Just got back from coast[waves were not as promised,which was rather refreshing in a luddite way] where i watched the video Morning of the Earth which i had given to my mate after buying the DVd version 18 months ago…Much to my surprise i discover that the openings are different.what i would like to know is what was the cinema version and reasons for the additional segment.Is the DVD the directors cut.I’ll break it down
Video :after opening Wikkipop wave it goes into Nat going left a few times and then chicken /red setter sequence
DVD :after opening Wikkipop wave goes into Blonde surfer going left
Surfer with shorty going left
Blonde surfer going left
Fitzgerald
Sleeveless wet suit going right
MP
MP
Short blonde hair going left
MP
MP
Blonde surfer
Then cuts to chicken /red setter sequence.All of this done to instrumental
Also could the identity of these surfers be revealed .Been dying to get back to computor to get this solved
aparently quite a few different versions, received this snipet from a mate during a discussion on early 70’s surf movies;
“briefly,re MOTE vhs in UK,this one apparently has a time code running across film,that interests me…also there is an early release one in oz(80s?),I’m after as i believe these were unedited/uncensored as the case the maybe…particulary the german hippy sequence in Bali, the original cinema release footage has the trippyhippy fellow throwing his yoyo (i mean yoyo) in his fully revealed birthday suit!..this has been removed from DVD and all later releases of VHS,with only less offensive snippet of hippy left.”
will forward link to this discussion to said mate and perhaps he can answer your questions.
I was reading your comments on the movie and happened to be at a friends place this evening who had a copy of Morning of the Earth, had him put it on so i could watch it and try to identify the surfers in the first sequence. This is what i came up with.
1st Wave I am not positive my best guess Russell Hughes, really dont know.
2nd Ted Spencer [famous quote “When I surf I dance for Krisna”.Dont hear much of that anymore.]
3rd Wave also not positive but think it is Andrew MacKinnon[not off to a flying start]
4rd Wave looks like Peter Drouyn to me[i get better after this]
5th Fitz as you said
6th MP
7th MP
8th Paul Neilsen
9th Mp
10 MP
11th Mark Warren
12th Ian Cairns
That is who I think they are, I used to watch this movie so much some years back relaxing after work, great to know it is being watched on the other side of the world.
My favourite section is Steven Cooney on the small day at Uluwatu.
Thanks josh but is that the dvd version or the vhs version as described ?Nat in redsetter/chicken sequence is that whale beach ?.Again any idea who those surfers are.There is a surfer before cabbage eating doing some lovely flowing surfing on a stubby fish ting .who he?Apart from general curiosity i think that its fair these guys should be remembered along side the still recognised faces.A moment in there youth at the height of there powers captured forever.
Thanks bluey much appreciated.The copy of the vhs i have has no time code at bottom and hippy sequence only has his bare ass and a rather fallic object dangling near. Bye the way, how do you know they are German?
That is Cooney eating raw cabbage supposed to be good for you but tastes crap. I think the surfer you are refering to is Mark Warren riding a Mccoy Twin fin by the look of it. If that is the guy on the orange board you are looking at.
thanks tombstone .Thats opened it up a bit.Just looked at my dvD and i have Fitzgerald as number 4 and unknown [Peter Drouyn?] as number 5.I get so much inspiration from this movie,it still is the best. I love the red Cooney board with the nose lift .Could you call it a slipper nose?
The surfer i am refering is in treehouse sequence surfing, opens up and closes sequence to the strains of Look around at the Day .Don’t think its orange.Raw cabbage salads i remember as very 70’s.
The blond guy surfing with Nat is Steve Mulholand, Im good friends with his son in law and daughter - they live in ballina now, right near shelly’s beach and steve runs an airconditioning company… still surfs a lot too… Sarah (daughter) now a “Blake” and hubby Brendan Blake are expecting 1st child in march and live 2 houses away from mum and dad. Also surf a lot and snowboard a lot. Brendan owns a building co.
I dont have the movie on hand so I dont recall how all the sections link up, the tree house sequence is the surfing of Chris Brock. That is him and Cooney hanging around the tree house playing flute. Yeah he surfs with a beautiful style on that small board at lennox head. He left the city early and stayed up there which is hard to do still makes boards under his own name and surfs great.
Mark Warren I was refering to is surfing later on at Angourie with Cooney and Trealor, Steve is riding a clear board and doing some of the best surfing of the movie, pretty impressive considering he was only about 15 at the time.
I dont know if you have all the waves in the opening section that I have, but Fitz is unmistakable driving a fast backside line in a long john wetsuit. The guy i refered to as Drouyn is the one catching the sole righthander in the black iong john [ gotta love those wetsuits].
You maybe interested to know there was a magazine put out about the movie about 5 yrs ago i think Andrew Kidman was involved, you maybe able to hunt one up.
I will go in reverse order as you confirm with tombstone but then it gets a bit more debatable
12 Ian Cairns
11 Mark Warren
10 MP
9 MP
8 Paul Neilson
7 MP
6 MP
This is where it gets a bit fuzzy
5 Josh thinks Nat,Tombstone goes for Peter Drouyn.Having looked at it couple of times i would say its not Nat ,but i have not seen Peter drouyn in moving image and would not be able to confirm that {any Dvd or Video with him on?].Just to make sure we have correct surfer , its tombstone description of surfer going right in long john .
4 Fitz
3 Andrew Mackinnon-not confirmed
2 Josh thinks Nat, Tombstone thinks Ted Spencer.I would hazzard its not Nat .Any one else?
thanks for that background on Steve Mulholand .It brings home the every day behind the image .Great that he is still surfing .Now what sequence is he surfing with Nat ? Is it the opening or is it tree house Look around at the Day ,starting off with Chris Brock ? I can identify Cooney ,Nat, I think MP, one mystery surfer with faded orange boardys .Any one else ?
i have had a pm which resolves different edit of vhs and dvd.THe vhs version is the original cinema production and extra bit with surfers we are trying to pin down was Albys gift to MOTE devotes.This comes from a close source so i think we can take that as gosbel.Another question.What beach is the dvd beginning shot at ?All going left except mystery man going right.Again who he.