Product Description

This action-packed documentary takes you back to the winter of 1975 in hawaii - a dramatic moment in history when a group of young south african & australian surfers sacraficed everything. They put it all on the line to create a sport a culture & an industry that is today wirth billions of dollars. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 01/13/2009 Starring: Narrated By Edward Norton Run time: 95 minutes Rating: Nr

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29124 in DVD
• Brand: Universal
• Released on: 2009-01-13
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 95 minutes

Amazon.com
In the early 1970s, Australian chargers Mark Richards, Peter Townend, Ian Cairns, and Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew landed in Oahu with something to prove. Hawaii was seen as the center of the surfing universe and the brash Aussies sought to shake things up. Along with South Africans Shaun and Michael Tomson, the crew ripped apart legendary breaks like Pipeline and Waimea with radical innovations and bravery that bordered on insanity. Combining classic footage and revealing modern-day interviews, Bustin' Down the Door exposes the soul of this revolutionary period in a way few surf films can. The ground-breaking talents of MR and Co. are rightfully lauded for helping to build the concept of professional surfing, yet no excuses are offered for the reckless arrogance that helped ignite a powder keg of cultural pride on the North Shore. The self-promoting Australians were not shy about their talents, but by the time Cairns declared that "Aloha is dead" during the summer of '75, competitive banter had dangerously escalated beyond the waves. But what the group lacked in diplomacy, they made up for in determination, as their shared desire to be the best gave rise to a new era of surfing. --Dave Callanan

Customer Reviews

Not Your Average Surf Film
The surfing documentary "Bustin' Down the Door" focuses on the Australian and South African surfers that pioneered pro surfing back in the 1970s. Filled with beautiful original footage as well as open, honest, and sometimes emotional interviews, the movie successfully conveys the challenges that Shaun Tomson, Mark Richards, Peter Townend, Ian Cairns, Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew, and Michael Tomson faced in their quest to bring surfing to a worldwide, professional level. Overall the movie is well worth watching and is not your typical surf movie as it deals with much more than just the sport.

As the film progresses, we learn about the lives of each surfer and what drove them to go to the North Shore of Oahu at the advent of pro surfing. One surprising yet refreshing aspect the filmmakers included was the conflict the surfers faced with native Hawaiians. By presenting each viewpoint in a balanced yet frank fashion, we become witness to how the situation escalated to a point where neither side was right and where each had lessons to learn about respect, humility, and the true meaning of Aloha.

This film can easily be watched and enjoyed by anyone even if they aren't involved with the sport. The surfing is awesome - of course - but the depth at which the filmmakers explore the athlete's personal lives as well as the inclusion of the historical background of the Hawaiian people relative to surfing make this movie satisfying to watch on many levels. Five stars.

Awesome
I went to the theaters and saw this, and it was amazing, just as good if not better than Endless Summer or Step Into Liquid

Good reflection on Surf Culture
This movie was introduced the summer of 2008. It's an excellent journal of how the US surf culture evolved and has changed for the better through the decades with the gradual inclusion of surfers from So. Africa and Australia. There's three different versions included, the movie itself, the commentary version, the movie w/only a soundtrack, as well as outakes.
Great soundtrack remenicent of the 60's & 70's garage-band sound.
Our friends both in and out of the surf community have been riveted when we've played this movie at home.