Big Wednesday
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Big Wednesday
Theatrical poster
Directed by
John Milius
Produced by
Buzz Feitshans
Written by
John Milius
Dennis Aaberg
Narrated by
Robert Englund
Starring
Jan-Michael Vincent
William Katt
Gary Busey
Lee Purcell
Music by
Basil Poledouris
Cinematography
Bruce Surtees
Editing by
Carroll Timothy O'Meara
Robert L. Wolfe
Distributed by
Warner Brothers
Release date(s)
May 26, 1978
Running time
120 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$11,000,000
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile
Big Wednesday (1978) is an American coming of age film directed by John Milius. The picture stars Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt and Gary Busey as California surfers facing life, the Vietnam War, and use of the ever changing surf as a metaphor for the changes in life.[1]
Surfing aficionados consider it to be one of the better surfing-related films made, in part because of the surfing cinematography and the appearance of several world champion surfers as stunt performers, plus its verisimilitude, especially when compared to the kitschy 1960s Beach Party films. The director, John Milius, had been a surfer in his youth.[2]
The film also examines the extremes which some young men went to during the Vietnam years to avoid being drafted and shipped off to war, including: faking insanity, homosexuality (which the military then equated with insanity), and all manner of medical ailments. The picture also illustrates the tough decision some made to enlist and the effects that decision had on their friends and families.
