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Legendary Surfing Crew Star in Surf Documentary
by Howard Swanwick
15/01/2008:// From the hallowed shores and notoriously hollow waves of the Banzai Pipeline in the mid-1970’s, comes the most important surfing documentary film of our time - ‘Bustin Down the Door’, which premieres at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on January 27th at 7:00 pm, at the Arlington Theater in Santa Barbara.
Framed around the emerging careers of surfing’s earliest World Champions Peter Townend (1976), Shaun Tomson (1977), Wayne Bartholomew (1978) and Mark Richards (1979- 82), this epic documentary chronicles a tumultuous two-year period of competitive and cultural clashes in surfing's Mecca - Hawaii's North Shore - as a small crew of Australians and South Africans set out with attitude and determination to change the world of surfing.
‘Bustin’ Down the Door’ documents how these young men risked everything to become the best surfers in the world, and how their courage and vision began a cultural revolution, that led to the birth of professional surfing and ultimately what has become today's billion-dollar surf industry.
Inspired by the article ‘Bustin Down the Door’ written by Bartholomew and published in Surfer Magazine in 1976, the film delivers a well-executed mix of epic wave riding and emotional behind-the-scenes stories that illustrate how the sport of surfing was changed forever.
The film features narration by Academy Award Nominee Edward Norton and a period soundtrack that includes The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Queen, Leonard Cohen and others.
The film was directed by Jeremy Gosch, and was produced by Monika Gosch, Robert Trail and Shaun Tomson; this is Gosch’s first documentary film. Bustin’ was filmed on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii in December 2006 (during the Triple Crown of Surfing). The film features archival surf footage from 1970’s films including Free Ride, Many Classic Moments, Five Summer Stories, Tubular Swells and more. Among the many notable surfing legends and pros that were interviewed in the film were Ian Cairns, Peter Townend, Michael Tomson, Tom Curren, Kelly Slater, Rob Machado and many others.
Watch the movie trailer on www.bustindownthedoor.com.
Advance screenings of the film have started the industry talking – below are excerpts of pre-release reviews:
“A powerhouse spellbinder.” - Jim Kempton, former editor and publisher, Surfer Magazine
"The most valuable entertainment by a documentary film in years." - Bill Sharp, former editor, Surfing Magazine, founder of the XXL Big Wave Awards
"An exciting movie with stunning surfing footage - a unique insight into this sport.” - Gary Barber, CEO Spyglass Entertainment