Big Wednesday (1978)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

John Milius

Writers:

John Milius (written by) &
Dennis Aaberg (written by)

Release Date:

May 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

Three friends. Twelve Turbulent Years. And One Day We All Must Face.

Plot:

The lives of some California surfers from the early '60s to the '70s. |

Plot Keywords:

Surfer | California | Surfing | Army | Draft Board

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jan-Michael Vincent	...	Matt Johnson
William Katt	...	Jack Barlow
Gary Busey	...	Leroy Smith
Patti D'Arbanville	...	Sally Jacobson
Lee Purcell	...	Peggy Gordon
Sam Melville	...	Bear
Darrell Fetty	...	Jim 'Waxer' King
Gerry Lopez	...	Himself
Hank Worden	...	Shopping Cart Fisherman (as Hank Warden)
Joe Spinell	...	Army Psychologist
Steve Kanaly	...	Jacobson - Sally's Husband
Barbara Hale	...	Mrs. Barlow
Fran Ryan	...	Lucy
Dennis Aaberg	...	Slick
Reb Brown	...	Enforcer

Also Known As:

Summer of Innocence
Amargo Reencontro (Brazil) (TV title) [pt]
Den stora dagen (Sweden) [sv]
El gran miércoles (Spain) [es]
Graffiti Party (France) [fr]
Nagy szerda (Hungary) [hu]
Tag der Entscheidung (West Germany) [de]
Teenagers (Greece) [el]
Un mercoledì da leoni (Italy) [it]
Villit vuodet (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | Norway:16 | UK:A | UK:PG | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Banzai Pipeline, Ehukai Beach Park, O'ahu, Hawaii, USA

Company:

A-Team

Trivia:

The role of the "Enforcer" was loosely based on longtime Malibu icon and waterman Ray Kunze who looked out for John Milus (director) and Dennis Aaberg (co-writer) in the late 50's.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Right after the scene where Matt is talking to Bear on the pier the night before 'Big Wednesday', they show the sunrise of the next morning, with the sun just coming up over the horizon. The horizon, however, is the Pacific ocean, and if the sun was in that position, it would be setting, not rising.

Quotes:

[Waxer pretends to be homosexual to avoid being drafted]
Sergeant: Are you a homosexual?
Waxer: Well, I guess I am. I wrote it down, "Homosexual Tendencies: Yes." Yes.
Sergeant: Well, you're just gonna love it in the United States Army. There's lots of men there. And they get real close in foxholes and tanks, and in combat. Get him out of here and process him in the Marine Corps.
Waxer: If you send me to Vietnam, I'll just die.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "High Chaparall: (#2.4)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

What'd I Say

Awesome

I first saw this film in 1978, my father took me to see it with my brothers at the drive-in as a double feature with "Every Which Way But Loose." It's a movie that I have never forgotten. It combines brilliantly heart gripping surfing action, heart wrenching emotions, and heart uplifting humour, all set against the back-drop of the Vietnam War, teenagers growing up, the wisdom of elders (Bear) and of course, the surfing.

I've never surfed a minute of my entire life (although whenever I watch this, I feel like I should), so don't think of this as a "surf movie". It simply is an excellent piece of cinematic history that you will feel you missed on if you never see it.

Recommended with 2 thumbs way way way up.