Attention all surfers.....

I just wanted to hear what y'all though about the movie "Big Wednesday" Q Magazine just called it "the greatest surf movie ever made" and I hadn't heard of it. I always assumed that title belonged to "Endless Summer", but what do I know.

Is it worth a rental? The mere appearance of Jan Michael Vincent outside of the cockpit of Airwolf seems pretty cool to me....

-martin

I watched Big Wednesday a long time ago and thought it was so cool I went out and bought the movie poster. Unfortunately it was thrown away as was my HUGE baseball card collection. Mother!.....

I remember seeing it at the drive-in (kids, I'll tell you about those things later) when it came out in the late '70s (I think).

It was pretty cheesy, but it's a classic to a degree I guess.

To this day, my surf crew always yell out "BiG WeDnEsDaY" whenever the surf is just ankle slappers!

BLUE CRUSH!

Although I haven't surfed in a few years, but I still have my diploma from Surf School in Maui!

Welcome to self-deprecation day.

I remember that the actual surfing scenes in Big Wed are pretty good. Wasnt that Greg "da Bull" Noll with his "big gun" taking on the heavy surf with no jet ski assistance or leash on his board?

On 2003-06-05 11:12, Tiki Rider Five-O wrote:
I remember that the actual surfing scenes in Big Wed are pretty good. Wasnt that Greg "da Bull" Noll with his "big gun" taking on the heavy surf with no jet ski assistance or leash on his board?

Actually, Baxdog filled in for Greg Noll on the big surf.

(During those days we would've thought a 'jet ski' was something the Jetsons might've owend)

Big Wednesday is OK. Endless summer really inspires the adventurer in me.

This is not a surf film but if you can find a copy of "The Living Sea" which originally played in Imax theaters it is great. It has an original soundtrack done by Sting and the cinematography and locations are top notch. There is surfing in it.

On 2003-06-05 16:26, Monkeyman wrote:
This is not a surf film but if you can find a copy of "The Living Sea" which originally played in Imax theaters it is great. It has an original soundtrack done by Sting and the cinematography and locations are top notch. There is surfing in it.

Yes, this is an incredible film. I actually saw this film at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Oahu on their 70 foot IMAX screen. The music and images were simply unbelievable! I wonder if its available somewhere...

Found it! :)

**Poly-Pop ***

[ Edited by: polynesianpop on 2003-06-05 19:26 ]

I just rented Endless Summer, again. Very cool film. I had to laugh at the one part where Bruce Brown was complaining about the high price of coffee "$1 dollar a cup" and the price of the ocean front 5 star hotel in Africa where they were staying. what was it? $30 per day. When was that movie made...1967? times have changed indeed.

'Cheesy?!' No f'n way! Big Wednesday is and always will be one of the greatest surf films ever. I have the dvd with the director's cut. Busey and Jean Michael Vincent are very legit surfers in their own right. The story lines take you through the social changes of the late fifties through the seventies as seen by a group of surfing friends. I've seen that film more times than I can count.

'Endless Summer' is great too. Pivotal in helping to create the 'surf boom' of the sixties. You can't compare the two movies though. They're just different, but both great.

I saw both of those films for the first time way back at the Port Theatre in CdM. Martin, is it worth a rental? It's at LEAST worth a rental.

Spike
http://www.kikatiki.com

[ Edited by: Luckydesigns on 2003-06-06 04:20 ]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone!

-martin

An old thread here on Bruce Brown's films:

https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=687&forum=4

"Slippery When Wet" is my favorite of his films, because much of it is shot in Hawaii, it's really funny, and the soundtrack by Bud Shank is great. Most of his films are out on DVD but some of the original soundtracks (like the great narration filled with 50s surfer slang) have unfortunately been re-recorded recently. Some of the music on the new releases is pretty bad. Still, the footage is great, but look for the ones with the Bud Shank soundtrack first.

Endless Summer 2 is also worth a rental. It's just good-natured fluff with some decent surfing in it. Not as good as the original by any means, but the Disney style voice-over and confrontations with a variety of wildlife provides a few yuks.

I actually bought a copy of it for my wife's birthday in a classic 'Homer Simpson buying Marge a bowling ball with "Homer Simpson" etched in it' type scenario.

Trader Woody

On 2003-06-06 11:58, thejab wrote:

Most of his films are out on DVD but some of the original soundtracks (like the great narration filled with 50s surfer slang) have unfortunately been re-recorded recently. Some of the music on the new releases is pretty bad.

I bought "Surf Crazy" (1959) on VHS some time ago, which is a great film, but I got very disappointed finding out that the original music soundtrack had been replaced by some shitty midi music. Unbelieveable!!!

TheJab, do you know which BB films (besides "Endless Summer" and "Slippery When Wet") that still have the original soundtrack?

BTW, here's a nice site about 60's surf movies:

Surf Classics

On 2003-06-13 07:25, Klas wrote:

I bought "Surf Crazy" (1959) on VHS some time ago, which is a great film, but I got very disappointed finding out that the original music soundtrack had been replaced by some shitty midi music.

Eh, I just found out that "Surf Crazy" didn't have a music soundtrack at all when it first came out in 1959... The modern computer recorded retro music is so awful that it IMO would have been better with just BB narrating to silence.

Surf softly and carry a big board

[ Edited by: Klas on 2003-06-13 17:37 ]

Five Summer Stories has a great cult following(Unga included)and a sound track by the group Honk (Laguna Hills, CA) that still sells great today. Well worth the rental, if you can find it.

Big Wednesday is a classic!
I don't think that you can really compare it to Endless Summer 'cause they're rather different genres.
Anyway, I love the wedding scene when all the guys are sitting around drunk out front of the church but my favorite scene is when JMV goes back to his friend's mom years later and says that he did a lot of stupid things but he "never pissed in her iron".
Thanks for reminding me of a great film.
Aloha,
:tiki:

You've got to check out "Step Into Liquid". You can see a trailer at:

http://stepintoliquid.com/

It's been playing film festivals and is in limited release. It's directed by Dana Brown (son of Bruce Brown, director of "endless summer").

You won't believe the cinematography!

I just saw "Step into Liquid" tonight, a very nice movie, loved the Rapa Nui footage.

Big Wednesday is a classic. Step into Liquid, the new movie by Dana Brown, is great too. Check it out

Have I ever mentioned to you youngin's that Robert August lives about 500' from me? Well there, I just did.

I have a Robert August longboard shaped by Mark Martinson, who in the late 60's or so was a top notch surfer. Unfortunately for him, Uncle Sam drafted him and he squirmed his way up to Canada to hide.

When I found that out I wanted to drive my truck over my beloved board, but couldn't because it's my San O board.

The Viet Nam war - right or wrong, when duty calls you gotta go. Who knows who may have died in his stead.

14

I meant to say...."in god's hands" is a great movie...tow surfing rules!!!!!!

I hope you are joking about that tiki mick. Tow surfing is cool, but that movie sucks.

Can me a purist, or just someone afraid of 50' waves, but tow-in is not true surfing.

What I like about surfing is that it's a natural sport.

You paddle out, you catch a wave, you scream at a kook that dropped in on you(just kidding... sort of), you paddle back out. No motorized vehicle required.

Big Wednesday is cool with some good surf footage and some memorable characters. Gary Busey performance is one of my favorites. The scenes in the recruiting office are hysterical. Watch for Robert Englund (Freddy Kruger.) The Hawaiian musicians that appear are famous too, but their names excape me

I still prefer the surf movies made by surfers that feature real surfers. Particularly the old films that documented dudes riding waves that had never been ridden. Anything with Phil Edwards or Greg Noll in the mid to late sixties are classics in my book.

Chongolio

Big Wednesday is one of the best films ever. Worth watching just for the party scene and the Vietnam draft scene.

'Crashers!'

And combined with 'Two Lane Blacktop' and 'American Grafitti', you've got a great days viewing ahead.

[ Edited by: Kon-Hemsby on 2004-04-27 02:37 ]

I must mention the melodramatic "Ride the Wild Surf" with Fabian and Barbara Eden. Title song by Jan and Dean. Although far from being a good film it has a certain charm.


That's Genie from "I dream of Genie" in the middle and Shelly Fabres on the right, Craig T Nelson's girlfriend from the TV series "Coach"

"Ain't No Surf In Portobello"

http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/libraries/portobello/valves/valves.html

On 2004-04-27 00:55, Chongolio wrote:
I still prefer the surf movies made by surfers that feature real surfers. Particularly the old films that documented dudes riding waves that had never been ridden. Anything with Phil Edwards or Greg Noll in the mid to late sixties are classics in my book.

Chongolio

CHong,

You mean like say "Cat on a Hot Foam Board" (1959).

Speaking of surf....Bong, were you "sick" today?
I bet Ben 10 bucks we'd run into Lucky while checkin' the Wedge this morning. I thought for sure I'd see him out there. I lost, probably due to his job at O'Neil (I think they've figured out those "sick" days.) The Wedge was going "OFF" today. An amazing and welcoming site. Nothing like an April south swell to welcome the summer season into good ole' So Cal!
Aloha!!!

On 2004-04-27 21:58, Mrs. B wrote:
Speaking of surf....Bong, were you "sick" today?
I bet Ben 10 bucks we'd run into Lucky while checkin' the Wedge this morning. I thought for sure I'd see him out there. I lost, probably due to his job at O'Neil (I think they've figured out those "sick" days.) The Wedge was going "OFF" today. An amazing and welcoming site. Nothing like an April south swell to welcome the summer season into good ole' So Cal!
Aloha!!!

OH BABY!
The Wedge:
The only place you could wade in waist high water, while a 15 foot tube could come over your head, like you were a freakin Bacardi cork bobbin in the merciful vengeance of “The Washing Machine of Newport.

I had a thing called “The Hand Gun“ which was a disk that placed in the palm of yo0ur hand, to give you the confidence that you were invincible to these monstors.
I didn't have to do drugs back then (the early 80’s) because of the adrenaline rush of “THE WEDGE”!.
Great memories Mrs. B!

Step Into Liquid... ahhh, those guys trying to surf the Great Lakes... :wink:

Not the best surf, but hanging all weekend with Dana was the best...

Dana in the middle... JP, the film's director of photography is the blond haired guy over on the right...

[ Edited by: Lake Surfer on 2004-04-27 23:24 ]

[ Edited by: Lake Surfer on 2004-04-27 23:29 ]

The Wedge was Go'In'OFF today!

InSANE!!

I'm sure you'll all see pics of today's a.m."Totall Close Out Set!"

Couldn't even imagine being out there today. No way, uh uh! Not even for a gizzilion bucks!

I went to the wedge yesterday afternoon....it was totally huge..then the mist came in...that was a trip! You really could not see the wave until it turned into the a-frame!

No way in hell I would ever go in there! Those waves looked like apartment complexes!

When I was there, there was only one bodyboarder in..

The surf has been KILLER up here in Santa Cruz! We are on our third day of 6-8 foot swell under 80 degree skys. My face is crisp and my shoulders are sore but boy does it feel good, Feels like summer.

Chongolio