Martha’s Vineyard, and how one fictional shark dramatically altered the world’s view of the real ones.”

The exhibition begins on the second floor with, quite logically when you think about it, the creation of “Bruce,” the film’s mechanical shark, without whom there would be no movie. (An amusing factoid — Spielberg named the shark after his lawyer.) Along the wall, large animated drawings of Bruce convey the terror the shark was meant to create, including one of him jumping out of the water. Bruce wasn’t actually a single mechanical shark, but five: Two “platform sharks” were mounted on underwater rigs, two “sea sled” models were pulled through the water, and a sacrificial head was built for the movie’s explosive climax.

The Vineyard stars in the galleries. “Jaws” author Peter Benchley imagined Amity in a place like Connecticut, Long Island, or Nantucket. When production designer Joe Alves headed to Nantucket, a snowstorm was underway, and ferries there were canceled. But those to the Vineyard were not, and hence history was made. Not only did Alves find the location for his quaint New England village, but because the platform sharks had to be pulled along a shallow, sandy-bottomed stretch of water, State Beach fit the bill.

The room teems with photos of people behind the scenes and in front of the camera who helped Amity come to life and contributed to the film’s success. We see pictures of the crew, extras, and onlookers on Dock Street, as well as behind-the-scenes in the boathouse where the various Bruces were being finished. You can read an original, yellowed script page. Among the oral histories are those of Lee Fierro, a local drama teacher who played Mrs. Kintner, sharing memories that include her audition with Steven Spielberg and casting director Shari Rhodes.

We also learn about the many challenges that transformed what was initially expected to be a short production of a few months into one that extended from May to September. Several factors contributed to the delay, including Bruce’s tendency to break down, a significant amount of rain, and the presence of sailboats moving into the camera’s view, ruining some shots. Co-curator Kate Logue adds, “One of the things that led to the delay was the bureaucracy of the Island, which mirrored what happened in the film when they were having a select meeting to determine if they should close the beaches. The production had to get special permission to build the billboard in Aquinnah and build Quint’s shack. They got in trouble with the building inspector because it wasn’t to code.”

We learn a great deal about the Orca, as well. In addition to a small, exacting model, there are archival photos featuring the two versions of the boat, both during filming and offscreen. One of the vessels was a remodeled lobster boat, and the other was built on-Island, designed to be sunk.

There is a room filled with memorabilia, merchandise, posters from the film’s international release, a shark Halloween costume, and other items that reflect the runaway success of “Jaws.”

Across the way, a small gallery sports a gruesome delight that exemplifies Spielberg’s mastery of suspense. Museumgoers will see items related to the sudden, shocking appearance of Ben Gardner’s severed head. The moment occurs underwater, in eerie silence, as Hooper investigates a wrecked boat. Then, without warning, a pale, lifeless face floats into view. On the wall hangs a fan-created head of Gardner, who peers out from a splintered portion of the boat’s hull. Islander Craig Kingsbury played Gardner, and also served as the vocal model for English actor Robert Shaw’s blaspheming Yankee fisherman, Quint.

Another room displays essential information about shark conservation, a cause to which Peter Benchley and his wife Wendy devoted themselves after the book and film’s successes contributed to a misunderstanding of these important apex predators. Sharks are critical to the ocean environment, and massive hunting efforts have decimated their population.

While all of the above, just the tip of the iceberg, is located on the second floor of the museum, a trip to the Linnemann Pavilion on the ground level is the perfect final stop. There you will find a life-size, handcrafted replica of Bruce’s head, created by the Arcana Workshop in Vermont. Peering into Bruce’s jaws, just inches from the more than 80 handcrafted teeth, is a sobering experience.

Curator Anna Barber reflects on the show, “There’s a special kind of magic in this exhibition, where movie history meets Island memory. It’s a chance to see ‘Jaws’ not just as a film, but as a moment shaped by this place and its people.”

“‘Jaws’ at 50: A Deeper Dive” is on view at the M.V. Museum through Sept. 7. For more information, visit mvmuseum.org/exhibition/jaws.