Local film enthusiast Brandon Johnson, founder of the Big Spring film group, said the idea to bring Steven Spielberg's epic “Jaws” to Comanche Trail Park came from a rather interesting source.

“I'm really excited about the 'Jaws' screening,” said Johnson. “Last year my dad was watching 'Close Encounters' on Scenic Mountain during one of our screenings and told me, 'You know this is cool and everything, but why don't you do something a little easier to follow, like 'Jaws?'  Well, Jaws has been one of my favorite films of all time — even though it kept me from swimming in the ocean for years — so I was like, why not? And what better place to screen a film about a man-eating shark than right by the Comanche Trail Lake?”

According to Johnson, the movie will begin June 12 just after dark.

“The screen will be set up on the beach just to the east of the Dora Roberts Community Center, and the film will start at dark,” said Johnson. “Admission is free, but filmgoer's need to bring something to sit on, like lawn chairs and blankets. It would probably be a good idea to bring some insect repellant, as well.

“There will be a concession stand on the premises selling refreshments. The public is reminded that this is a film about a man-eating shark, and there are a few scenes of graphic violence, so be warned.”

“Jaws” won several Oscars in 1976, including Best Film Editing, Best Music or Original Score and Best Sound. It was also nominated for Best Picture. It also garnered director Steven Spielberg a nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures from the Director's Guild of America.

Johnson said the screening is part of a Steven Spielberg retrospective he began last year with the screening of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”

“After 'Jaws,' we're looking at screening 'ET: The Extra Terrestrial' at Big Spring State Park's Scenic Mountain toward the end of August,” said Johnson. “I'm thinking about doing 'Star Wars: A New Hope,' the original film released in 1977, next summer, but we'll have to see about that one.”

And as the number of screenings increases, Johnson said he's hoping the Big Spring Film Society will continue to grow.

“Right now we are in the works of setting up the NPO (non-profit organization designation) for the film society, and I'm hoping to have officers appointed and a meeting by the end of the summer,” said Johnson. “We'll most likely try to have three meetings a year and additional meetings for event planning. For right now I'm just going to be doing movie screenings, but maybe, if enough people get involved, we could expand to some short film workshops and maybe a film festival. It all just depends on how many people get involved.”

The film, which is Rated-PG, has a 124-minute running time. For more information, call Johnson at (432) 213-0759, or email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it