Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, and Gary Busey chase the perfect waves in California in the 1960s and 1970s.
Despite the fact that this lead trio looks too focused, too mature, and too intelligent to spend their time doing this sort of thing -- plus they clearly spent a lot of time in the gym making sure they looked good in trunks -- this is a very watchable movie. All credit due to cinematographer Bruce Surtees. With the connivance of writer-director John Milius, he shoots the Big Wave opening in black&white, and other portions in between.... and the longstanding 'reality' of b&w and clarity of image are compelling.
Surtees began getting credits in the late 1960s on Clint Eastwood vehicles, and was the listed cinematographer on nine of Eastwood's productions. We was favored by directors of tough, masculine dramas, not only Eastwood, but Siegel and, here, Milius. His career tailed off by the early 2000s, and he died in 2012, aged 74.
Despite the fact that this lead trio looks too focused, too mature, and too intelligent to spend their time doing this sort of thing -- plus they clearly spent a lot of time in the gym making sure they looked good in trunks -- this is a very watchable movie. All credit due to cinematographer Bruce Surtees. With the connivance of writer-director John Milius, he shoots the Big Wave opening in black&white, and other portions in between.... and the longstanding 'reality' of b&w and clarity of image are compelling.
Surtees began getting credits in the late 1960s on Clint Eastwood vehicles, and was the listed cinematographer on nine of Eastwood's productions. We was favored by directors of tough, masculine dramas, not only Eastwood, but Siegel and, here, Milius. His career tailed off by the early 2000s, and he died in 2012, aged 74.