Big Wednesday (Ws Sub)

Starring:Jan Michael Vincent, William Katt
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
John Milius charts a decade of social change as three surfing buddies use the sport as a personal touchstone for their lives while growing up in the turbulent 1960s. Irresponsible hot-dogging legend Matt (Jan-Michael Vincent), serious and stable Jack (William Katt), and mad misfit Leroy, a.k.a. "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 the times they are a changin' 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 and reverent 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 selling marijuana in Tijuana. --Sean Axmaker
Description
No matter what rolls in on the tides of time, California surfing buddies Matt, Jack, and Leroy know they'll stick together. And, they know they'll be ready when a rare 20-foot swell hits the coast at last.

Big Wednesday (Ws Sub)
Average customer rating:

Terrific

Big Wednesday

A beach culture classic

Great Surf Movie

Nolstagic look back at the 60s and 70s

Big Wednesday (Ws Sub)
Starring: Jan Michael Vincent , and William Katt
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
Brown, Reb | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Hale, Barbara | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Katt, William | ( K ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Vincent, Jan Michael | ( V ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Milius, John | ( M ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
Action & Adventure | Warner Home Video | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
Drama | Warner Home Video | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
All Titles | Warner Home Video | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
DVDs Under $15 | Warner Home Video | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Endless Summer

North Shore

Riding Giants (Special Edition)

The Endless Summer II

Step into Liquid

ASIN: B0000648ZP
Release Date: 2002-07-09

Amazon.com

John Milius charts a decade of social change as three surfing buddies use the sport as a personal touchstone for their lives while growing up in the turbulent 1960s. Irresponsible hot-dogging legend Matt (Jan-Michael Vincent), serious and stable Jack (William Katt), and mad misfit Leroy, a.k.a. "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 the times they are a changin' 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 and reverent 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 selling marijuana in Tijuana. --Sean Axmaker

Description

No matter what rolls in on the tides of time, California surfing buddies Matt, Jack, and Leroy know they'll stick together. And, they know they'll be ready when a rare 20-foot swell hits the coast at last.

Customer Reviews:

Terrific.......2006-10-09

"Big Wednesday" (1978) is a film that was made for baby boomers. Writer/director John Milius was born in 1944 and the material draws on a ten year span of his life from the early 1960's to the early 1970's. Along with needing a span of time to qualify as a coming-of-age saga, it was hoped that the long time span would enable it to connect with the entire range of boomers (birth dates from 1945-1963). Almost anyone born during those years will find things in the film they relate to-even shadow boomers with just the second-hand exposure provided by their older siblings. Younger viewers should enjoy the spectacular surfing sequences and might find the other stuff an interesting history lesson.

Milius is one of the so-called young auteur directors of the 70's (Coppola, Lucus, Spielberg, Scorsese, De Palma). Unlike the others he did very little after 1984, the year he released "Red Dawn", an embarrassingly moronic and histrionic right-wing propaganda film that alerted an unsuspecting world to his extremist political views. Hollywood insiders already knew about this and the Coen Brothers would use him as a model for John Goodman's character in "The Big Lebowski".

But "Big Wednesday" is his masterpiece and it is unlikely that any other writer/director could have brought this story to the screen this effectively. Unfortunately its surfer subject matter did not draw many non-enthusiasts to the theatre; even though the film is a lot more than surfing, containing a very original universal message about the process of living and changing. Low box office led to a re-edit for pay- television, with the more philosophical content taken out for that version. The current DVD and VHS are that shorter version so if you saw the "Big Wednesday" during its theatrical release you maybe somewhat disappointed.

Structured like a four act play with each transition moving the action ahead a couple of years, "Big Wednesday" follows three young surfers in the LA area (Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt and Gary Busey). Each plays a talented surfer with Vincent's character approaching legendary status. Surfing plays a big part in their lives (Bruce Surtees' cinematography provides some of the most stunning views of the sport you are likely to ever see) but much of the film takes place away from the beach with scenes of parties, the induction center, Tijuana, family life, and romance (a full range of what growing up in southern California was all about).

Milius' treatment of surfing is reverential and sometimes even mystical, with a sweeping musical score and local character (Bear) who is a kind of guru for the sport. In a scene cut from the television version Bear explains the origin and significance of the "Big Wednesday" title. Somehow Milius gets all this right and the film transcends what might have been a pretentious exercise in sport glorification.

The final scene is truly special as the three main characters manage a convergence for a final day of surfing, a scene that recalls the freedom and awe of their teenage years, contrasting it with how removed they have gotten from this former way of life. Anyone who has had to choke back their emotions after a nostalgic rush reminds them of what they will never have again, will be moved my this wonderful sequence.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Big Wednesday.......2006-06-25

The only reason I give this a 4 star rating instead of a five is, one of the most important scenes that was in the original movie was cut from the VHS and DVD version. It is during a party when "Bear" is talking to his friends and talks about "Big Wednesday" and this explains where the title of the movie came from. Without this scene the title of the movie hardly makes sense. I'm surprised that no one else has mentioned this in their reviews if they've seen the original movie years ago. I've tried for years to obtain an original uncut version and there just isn't one around. I'd rate the original movie 5 stars.

A beach culture classic.......2006-04-20

I was a surf grommet growing up in the mid 1970's. This flick touched on Vietnam in ways that I could begin to understand. When Leroy the masochist(Gary Busey) shambles into the draft board whilst combing his hair with a dead fish, the surreal and insane nature of Vietnam becomes crystal clear. This is a true surf epic directed by a guy who knows the territory. The surf footage, for a hollywood movie, is truly outstanding. There is even a cameo appearance by Mr. Pipeline himself--Gerry Lopez.

Great Surf Movie.......2006-02-28

This is an old favorite from my younger days. It is a movie written by John Millius about a group of young teens growing up in California and surfing. It starts with them in their teen years and deals with their parties, loves, friendship and of course riding the big waves. It is a simpler and nicer time in America in the early 60's. The Beachboys and surf music ruled the airwaves and everybody was tan, hair bleached by the sun, in bikinis and swimming trunks, surf boards, your best girl and late night camp fires on the beach. But then things start to change and the Viet Nam era comes into play. The boys have to make a decision on if they are going to serve, dodge the draft or scheme to come up with a way to get out of it. Also other things are changing. Things are getting more complicated simply because everybody is growing up and has to face more serious issues than when the next keg party is going to be and when the next waves are coming in.

Jan Michael Vincent stars and looks like he is cut out of a Michelangelo sculpture. He was the early 70's adonis and he and Willian Katt and Garey Busey round out the cast. They and their friends are a colorful bunch of characters and as they go thru the ups and downs of becoming adults their friendships are tested by time and by adversity.

I think this is a really good movie. The surfing footage is also very good and I think most of the guys do their own surfing. The guy that plays 'The Bear' is also very good in his role. I believe Millius wrote this about his own coming of age and surfing so it is dead on accurate and believable. Vincent is outstanding in his performance and you can't take your eyes off of him his charisma is that commanding.

Nolstagic look back at the 60s and 70s.......2005-10-07

This film was written and directed by John Milius, who also directed such films as "Dillinger," "Conan the Barbarian," and "The Wind and the Lion" and has writing credits for "Magnum Force" and "Jaws." This film apparently incoporates some of his own memories of hanging out with friends and surfing in California in the 1960s. The movie chronicles the story of three friends over the course of 13 years from 1962 to 1974.

The movie is similar to "Animal House" and "American Grafitti," in the way it shows these hard-living kids, their beach parties, their wild trips to Mexico, and the way they try to avoid the Vietnam-era draft by faking various injuries and mental illnesses, etc. In fact, the movie is more about friendship and growing up in the tumultuous late 60s and early 70s than about surfing, although there are several surfing scenes sprinkled throughout the movie, especially the "Big Wednesday" at the end of the film.

The movie is more profound and deep than if it had been just a surfing movie, and there's enough going on that people who aren't really interested in the surfing sub-culture will still enjoy it.