Shaun Tomson opens film in Durbs

Friday 4 July, 2008

Former World surfing champion Shaun Tomson launched his hit film Bustin' Down the Door to a packed house at the Nu Metro Pavilion in Durban, the town where he grew up and the town where he first made his mark as a competitive surfer. By Spike

Tomson and more than 300 surfing luminaries and fans attended the special screening of Bustin' Down the Door, arranged by the Durban International Film Festival, Nu Metro and Wavescapes. The main metro movie house, Metro 5, was packed full, and a second cinema was opened to cope with the overflow.

Spike from Wavescapes introduced Tomson, who briefly explained to everyone some of the rationale around the film. The screenings were followed by a Q&A by Shaun. Most of the moviegoers hung around for the session, with people from the second screening coming over to Metro 5 to join in. It was especially moving to be among many of Shaun's old mates and colleagues in his old hood. After the 90 minute film, a feature documentary with a similar feel to Stacey Peralta's box office hit Riding Giants, big wave surfer Jason Ribbink said that it was the best surfing film he has seen, while the head of Quiksilver in South Africa, Barry Wolins, was also blown away by the quality of the filmmaking.

Ribbink was especially impressed with the water videography, observing that the water photographer was so good in those days. From the film, you'll see that much of the modern barrel footage was already being pioneered in the 70s by people like Dan Merkel.

The Durban premiere, on Thursday 3 July, was a precursor to the Wavescapes Surf Film Festival, which kickstarts with an outdoor screening of the film High Water on Sunday, July 27 at the Bay of Plenty, the beach where Tomson's meteoric rise to fame began as a youngster in the mid-1960s.

“Durban obviously plays a big role in the movie, and it features classic old footage taken at the Bay of Plenty by my father, Ernie,” said Tomson in an interview with Spike before the film opened.

Tomson, who lives in California, said the film packed out a 2,200-seat theatre several times at its world premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival recently. “They told us it was the most popular film ever, which was really amazing for us. I really loved to see its wider appeal. While obviously great for surfers, it also tells a great story that interests a lot of people.”

Bustin' Down the Door is a compelling feature documentary that tells the story of the brash, competitive batch of cocky Aussies and South Africans who invaded the North Shore of Hawaii in the early 1970s.

Led by Shaun, his cousin Mike Tomson, and Australians Rabbit “Bugs" Bartholomew, Ian Cairns, Peter Townend and Mark Richards, they sowed the seed of professional surfing by cracking open the stereotypes and redefining the soul of surfing, eventually culminating in the rock star, brand-driven world it is today.

A clip of Muhammad Ali in the film best encapsulates the youthful arrogance of the era: “I'm young, I'm handsome, I'm fast, I'm pretty, and can't possibly be beat.” Bartholomew even dressed in boxing robes for a magazine shoot. The article was later headlined “Muhammad Bugs”.

“If you’re going to talk like Cassius Clay, you got to put up like Cassius Clay, and that’s what happened,” says Hawaiian surfer Barry Kanaiaupuni in the movie. He of course is referring to the ugly scenes that followed during the next Hawaiian winter in the wake of insulting articles by Barthomelew and Cairns in surfing magazines overseas.

Bartholomew’s article Bustin’ down the Door, and another by Cairns entitled Aloha is dead, caused a furore on the islands due to an almost breathtaking arrogance (later played down by Cairns as natural Aussie competitiveness) in which they dissed the Hawaiians, while puffing themselves up as the advance guard of surfing evolution. The locals, on the other hand, were “stagnating”. It was provocative stuff. Justifiably, the Hawaiians were deeply offended at this colonial arrogance. They were furious that the Haoles (Hawaiian for foreigners) had taken their hospitality for granted after embracing them on the island with open arms.

As tough guy Eddie Rothman, former head of the infamous ‘Black Shirts’ surfing club, laments: “The people’s land was taken away. Their ancestors were killed off. And people ask me, where’s your aloha spirit? I say the people who came to Hawaii have beaten the Aloha spirit out of it.”

When Bartholomew returned to Hawaii for the next winter surfing season, he was famously beaten up at Sunset Beach. Suddenly noticing he was alone, he looked to shore, where hundreds of “gnarly” Hawaiian surfers lined the beach. He “copped” the “licking” of his life and ended up hiding in the bushes for days, terrified. Tomson and Cairns even bought 12-gauge shotguns and slept with them in case of attack.

The tumultuous times were ably directed by young director Jeremy Gosch and narrated by movie star Ed Norton, whose deadpan voice is a contrast to emotional moments, including a lump-in-the-throat breakdown by Bartholemew, who tearfully admits he stole to feed his family after his folks broke up.

“We showed Ed, who is a keen surfer, a 15-minute show reel of the film, which had been shot but not properly edited. He loved what he saw and was keen to get involved,” says Tomson, who was executive producer. Bustin' Down the Door is on commercial release in selected Nu Metro cinemas.

The Durban International Film Festival showcases top films from around the world in a feast of over 300 screenings at various locations in the city and townships. The Wavescapes Surf Film Festival component, from 27 July to 1 August, includes artistic eulogies, gritty documentaries about surfing in the Vietnam War, tow-surfing giant Irish waves, classic longboarding in war-torn Liberia, and a documentary about Zulu surfers from Umzumbe.

For people in Cape Town, visit Encounters Documentary Film Festival here for details on where and when to see the film in Cape Town.

For the synopsis of Bustin Down' the Door, click here, for the video trailer, click here, and for the full Wavescapes programme, click here.

Otherwise, information can be obtained at www.cca.ukzn.ac.za or by phoning 031 260-2506.