Taglines: Three friends. Twelve turbulent years. And one ray we all must face.
Big Wednesday movie storyline. 1962. Friends Matt Johnson, Jack Barlow and Leroy Smith are generally regarded the surfing kings of their Southern California beach, it a time of their life when the future holds so much promise despite they arguably thinking solely of the here and now. They are under the unofficial mentorship of Bear, a slightly older beach bum who gladly provides them with the use of his surf boards. Their lives and that of some of their closest friends at key points over the next twelve years are shown,
the transitions into adulthood with their implied responsibilities, including to family, and the transitions with relationship to the period, which include the Vietnam War and the counterculture movement, not always smooth ones and not always holding their friendship together in how each deals with those transitions. Although past their surfing primes, they, if their pasts are any indication, may be reunited at the big swell of 1974 as the lure of this monumental surf may be too big despite its potential dangers.
Big Wednesday is a 1978 American coming of age film directed by John Milius. Written by Milius and Dennis Aaberg, it is loosely based on their own experiences at Malibu. The picture stars Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, and Gary Busey as California surfers facing life and the Vietnam War against the backdrop of their love of surfing.
Raised in Southern California, Milius made Big Wednesday as an homage to the time he spent in Malibu during his youth. Milius and his friends George Lucas and Steven Spielberg famously agreed to exchange a percentage point of Big Wednesday, Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind prior to the release of the three films throughout 1977-1978. Spielberg in particular was certain that Big Wednesday was going to be a box office hit, opening it was like “American Graffiti meets Jaws”, two of the decade’s most successful films.
Big Wednesday was a box office flop upon its release, and was quickly pulled from theatres after taking in only $4.5 million. William Katt explained in a 1979 interview with Roger Ebert a year after the film’s release that he believed the movie’s failure was due to the marketing focusing only on the fight scenes and surfing angle.
Big Wednesday (1978)
Directed by: John Milius
Starring: Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, Gary Busey, Patti D’Arbanville, Lee Purcell, Sam Melville, Celia Kaye, Darrell Fetty, Gerry Lopez, Joe Spinell, Barbara Hale, Janet Julian
Screenplay by: John Milius, Dennis Aaberg
Production Design by: Charles Rosen
Cinematography by: Bruce Surtees
Film Editing by: C. Timothy O’Meara, Robert L. Wolfe
Set Decoration by: Ira Bates
Art Direction by: Dean Edward Mitzner
Music by: Basil Poledouris
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: May 26, 1978 (United States)
Views: 206