Big Wednesday
Let’s start with my personal favorite all-time movie, of any genre, Big Wednesday – it’s a film with everything you could possibly wish for. And because it was created by people who actually surfed and not hashed together by a crack team of Hollywood film guru’s run by an accountant it is actually a pretty decent movie and the surfing stands up on its own. I love it because it harks back to the time when surfing was actually cool, and shows how fame and fortune aren’t quite what they are cracked up to be and actually surfing with your mates is what it’s all about.
The Endless Summer
Next, and while I think of it probably my next favorite in this movie/surf movie genre, is The Endless Summer. More of a documentary about surfers chasing the perfect wave, it’s the filming and locations in this movie that is amazing. The legendry filmmaker Bruce Brown took one blond, Mike Hynson, and one dark-haired, Robert August, surfers from California. Embarked on an epic world tour following the summer and swells. They managed to surf some breaks that had never been surfed before – in fact some of them had never even seen a white person before! There are no gimmicks, no flashy cars or planes, just 2 dudes having the time of their life and it is a really good watch.
The North Shore
If you have never seen this film you are missing out. It is the hight of 80 cheese, bad acting and just wrong on so many levels but it does have Occy, Laird Hamilton and Gerry Lopez surfing in it and Lipps Inc Funky Town in the soundtrack so it’s not all that bad… I have to admit, I have probably seen this movie well over a 100 times and it was my inspiration for going to the North Shore. Well this movie and the Hawaii 90′ series, but that’s for another time.
When we started surfing this was about the only movie we had that had pictures of the North Shore and not just from the beach. It was pretty cool to be able to see how the place looked and although in parts it was really cringe – we loved it so much that we actually wore the videotape out because we watched it that much.
Point Break (the Original)
This movie was the start of Hollywood getting hold of surfing and making it something it wasn’t. Unfortunately, we waited for ages to see it and even went to the cinema with chicks, because we where surfers and chick dig surfers especially after watching a movie that makes surfing look cool. Sadly, it made sky diving look awsome and surfing looked just a little lame next to it. Although talking to skydivers, apparently the way we felt about the surfing scenes being bad, they through the sky diving scenes sucked!
However, Pointbreak really brought surfing to the front and center, and it was the start of the 90’s commercial explosion which is also a conversation for another day.
Blue Juice
Another film we all loved to watch. This one was because we had met all the cast and crew while they filmed it in Cornwall. It was something we became proud of because we had all had a little bit to do with it. I was working in the Sloop (St Ives) at the time and the crew would all drink in there, I was also sponsored by Mambo who, if you watch the movie, had also provided most of the clothing for the cast!
Its a film with the classic coming of age storyline of a surfer who is searching for the biggest wave of his life… but discovers that friends and life are more important. While the accents are rubbish, the story is a bit naff it does have some decent surfing and Catherine Zeta-Jones in a bikini, so what’s not to like?
