When I am passionate about anything, like surfing, I always find it’s important to learn about its history. What did it take for this to come to me? Like any sport, surfing has many pivotal moments throughout it’s history where dynamic shifts occurred and myths are broken. One such moment was the winters of 1975-77. Bustin’ Down the Door is a look into an important moment in surfing history when a group of Australians and South Africans when to Hawaii to surf.
In Bustin’ Down the Door, we follow the trials, triumphs and sacrifices made by a group of Australians and South Africans who went to Hawaii’s North Shore to establish themselves as world class surfers. The southern-hemishperians fought to get spots in local contests and over time started to dominate the sport. But Australian brashness of victory soon clashed with Hawaiian localism to the point of frequent violence. Through all that, the Australians and South Africans pushed for and helped establish the IPS, the precursor to the ASP.
Furthermore, the surfing footage is as stunning as the film’s subject matter riveting. (I don’t know if they remastered or cleaned the archival footage or what, but it all looked fantastic.) Watching Shaun Tomson, Mark Richards (MR) and Rabbit Bartholomew tear up up those Hawaiian waves with single fin boards really puts my surfing limits into perspective. (In fact, it makes me want to find out if those limits really even exist.) And then there is the awe-inspiring tube riding that Shaun Tomson pioneered over those three winters.
Bustin’ Down the Door has found a most welcome spot on my surf movie shelf and will compete with other top contenders when it’s time to watch a surf film. Definitely check this one out.
Get your copy of Bustin’ Down the Door from Buy.com.
[youtube width=”570″ height=”400″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjnlvhl-4cQ[/youtube]