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Big Wednesday | 
 enlarge | Actors: Jack Bernardi, Reb Brown, Gary Busey, Patti D'arbanville, Keith Davis
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy New: $7.42
You Save: $7.56 (50%)
New (43) Used (11) Collectible (1) from $6.19
Rating:  57 reviews
Sales Rank: 8130
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Portuguese (Subtitled)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 119 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 5.6 x 0.6
MPN: WARD11182D
ISBN: 0790765284
UPC: 085391118220
EAN: 9780790765280
ASIN: B0000648ZP
Theatrical Release Date: May 1978
Release Date: July 9, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New and Factory Sealed Item Fast Shipping
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Product Description
Three friends. Twelve turbulent years. And one day we all must face. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 04/06/2004 Starring: Jan Michael Vincent William Katt Run time: 120 minutes Rating: Pg Director: John Milius
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 IAmerican Graffiti/I 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 IConan the Barbarian/I). 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. I--Sean Axmaker/I
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| Customer Reviews: Read 52 more reviews...
 big wednesday January 7, 2009
Mary Smith (Hampton Va)
I got this for my husband for chirstmas. I sat down and watched it with him and enjoyed the movie very much.
An absolute surfing classic and commentary of the times November 28, 2008
Roger D. Thompson (Layton, Utah United States)
A great surf flic! Brings back allot of memories from growing up in Malibu Ca... I am from a later generation, the times changed but the local surf bums haven't. Very entertaining and an interesting social commentary of the times. br / br /Roger D. Thompson. B.Msc. C.Ht. br / br /
 "The Endless Bummer" September 3, 2008
W. B. Davis (Wilmington, NC)
Nostalgia aside, you gotta admit: it was a '70s ultra-cheese fest, starring future burn-outs Jan-Michael Vincent and Gary Busey, and William Katt, who would go on to star in one of the most lame TV shows of all time "The Greatest American Zero".
A "bombed" masterpiece August 12, 2008
Siriam (London United Kingdom)
When I first saw this film on release in 1978, many of the critics had panned it with several observing that it was only interesting when in the water, given surfing is its main excitement and the movie subsequently bombed. Looked at again 30 years later (I have in fact seen it several times in between given the cult status it enjoys in UK fringe cinemas), the film's time horizon of mid 1960s to early 1970s following a surfing mad group growing up is nowhere as bad as those critics may have indicated. br / br /Named after the fact that most big surfing swells over the years have occurred on Wednesday, the film by using the surfing culture provides an excellent snapshot of a group of Californian teenagers maturing across the late 1960s and facing up to their changing responsibilities, with its keen observations along the way on the tension with the later hippy movement and the indirect impact of the Vietnam War and its draft on people's lives. br / br /None of the three lead actors (two actual surfers and Gary Busey as the "Masochist" in gonzo mode) were going to be Oscar contenders based on this outing but what makes the performances succeed is the quality of the ensemble playing. The director co-written script given John Milius's other writing credits is a bit clunky in parts (especially the lead personal relationships and the father figure of "Bear"), but since Milius was a surfer from a very young age, he admits in the recent interview included in this Anniversary DVD that it is a very personal movie and an amalgam of many different characters he knew from those days. br / br /Sure the film's surfing scenes still look fantastic 30 years on, especially in widescreen format. The accompanying short Milius interview and his Director commentary (which because of its conversational style works well in conveying his enthusiasm for the subject as well as including lots of personal observations and stories) also makes you realise the difficulties and dangers that were faced in the location shooting of such footage. br / br /Yes, one suspects as has already been seen over the last 30 years that this little gem while bombing on initial release will outlast many other over hyped movies of the same period. This is not just just because of its surfing community following but because it is a lot closer to depicting how it actually was for many in those times. br / br / br / br / br / br /
A Day Like No Other July 22, 2008
L. Cabos (planet earth)
The story of three surfing buddies from the 1960's into the 1970's, it is also John Milius most personal movie, written with a surfer buddy about those days. Sam Melville's "Bear" character is pretty much Milius. For boomers a delight. Look closely for Milius' cameo as a pot dealer in Tiuajana!
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