Have you ever watched a film that has nothing to do with surfing, spotted a line-up in the background and found yourself immersed in wondering where exactly it's been filmed, because you're pretty sure that there's good surf to be had on location? Here are five films that, for me, resonate for reasons beyond their plotlines:
1. Apocalypse Now. OK, an obvious one. Charlie may not surf but Lt Col William Kilgore sure does, courtesy of California surfer John Milius' screenplay. The surf scenes perhaps suggest, by way of counterpoint, that Napalm is not the way forward.
2. Barton Fink. What is the image observed throughout by the fumbling young writer? It is, of course, the Woman on the Beach, whose face, I seem to recall, is never seen. There is a symbolism to this, but every time I try to work it out I look at what the unseeable woman is looking at. It is a perfect right-hander.
3. From Here to Eternity. Filmed on location at Diamond Head and Waikkiki Beach, Oahu, among others. Enough said.
4. Ryan's Daughter. A David Lean classic made all the richer for the Dingle Peninsula backdrop.
And, last but by no means least:
5. Get Carter. This unremittingly bleak film is one of my favourites, to my wife's bewilderment. I like the jazzy intro, I like the Michael Caine character, I love the cars and the dialogue. But right at the end, when it all seems maybe just a touch too nihilistic, I love looking at the sea in the final scene and saying to myself (of the north-east of England and what is, I am reliably informed, a secret spot): "I bet, on the right day, there's surf there."
See www.getcartertour.co.uk if you are similarly inclined...
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