BUREAU SURFING: FILM BIG WEDNESDAY
" Nobody Surfs Forever "
A Thirty Five Year Anniversary Appreciation
By Joshua A. TRILIEGI
It's hard to believe that thirty five years have passed since this classic surf film about
California and specifically Malibu beach surfing culture, characters and history had its
debut. Upon re watching this classic film recently, I was drawn into a kind of nostalgia
that reminded me of other classic films from the seventies that seem to define the
formative years here in California. American Graffiti being the other fine example of a
piece of cinema that celebrates, defines & indeed explains to outsiders what it was like
to be a part of a California subculture that has since gone mainstream: Classic Cars.
Big Wednesday does the same thing for Surfing. These days surfing and its nearest
offspring, skateboarding, are world renown industries owned by a hand full of companies,
corporations, associations and ecologically informed non-profit organizations.
But back in the day, guys like Leroy, Jack and Matt made California surfing. The lifestyle
and its loyalty to expressing ones self with nature was a coveted and special relationship
that each surfer had on his or her own. It was a private experience one had with the
waves, the coast, the ocean, the earth itself. It is a sacred thing to drop in on a wave
and ride it as long as one is able. Honing a craft, one-second at a time, in unison with
mother nature. Simply, a person, their craft and the ocean itself relating to one another.
I recently took a bike ride along all the coast passing all best surf spots where much of
the film was photographed. Pacific Coast Highway starting at the County Line, Topanga
Canyon & on into Malibu Beach. Re visiting these historic beaches and film locations is a
beautiful way to understand the art of surfing. Reviewing the picture Big Wednesday
directed by John Milius and starring Gary Busey, Jan Michael Vincent and William Katt
and thinking about their careers & some of the damage done personally was a bit heartbreaking. I guess that's the power of film to preserve a time and a place. To express
a moment in time, be it, documentary, fiction or otherwise. As far as surf films go, when
it comes to fictional versions of what surfing is about, Big Wednesday, in my book, is
simply the best at capturing the philosophy, the lifestyle & the character of what it is to
be a surfer at that particular time and place: the 1960's and its transition into the early seventies. With a cameo by Legendary Lightening Bolt founder and classic surfer, Jerry Lopez. An important casting choice that gives the film a groundedness in reality & boosted its credibility with real surf fans during its heyday& initial release. The red surfboard with
a yellow lightening bolt placed directly in a vertical fashion down the center of the board was & will always be as iconic as a Mercedes Benz logo.
and thinking about their careers & some of the damage done personally was a bit heartbreaking. I guess that's the power of film to preserve a time and a place. To express
a moment in time, be it, documentary, fiction or otherwise. As far as surf films go, when
it comes to fictional versions of what surfing is about, Big Wednesday, in my book, is
simply the best at capturing the philosophy, the lifestyle & the character of what it is to
be a surfer at that particular time and place: the 1960's and its transition into the early seventies. With a cameo by Legendary Lightening Bolt founder and classic surfer, Jerry Lopez. An important casting choice that gives the film a groundedness in reality & boosted its credibility with real surf fans during its heyday& initial release. The red surfboard with
a yellow lightening bolt placed directly in a vertical fashion down the center of the board was & will always be as iconic as a Mercedes Benz logo.
There are the documentaries by Bruce Brown: Endless Summer and the like. As well as
a catalogue of other classics such as Five Summer Stories & the others within the genre.
More recently Stacy Peralta' s Dogtown Documentary & subsequent Lords of Dogtown as
well as his Big Wave Surf documentaries have added more information to surfing dialogue.
But still and all, Big Wednesday is king. I know because I grew up and witnessed the tail
end of this particular period and hung out with and admired the older guys who were a
part of this important period in West Coast & specifically Southern California surf culture.
[ Read the short story SURFERS AND LOWRIDERS on our Website for more on this period]
Big Wednesday captures the music, the friendship, the heroic stature, the generation to
generation torch passing, the gaining your friends/losing your friends aspect of growing up.
The original musical compositions by Basil Poledouris and theme songs hold up just fine.
Nothing is too trendy or dated, The costumes, sets, locations and acting are what we call
pitch perfect. The props and logos have become legendary. The BEAR logo to this day is
being reprinted and celebrated on sweatshirts, classic cars and stickers. Big Wednesday
is a classic film in the Warner Brothers catalogue that helped to redefine a generation
of West Coast culture: surfing, skateboarding and the California cool that people from all
over the world appreciate, envy and honor, sometimes more than the locals themselves.
The actors actually did most of their own surfing in this film, which is rare. There are
surfing doubles, but the editing and cinematography is extremely well done for its
time. Shot on real film, on location, with a group of actors and actresses, including Lee
Purcell and Patti D'Arbanville at the very end of a time & place when Hollywood was able
to create stories that were highly dependent on character, story and emotional content.
This film which was released in 1978, thirty five years ago, stands up against any film
of its genre. It's as entertaining as American Graffiti, as honest as Dogtown , as funny
as Animal House and ultimately a heartfelt and heartbreaking story about the fleeting
moments in life. Like a wave: life, friends, careers, loves, memories pass rather quickly.
Movies such as Big Wednesday preserve these moments, capture those times, creating
a painting of sorts, a photograph, a time, a place that will never be the same again.
Cinema has a way of allowing us to re-enter history, experiencing life itself to enjoy
over and over. This has been an appreciation of BIG WEDNESDAY on the 35 year
Anniversary. An ongoing Series of articles marking the Films, Books & Artworks that
are worth remembering, re-watching, re-reading and re-celebrating time & time again.
by Joshua A. TRILIEGI Exclusively for http://www.BUREAUofARTSandCULTURE.com
VISIT THE SURF SKATE AND BIKE PAGE HERE FOR LINKS TO LOCAL SURFING SHOPS
