Film Review: Bustin Down the Door

In recent years the surf film market has become like a conveyor belt churning out streams of new titles for a demanding, media savvy consumer, so its ever more the case that a surf film has to be exceptional to stand out from the crowd and establish itself as a movie worthy of owning and watching time after time. In my opinion the few recent films which fall into this category are "One California Day" and "Waveriders" and now "Bustin Down the Door" can be added to this list.




Over the years there have been a number of surf films which have documented the historical and cultural growth of surfing, tracing its origins and exploring its modern re-incarnation but until Bustin Down the Door none have studied the phenomenon which dragged surf culture from the disorganised stereo-typical surf bum culture and exploded into main stream culture. The film delves into this lesser known story of how a small group of Australian and South African surfers helped transform the surfing lifestyle into a recognised sport, a multi-billion dollar industry, a route for surfers to turn professional and the organisation of the pro-surf tours and competitions we know today.

The changes brought about by the sheer force of will imposed upon the North Shore of Hawaii by the likes of Rabbit Bartholemew, Sean Tomson, Ian Cairns and Mark Richards dragged surfing into mainstream consciousness and even though some of their methods were ill advised and not everyone appreciated what they were doing, they helped create what we recognise as modern surfing.

The film interviews every one of the leading players in the story, woven together with awesome footage from the 1970's including the infamous 74 Smirnoff at Waimea, Bustin Down the Door brilliantly captures this pivotal time in surfing's history.

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