``Big Wednesday'' is a monumental work and the origin of surfing movies. And the shocking Japanese theme song

The brilliance of the cast that made this a masterpiece

It's true that the surfing footage may seem unsatisfactory if you look back on it now. However, the reason ``Big Wednesday'' retains its eternal shine is because it has universal themes as a youth film. The friendship between the three main male characters makes you empathize with it, whether you like it or not.

Matt, who is known as the best surfer in Cape Point, the mecca of surfing, and his surfing friends Jack and Leroy. The story of friendship, set in the early 1960s, is deeply connected to the Vietnam War, and unfolds in a light and emotional way. Above all, the characteristics of the cast members who play the roles match their roles to a miraculous level.

Although Matt is a genius surfer, he spends his days drinking heavily and is a little dissolute.He is modeled after Lance Carson, a California surfer legend whose name was even used as a brand for a surfboard. Jan-Michael Vincent, who played the role, was already well-known to Japanese movie fans, but he got his big break with the role of Matt. Although she looks fearless, there is something unreliable about her that tickles my maternal instincts. Moreover, she has perfectly trained muscles. Vincent has been involved in surfing since he was a child, and was able to handle the basic surfing scenes himself. By the way, Matt's daughter who appears in the movie is Vincent's real daughter, Amber.

After this work, Vincent maintained his popularity in dramas such as " Supersonic Attack Helicopter Airwolf " (1984-86), but in recent years his career as an actor had stagnated due to alcohol dependence and the amputation of one of his legs.In 2019, Vincent He passed away at the age of 74.

Jack, the most serious of the three, is the only one to serve in the Vietnam War while Matt and Leroy pretend to be sick to avoid military service. William Katt, who played the role, was already popular with movie fans for his role as Tommy , who bathes in pig's blood along with Carrie in `` Carrie '' (1976). After this work, he won successful roles such as the TV series `` American Hero '' (1981-86) in which he played the main character of a superhero, but in recent years he has mainly been active in supporting roles. The role of Jack is also said to be based on famous surfer Kemp Aaberg. Kemp's younger brother, Dennis Aaberg, is credited with co-writing the screenplay.

Compared to Vincent and Kat, Gary Busey, who plays Leroy, seems to have had a successful, albeit modest, career. In terms of roles, he's a bit of an oddball out of the three. Although he was also in charge of comedy, his strong personality has been demonstrated in recent works, and his son Jake Busey (who looks a lot like his father) also played the main character in " The Predator " (18). He is currently active as an actor, playing one of the characters. By the way, both William Katt and Gary Busey apparently had surfing experience before this work.

Lee Purcell, who played Matt's girlfriend Peggy, and Patti d'Arbanville, who played Jack's girlfriend Sally, were also seen as promising young stars at the time of the film's release. Prior to this film, Durbanville had appeared in `` Bilitis '' (1977), which attracted attention for depicting love between women and featuring bold nudity. They can still be found in small roles in movies and dramas. The narrator was Robert Englund, who later played Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).

After the emotional ending, I was unexpectedly let down by the end credits.