The heroes are depicted as walking like the kings of an ancient civilisation. When it comes to authentic depictions of a surfing life, few Holywood films hold a candle to 78 cult classic Big Wednesday. Nowadays, he lives inland in Connecticut, having traded trimming the waves down the Bu for clay pigeon shooting and smoking cigars in his later years. t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; Big Wednesday - Summer Surfing: Leroy (Gary Busey), Jack (William Katt) and Matt (Jan-Michael Vincent) enjoy surfing together.BUY THE MOVIE: https://www.fandangonow.com/details/movie/big-wednesday-1978/1MVc9480c4ac38b3b6893afc325bd943ccc?cmp=Movieclips_YT_DescriptionWatch the best Big Wednesday scenes \u0026 clips:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZbXA4lyCtqpK6XB5irhpNHjCf4_lmlTLFILM DESCRIPTION:Three 1960s California surfers (Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, Gary Busey) fool around, drift apart and reunite years later to ride epic waves.CREDITS:TM \u0026 Warner Bros. Pictures (1978)Cast: Gary Busey, Jan-Michael Vincent, Lee Purcell, Reb Brown, William KattProducer: Buzz FeitshansDirector: John MiliusWHO ARE WE?The MOVIECLIPS channel is the largest collection of licensed movie clips on the web. However, the rapid commodification of surfing culture that occurred during the late 1970s and 1980s made Big Wednesdays nostalgic celebration of a pure surfing culture relevant again. While the storys original novel treatment was titled We Are Gods, after Warner Bros expressed an interest in making it into a film, Milius approached Surfer Magazine founder John Severson, to acquire the naming rights of his surf film Big Wednesday, released over a decade prior in 61. Although today Big Wednesday is considered one of the best surf movies ever made, the path that led to its cult status was a long and convoluted one. By 1998, following a 20th anniversary showing at the Newport Film Fesival, the turnaround in opinion appeared to be complete. MacGillivray, in turn, supervised a team of surf cinematographers. All the main characters were inspired by real people, in particular surf legends Lance Carson and Kemp Aaberg and surfboard makers Hap Jacob and Dale Velzy. IC: We were with the whole Hollywood crew, and the stunt coordinator was this really famous guy that did Harrison Ford in the Indiana Jones movie, a real mans man. "Big Wednesday" follows three young surfers in the LA area (Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt and Gary Busey). Back then they built the whole Hollywood wall set and we were staying in this country town called Lompoc, which is just north of the Ranch, in the middle of farmland, with all the actors and crew. IC: For about two months we were on the North Shore, filming mainly at Sunset, but also other places to get pick up shots. For those of you that dont know about George Greenough, you should learn. So anyway one Sunday we took him out surfing at Sunzal, it was about 3 feet, and he got smashed and almost drowned and had to be rescued and brought in. Three friends who share a passion and talent for surfing are separated by military service in Vietnam, but return to the same beach ten years after the summer they ruled the waves. He looked at these little skinny surfer idiots and he thought these guys are total pussys! I dug a Yater spoon out of David Adornettos back yard and used it as my longboard, though we also brought our shortboards. It's the most personal film I'll probably ever make, and I figured I ought to do it now, before I get too far away from it. Denny Aaberg continues his life long passion for playing music. Wed surf and then get a filet mignon for lunch. It become one of the most influential surf movies ever made. A day will come that is like no other. WL: Can you tell me about getting the call up to double for Busey? The production assistant tried to shoo her off when he saw her camera but George told them she was a regular and harmless, so they let her keep shooting. "[9], Milius and producer Feitshans had met at American International Pictures, where they worked on Dillinger (1973). Spielberg in particular was certain that Big Wednesday was going to be a box office hit, opining it was like "American Graffiti meets Jaws", two of the decade's most successful films.[2]. "We very much want it to be authentic. He didnt really surf, where as Jean Micheal and Billy were reasonable surfers, so they were down there to have fun, hang out and shoot as many scenes as possible. relative viscosity of nylon 6; predictive index cognitive assessment answers; why do baseball players spit so much; Hello world! Milius cancelled shooting for the day and let everyone surf. The lives of some California surfers from the early 1960s to the 1970s. When we saw these photos, we contacted surf legend Denny Aaberg to give us some more insight. Hamilton was surfing for Jan Michael Vincents character and Cairns was the double for Gary Busey. We pitched up at Sunzal, which happens to be where theyre holding the ISA World Games this week. But then it just reverted back to normal from there on, it wasnt like wed bought a lifetime membership into the Hui. After that whole period in El Salvador, they wanted to do some shots in California so they set up at Bixby Ranch to get that really sparkling California look. Aaberg says there were about 50 extras used for the scenes shot at Cojo. Sign up for the Wavelength newsletter to get the latest news, announcements, special offers and event information, Wavelength Media, Unit GF43 & GF55, Winslade HouseManor Drive, Exeter, EX5 1FY, UK, Wavelength Magazine. Buy Big Wednesday - Microsoft Store By what name was Big Wednesday (1978) officially released in India in English? When they were shooting, they would be riding longboards and no wetsuit, or maybe a top only. IAN will be signing his new book from 6:30 to 7:30. Technical Specs, See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro, executive in charge of production (uncredited), second assistant director trainee (uncredited), sound effects editor (as Joe von Stroheim), stairs fall double for Geoff Parks (uncredited) / stunt coordinator (uncredited), camera operator: special water photography, wardrobe supervisor: women (as Ann Lambert), wardrobe supervisor: men (as Bill Minton Jr.), music consultant (uncredited) / musician: violin (uncredited), surfing photography consultant (as Roger Brown). !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) So, PT told Milius, hey, Ive got a bronzed Aussie buddy who could replace him. Milius was flipping out, remembers a chuckling Peter Townend in an interview with Surfline. Although not a veteran himself, Milius is a war and weapons enthusiast, serving for six years on the board of gun advocacy group the NRA. We were really fortunate to have those big days at Sunset. We know these are freesurfing shots because hes riding a late 70s shortboard. ). Following its home video release in the 1980s, the film gradually acquired cult status. It was only with the films home video release in the early 80s that it began to acquire a cult following, gaining more credibility and adulation with each year that passed. It took an awful long time to write the script. We had a huge bottle of water, and what they didnt tell us was they were filling it up out of the well, so everyone got amoebic dysentery. Those [guerrillas] looked at him and absolutely freaked. You can also see a pretty nice wave rolling throughGreat photo. Unlike any other film that has been made about surfing, in this one the characters and not the waves are the most important. According to a famous Hollywood legend, Big Wednesday was part of a three-way profit point swap between Milius and his old friends, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Denny Aaberg continues his life long passion for playing music. The board I was riding was an 86, so it wasnt really a longboard, but it worked kind of fun. Did working with them that winter help smooth things over a bit? Press release, August 6, 2008. I went there 190 pounds and ended up a 170, and in fact one night I was 110 pounds, vomiting and shitting, just incredibly sick. When John Milius made Big Wednesday in 1978, he was considered one of the most promising filmmakers in Hollywood. IC: Well in May we were in El Salvador, in the summertime, from August to September we were in the Ranch, then we did surf the winter events on the North Shore. So wed gone from death threats in 76 to having them protect us in the water the following winter. Apparently, therefore, Big Wednesday is a 100% Hollywood movie. In 1978 surfer and filmmaker John Milius (Apocalypse Now, Red Dawn) set out to make a feature length film for the big screen based on his youth surfing and growing up in Malibu Ca., it would become the iconic film of the 70's "Big Wednesday". Vincent was covered in The Undefeated (1969). Ian Cairns, shown above, was the surf double for Gary Busey. 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); Billy Hamilton, above, was the double for Jan Michael Vincent. "What I've got to watch out for is getting lost in the surf again," said Milius during filming. Other filming locations included El Paso, Texas; Hollister Ranch near Santa Barbara; Surfrider Beach (in Malibu); Ventura, California; and La Libertad, El Salvador. A lot of them died in Vietnam and OD'd on dope. The seemingly paradoxical juxtaposition between an ordinary day (Wednesday) and epic adjective (Big) also matched Milius double ambition to provide both a realistic account of surfing subculture and to create a long-lasting surf mythology. by Information Press, Behind The Scenes On Big Wednesday: Tales From The Set With Stunt Double Ian Cairns Wavelength Surf Magazine, Alan Nafzger's Los Angeles Surfing Drama - VERITY'S SURFING MOVIE, Kanga The Trials and Triumphs of Ian Cairns, Historic San Augustine is Set for This Weekends Heritage Days, Judge Revives Lunada Bay Lawsuit: Localism Is Illegal and Cities TheInertia.com, From Hawaii to South Africa: Top 10 surfing destinations around the world, Matthew McConaugheys dashing young son collects , Architect Ed Niles Designed This Massive Geometrical Manse on the Malibu Coast. [7], They obtained finance from Warner Bros in June 1976. You had to have permission from the director, John Milius [to paddle out]. This board is deep red with the classic BEAR logo on the deck made famous by Sam Melville's character in Milius . | n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; The friends reunite years later, after Barlow has served in Vietnam, for the "Great Swell of '74". And we knew how good we had it. IC: One day I was at home in Australia and the phone rang and it was Hollywood calling. All Rights Reserved. Matt Johnson: You know, Mrs. Barlow, there's something I'd like straighten out. This thing would be wrapped up in two weeks. That's important to me because I'm a real surfer. The nostalgic celebration of friendship is strongly associated with the critique of contemporary capitalist American society. Along the way we see many of the people and locales Bruce visited during the filming of Endless Summer (1966). A truck followed behind with our surfboards. We were treated like rock stars and I still get a cheque every year from the screen actors guild. "The 40th-anniversary edition of 'Big . That completely changed his mind, because here was a day when the surf was barely breaking and he almost dies, and were out there on big days. The logo, a red diamond with a bear in it, features prominently throughout the movie, on shop windows, T-shirts, car windows and on surfboards. This is one of Terrys favorite shots. He features prominently in two documentaries about surfing: Hollywood Dont Surf and Between the Lines: Surfers during the Vietnam War. Most importantly, upon its release, Big Wednesdays premise that passion for surfing had an expiration date was unthinkable. n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; ()100% And the climactic showdown between the heroic trio and the monster waves is so good it makes up for the rest (the trio's Wild Bunch-inspired walk to destiny is by far Milius's finest cinematic moment) More than any other movie Milius directed, Big Wednesday contains the joy of filmmaking (he waited his whole career to make this movie). was also an Aussie surf legend and was the first professional world champion. I have fond memories of being one of the extras. Raised in Southern California, Milius made Big Wednesday as an homage to the time he spent in Malibu during his youth. He didnt really surf, where as Jean Micheal and Billy were reasonable surfers, so they were down there to have fun, hang out and shoot as many scenes as possible. PT leapt at the chance. A few of the extras,including Kym Herrin in the blue dress, working hard for their sixty bones. Next day, the cars had new (old) license plates. Greenough arrived with his own custom-built water housing and proceeded to take apart the 100 grand film camera provided to him by the production to fit it inside. We never got a Big Wednesday day down there, and I was always just saying to Milius, dude, you should have just gone to Western Australia. We surfed there and down at La Libertad and it was pretty fun, just hanging out with the crew. and the more I understood about Big Wednesday, the more I learned about surfing. Big Wednesday (1978) Classic Movie Review 153 Denny can be seen above in the green shorts and thats Ian Cairns in the yellow trunks. ), For starters, it was only decided that the tour was a tour halfway through the year, with a few events from the dozens of surfing comps that had already taken place around the world chosen retrospectively as the opening leg. I have fond memories of being one of the extras. Big Wednesday (1978) - Turner Classic Movies But we simply didnt take into account things like, oh, sharks, civil war and dysentery.. Free Delivery on all Orders Over 80. Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington provides funding as a member of The Conversation NZ. Photo via www.bearsurfboards.eu. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. [8], "Because I surfed, I'm the only director in the world who could have made his picture," said Milius. (1) Cairns in a Sunset tube (2) PT off the bottom. However, while Star Wars (Lucas) and Close Encounters (Spielberg) would haul in hundreds of millions of dollars, Big Wednesday was a major critical and popular wipe-out, at least initially. The surfers and stunt doubles with director John Milius. We were paid for basically hanging out on the beach at Cojo all day. "He was going to do another gun and guts macho fight film but he decided to do this; he decided he needed this in his life. IC: Yeah, we were all there hanging at Sunset. document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); Despite what he describes as a childhood of juvenile delinquency, Milius developed into an accomplished screenwriter, penning a series of hit films in which surfing often featured. Theories behind the failure are wide-ranging; the scars of Vietnam were still too raw, there was too much fighting, too much binge drinking and, with the transition brought on by the shortboard revolution complete, the surfing audience viewed the longboard-centric surf scenes as pass. Here hes getting pulled behind a boat, probably just killing time between takes. It was a lot of money. Big Wednesday (1978) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by John Milius Writing Credits Cast (in credits order) complete, awaiting verification Produced by Music by Basil Poledouris Cinematography by Bruce Surtees . Browse the full lineup and get your ticket here. Terry knew him through friends at the beach and Denny knew him from surfing. Big Wednesday went as far as moulding surfing iconography. He had a lot of innovative ideas that changed surfing, and he created them. Which brings us to the extras. (1) Cairns in a Sunset tube (2) PT off the bottom. |