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Monday, 15 June 2009
A Film by Jolyon Hoff
www.searchingformichaelpeterson.com.au
In the mid-1970s, Michael Peterson was an unstoppable contest animal and one of surfing’s arch bad boys. But he flamed out 30 years ago. So why should anyone – especially anyone under the age of 50 – be interested in this film?
Simple answer: because it’s a fantastic story, well told, with a serious message and some great surfing.
It really is the stuff of legend. Michael Peterson clawed his way out of struggle street to become the best surfer in Australia, arguably the best in the world. From 1972 to 1977 he won every major event, against some formidable talent. And at the same time he remained a mystery man – insular, enigmatic and, for a lot of people, just plain scary. Drug abuse fuelled mental illness and eventually he drove right off the radar. There was jail, institutional treatment, the voices in his head, and finally the safe haven of his mother’s care. But there were no more waves.
Sean Doherty nailed the story in 2004 in his immensely readable MP: the Life of Michael Peterson. Now Jolyon Hoff brings the legend to the screen with Searching for Michael Peterson. There’s a great cast of characters to lead us through the plot – Wayne “Rabbit” Batholomew, Mark Richards, Albe Falzon, Joe Larkin, Peter Drouyn, Wayne Lynch, Bob McTavish, Phil Jarratt, the list goes on. It’s a who’s who of surfing from the ’70s, each one propelling the narrative and each one left scratching his head about the MP phenomenon.
The contemporary footage is first class, with slabs of surfing lifted from the movies of the day, television coverage and myriad sources. And Hoff has stepped back from the beach to establish the tone of the times and the context in which a natural outsider like Peterson could evolve into the complete outlaw.
Ultimately, it’s a movie about loss. By all accounts, Peterson wasn’t a fun guy, and no-one in the film comes across as if their dearest friend had gone missing in action. But every one of them pays tribute to Peterson as one of the greatest surfers of all time. And as surfers, they can’t help but reflect on MP today and the void represented by a life out of the water.
Searching for Michael Peterson is a handsome DVD package.
Extras include the lost cult classic Dogs Run Free, unseen for thirty years, with a sensational new soundtrack by Tim Gaze and Peter Howe. There’s also Wayne Bartholomew’s full account of his first trip to Hawaii with MP in ’72: truly epic! For that matter, hats off to Rabbit – he copped more grief than most from MP but to this day backs up the legend, and always with the biggest smile.
So, back to the start – what’s the message here? Don’t take drugs? Maybe. Or how about this: If you can surf, go surfing. Searching for Michael Peterson will make you want to hit the beach. Life is short and uncertain – don’t waste it.
– Ian Cameron
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