Opening shot: popular seaside town during the Fourth of July holiday. Cut to: beaches jammed with tourists and locals sunning, splashing and swimming. Close up: beautiful woman swims alone outside the surf line. Underwater shot: the woman from below, followed by ominous dark shadow. Cue music: Duna. Duna DUNA. DUNA DUN DUNA!
Is this Santa Barbara … or a scene from Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws”? Hopefully, the only shark sighted this weekend will be a cinematic one.
On Friday, “Jaws” makes a splash as the first of UCSB Arts & Lectures’ free Summer Cinema screenings held under the stars at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Sunken Garden.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the debut of Bruce, the film’s mechanical shark (named for Spielberg’s lawyer) who famously terrorized fictional Amity Island — and millions of theatergoers). It made sense for it to kick off the series on Fourth of July weekend.
“It’s automatically celebratory,” said Caitlin O’Hara, A&L’s director of public lectures and special initiatives, which programs the film series. “It was shocking back then, but we consider it a throwback now. It’s still great entertainment.”
The other films in this summer’s “Sun, Surf and Cinema” series seem tame in comparison, though some audience members may find their hearts pounding at the sight of a buff young Keanu Reeves surfing in one movie and a bikini-clad Kate Bosworth in another.
Screenings are held on seven Friday nights starting this week through Aug. 23, with a break on Aug. 2 for Old Spanish Days. Movies start at 8:30 p.m., and admission is free.
Attendees can claim their spots starting at noon on movie days. To protect the grass, use only permeable blankets (no plastic, nylon or tarps), and to ensure everyone can see, bring only low-back chairs that are low to the ground.
Many people bring food to enjoy pre-screening, from takeout from local eateries to full-on homemade gourmet spreads served with dishes, silver and candelabras. Music by DJs, acrobatic yoga, and contests make it even more festive, as with Friday’s picnic photo contest called “Sharkcuterie” (a pun on “charcuterie”). Prizes include Land Shark tickets, of course.
“I love to walk through the crowd and see who is really doing it up for their picnics,” O’Hara said. “That’s why we came up with the contest, as people were doing it already.”
The film series, started in 2009 by longtime A&L associate director Roman Baratiak, originally had screenings both on campus and at the courthouse. It was popular, but crowds really turned out for the 2013 series of Alfred Hitchcock thrillers. It’s been a summer mainstay since then.
O’Hara promoted the series as publicist for A&L from 2015 until 2020, when she moved into the programming team.
Following Baratiak’s retirement, she took this new role and now curates the lectures and other special series, working with A&L Executive Director Celesta Billeci.
“Determining each year’s theme is not straightforward. I often start with one movie. If we can get it, I will go from there. If we can’t, I have to move on. For this summer, Wes Anderson’s ‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’ was swimming around in my mind,” she said, laughing at the unintentional pun.
Each film requires a license, and each distributor has different conditions. Disney is famously controlling and has not allowed its films for large free public screenings. That recently has loosened up, according to O’Hara, and special appeals might be made for future seasons (“Little Mermaid Sing-Along,” anyone?).
Some films are just not available, such as the animated masterpieces of Japan’s Hayao Miyazaki, which are most requested by the public. “Studio Ghibli simply won’t allow it,” O’Hara said, recognizing it is sad news for fans of “My Neighbor Totoro.”
“Our goal is to have something for everyone and want people to feel that the series is for them,” she said. “We try to have fun with it and include a bit of nostalgia. This is not the setting for a serious cinematic experience.”
Audience participation is often spontaneous, with viewers shouting out famous lines and singing along to musical numbers. O’Hara remembers cheering during certain “empowering” moments in “Thelma and Louise.”
“I expect we’ll have people in costume singing along with ABBA for ‘Mamma Mia!’” she said. “I love it when the audience gets into it. That means we’re doing something right.”
Free Summer Cinema Schedule
Fridays at 8:30 p.m., seating setup allowed starting at noon
- July 3: “Jaws”
- July 12: “Point Break”
- July 19: “50 First Dates”
- July 26: “Blue Crush”
- Aug. 2: no screening due to Fiesta
- Aug. 9 “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou”
- Aug. 16: “Mamma Mia!”
- Aug. 23: “Crazy Rich Asians”