Bustin’ Down the Door

Hawaii’s role in the transformation of surfing from what many considered to be a pastime for drug-crazed counter-culture rebels to a multi-billion dollar sport is revealed in debut director Jeremy Gosch’s documentary about the group of Australian and South African surfers that "broke down the door" for pro surfing to take hold. Actor Ed Norton narrates the storyline that traces competitive surfing from the 1965 inception of the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Classic that invited a crew of audacious surfers who, in the winter of 1975, would showcase a previously unseen approach to surfing as a serious sport. Their daredevil efforts would be the harbinger that announced surfing as an athletic event befitting several industries worth of monetary support.

 

Screen Media Films, Not Rated, 95 mins. (A-) (Four Stars)