Other Titles • Big Wednesday (1978) • Summer of Innocence • Tag der Entscheidung (1978)
Synopses for Big Wednesday (1978)
1.
Set in the years between 1962 and 1974; Produced and released in 1978.
BIG WEDNESDAY follows the lives of Matt (Jan-Michael Vincent), Jack (William Katt), and Leroy (Gary Busey), three young Californians who live to surf. Together, the boys ride the waves, throw beach parties, and, of course, get into scrapes. However, as the years go by, the trio must contend with the escalating war in Vietnam and embark on the painful road to maturity.
Although director and screenwriter John Milius usually dwells in a macho world of action, his meditation on the waning of youthful dreams, partially based on his own childhood, is surprisingly heartfelt. While the film depicts the close friendship shared by Matt, Jack, and Leroy, it also does justice to their favorite pastime with stunningly photographed surfing sequences. Widely considered to be one of the best surfer movies of all time, BIG WEDNESDAY pinpoints a specific era with pitch-perfect skill and nostalgia.
2.
No matter what rolled in on the tides of time, California surfing buddies Matt, Jack, and Leroy knew they'd stick together. And that they'd be ready when a rare 20 foot swell hit the coast at last.
Big Wednesday celebrates surfing as much as the most dedicated kid who ever waxed a board. It's also a fascinating 1962-1974 chronicle of friendships and lifestyles in transition. John Millius (Apocalypse Now, Red Dawn) directs and co-scripts with a passion for the ultimate ride and a truthful feel for those turbulent times. Stars Jan-Michael Vincent and William Katt are accomplished surfers; co-lead Gary Busey (Point Break) learned for the role. And the vivid camerawork drops you inside awesome barrels of ocean blue.
3.
John Milius charts a decade of social change as three surfing buddies use the sport as a personal touchstone for their lives whilst growing up in the turbulent 1960s. Irresponsible hot-dogging legend Matt (Jan-Michael Vincent),serious and stable Jack (William Katt) and mad misfit Leroy, aka "Masochist" (Gary Busey), are teenage surf bums in 1963, living at the beach in a perpetual summer under the sway of surfboard-maker Bear (Sam Melville), guru, mentor, and keeper of the lore. But times are changing and boys grow up in the shadow of Vietnam while adulthood pushes them into hard decisions. John Milius mixes the nostalgia of American Graffiti with the reverence of a John Ford cavalry drama. Surfing becomes a kind of spiritual quest spoken of in awed mythic tones and photographed with the epic grandeur of a rite of passage. Milius's heavy-handed direction andr everent attitude slows the films and will turn off some viewers but Milius fans will appreciate his macho stylings and philosophical musings, and surfing fans will love the spectacular surfing footage, including the dazzling stylings of world champion Gerry Lopez (who Milius later cast in Conan the Barbarian). Lee Purcell costars as Matt's supportive wife, with Patti D'Arbanville, Barbara Hale and Robert Englund in supporting roles. Look for Ford stock player Hank Worden in a small role and Milius himself in a cameo role selling marijuana in Tijuana. --Sean Axmaker
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