Tag der Entscheidung

I can't believe this movie has finally been released to DVD! This is one of two or three VHS movies in my extremely large vault of VHS tapes that I'll still dust off and view on my trusty old VCR. Not everyone will dig this movie. You either have to be a fan of one of the actors or John Milius, had seen it when it was released, are an avid surfer with respect for the sport and its rich history, or you saw it at a time in your life that much like a familiar smell or an old song, it transports you back to a unique period of your life. Having grown up on the beaches of Southern California with a crew of friends, it's hard not to think that this film was a collection of polaroids of our own lives. This film is supposedly a very personal and semi-autobiographic story of John Milius'. His characters, settings, and music create an atmosphere that you feel you can swim through. This film is very nostalgic, and is a perfect coming of age story. There are so many peripheral characters that surround the three main leads, that it's hard not to identify with one or many of them. I think everyone has been, or has grown up with, these characters. The crazy guy, the rebellious guy, the guy that is wise beyond his years, the mentor, the guy that everyone looks up to, the new girl, the popular girl, etc. Kind of like Dazed and Confused, and its multitude of characters. The film itself is very dated and is rather hokey if none of what I've written thusfar relates to you. But I will say that this movie has one of the best party/fight scenes of any movie I've ever seen (I have a BA in Film from SFSU, so I've seen a lot of them). The Vietnam draft scene is a classic. And watch for many early career cameos by Frank McRae and Robert Englund (yep, that's Freddy with the keg tap). Also note the sweet wave riding of some of surfing's greats; Gerry Lopez, J. Riddle, Peter Townend, and Jacki Dunn. John Milius has succeeded in recreating a time and place in surf history that can never be visited again; the innocence (and perhaps the naivete) of the time, the adventurous spirit of youth, the comraderie and adventures/misadventures of friends, and the pursuit of surfing for surfing (not for labels, social status, intimidation, or because "it's cool"). This film should be required viewing for anyone surfing, or learning to surf today. The beach, the waves, the environment should be a sense of therapy for life. Growing up in Southern California, I know that no matter what kind of garbage life may throw my way; I still can drive down PCH and and mother ocean will be right there to make everything right again.

Everytime I pop this film in and hear the soothing guitar picking, watch the friends cruising down the beach and surfing all day long, or tearing up a parent's house with a party, I think of that same period of my life and look back with content.

What is it about Big Wednesday that inspires so much affection? I won't repeat the many tributes that have been made here, and yes, I was a surfer, and yes, this is in my top five of all time movies, and yes, I watch it about once every eighteen months.

But something others don't seem to mention much is the perfect score that Basil Poledouris wrote for the movie, sound which echoes and complements the action throughout, and reminds me strongly of artists and music of the time like Jack Nitzches "Lonely Surfer", and "Beyond the Break". Not, for heaven's sake, the Beach Boys or Jan and Dean.

But isn't that a big part of good movies? When music, image and story all combine? (Discuss)

The other four of my five are "Andrei Rublev", "If..." "The Piano" "Journey to the Center of the Earth"

I'm not a surfer, and I don't particularly fancy gazing at hunky males in their naked torsos and swim shorts. I am, however, a fan of good cinema, and according to many film articles and cinematic reference books, "Big Wednesday" is one of the greatest American films of the 70s.

I certainly wouldn't label it as such, but I can easily understand why this film enjoys the reputation of being a classic, and why it has such a wide and loyal fan base. It's a contemporary epic, a true coming-of-age movie for an entire generation of beach boys (and girls) who were teenagers in the sixties. The film actually reminded me somewhat of "Forrest Gump", only small-scaled and centered around a shorter and specific period of time. We follow three handsome and talented surfers throughout a period of 12 years. In 1962, life is great and completely carefree, but unfamiliar things like adulthood and responsibility begin to appear at the horizon. In the following decade, they are faced with the Vietnam war recruitment and the deterioration of their beloved surfing beach area. Matt Johnson (J-M Vincent) is the most talented surfer, but also the biggest troublemaker, Leroy Smith (Gary Busey) is the reckless one, and Jack Barlow is the mature and responsible one.

The challenges these three must face are not too dramatic, to be very honest. Matt struggles with alcoholism and causes a stupid accident, Jack's girlfriend doesn't wait for him to return from the war, and Leroy can't find enough kicks to agonize himself. The scenes where the boys and their friends must undergo physical and mental tests to check their fitness to serve in Vietnam are borderline genius and definitely form the highlight of the film, but there are several aspects that make "Big Wednesday" a delight to watch and experience. The brilliant 60s soundtrack, for starters, but also Bruce Surtees' cinematography and the performances of the leading trio.

A rite of passage film comparable to Stand By Me. The film follows the lives of three men through their late teens and twenties during the troubled period of American history that was the Vietnam war. The bond between these men is exemplified by their shared love for surfing and one another. With creative photography, Jan Michael Vincent (of Airwolf fame), Gary Busey (who makes a sneaky surfing appearance again in Point Break), and William Katt (who went on to star in such films as House) doing much of their own surfing, complemented by a professional team of surfing stunt doubles including Jerry Lopez make this one of the surfing all-time classics along-side Bruce Browns 1966 Endless Summer. Whether you're into surfing or not, you'll enjoy this for its story, feel good factor, and of course the surfing footage. Watch it.

I first saw this film in 1978, my father took me to see it with my brothers at the drive-in as a double feature with "Every Which Way But Loose." It's a movie that I have never forgotten. It combines brilliantly heart gripping surfing action, heart wrenching emotions, and heart uplifting humour, all set against the back-drop of the Vietnam War, teenagers growing up, the wisdom of elders (Bear) and of course, the surfing.

I've never surfed a minute of my entire life (although whenever I watch this, I feel like I should), so don't think of this as a "surf movie". It simply is an excellent piece of cinematic history that you will feel you missed on if you never see it.

Recommended with 2 thumbs way way way up.