Billabong Odyssey DVD
“No special effects….. what you are about to see is real!”
BILLABONG ODYSSEY
UK SMASH HIT COMES TO DVD January 31st 2005 – Double Disc Collectors Edition
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Press Release
Billabong Odyssey took the UK by storm, becoming one of the most talked about independent films of the year. Unusually for an independent, little known SURFING movie UK theatrical trailer
it captured the media¹s imagination, with everyone from Jonathan Ross to Richard and Judy raving about it!
Huge media support and word of mouth means millions of people have heard of it, downloading images of Œthat wave¹ from the net. It¹s success on screen means it is now enjoying an extended national tour but for many the release of the DVD is the first time they¹ll have access to some of the most breathtaking footage in cinema history.
So why did Billabong Odyssey become a UK smash hit? With a screen average of £2,000 in its first weekend Billabong performed well above many blockbusters in the UK box office top 10. Why? Because it¹s simply breathtaking, boasting the most astonishing opening sequences in the history of filmmaking, which you¹ll want to play again and again. And with the release of the DVD you¹ll be able to. Watch it and understand why widescreens were invented. This three-year, globetrotting quest for the world¹s biggest wave is nothing less than spectacular.
DVD EXTRAS
… 35 minute interview with Star Mike Parsons, on being petrified, on Œthat wave¹, on the danger of big wave surfing and the loss of his best friend Mark Foo … 30 minute interview with director, Philip Boston on the mentality and danger of directing the star of the film Œjaws¹ – 100 tonnes of water! … Interview with Bill Sharp, expedition leader of the search for the biggest wave in the world. … Bonus 2nd disk in depth look of the history of big wave surfing documentary, with incredible footage only surpassed only by Billabong Odyssey. …
Synopsis
A surfer is towed by jetski onto the tip of a rising wave, the camera pulls back and the wave begins to swell. As your eyes re-adjust to the change in scale, the camera pulls back further, and within seconds the wave has risen to a monstrous 70 ft a thousand tons of moving liquid arching over the surfer¹s head. Accelerating up to 55 mph, he flies through the arc of rushing water in a race to pull clear before it collapses upon him. This is the beginning of Billabong Odyssey , an epic journey that brought together the greatest surfers in the world with just one goalŠ to surf the biggest wave in history, and live.
Billabong Odyssey offers a breathtaking journey into the world of big-wave surfing. Forget everything you think you know about surf movies, this is a film that shatters pre-conceptions. Unrivalled in its abundance of jaw-dropping footage, the film is also a moving journey into the lives and psyches of the few surfers equipped to ride giant waves. A human tale of triumph and disaster, it has received accolades from critics and audiences alike. Billabong Odyssey culminates in the world tow-in championships at legendary break JAWS, off the coast of Hawaii. A final sequence that almost claims the life of one of the expedition¹s top surfers, it provides a nail biting climax to an utterly remarkable and completely unforgettable piece of filmmaking. And as you watch the spectacular footage unfold, don¹t forget to keep reminding yourself, there are no special effectsŠ what you are about to see is real.
Film festival award: ”Prix du Public” [Public¹s Award] Festival International du Film de surf Certificate : PG Director: Philip Boston Film run time 87 mins DVD extras : 65 mins approx Cast: Brad Gerlach, Brian L. Keaulana, Mike Parsons, Bill Sharp, Darryl Virostko, Darryl ‘Flea’ Virostko
Awesome!” RICHARD AND JUDY
“An Awe-inspiring film” FHM
“A mesmerising, fearsome an exhilarating journey” Total Film ***** “Jaw dropping” The Guardian
“Astonishing” Empire
The Review