“History of Surfing” part 10
Enjoy our
“HISTORY of SURFING” BLOG
and learn more about this amazing sport.
Part 10
Albert Falzon
It is hard to imagine modern surfing in Bali without the impact that
Albert Falzon
(1945 – ) and his pivotal 1972 film
“Morning of the Earth”
has had on the island of the gods.
This film was the first to feature Indonesia as a surf destination and the perfect, empty waves of Uluwatu surfed by Michael Peterson and Stephen Cooney started what is now the mainstay of Bali’s economy – surf tourism.
“In Bali we stayed in the only available losmans at Kuta. Surfed the beach breaks and Kuta reef. No surfers anywhere. The sequence at Uluwatu was a two day affair. The first time I went to Ulu’s it was two feet … the smallest I’ve ever seen it even after visiting Bali countless times. A few days later the beach break came up so we decided to go to Ulu’s and see what it was like … when we walked to the edge of the cliff there were lines all the way to the horizon … it was about ten feet. We surfed and filmed there all day much to the amazement and amusement of the locals who had never seen surfing before and spent the night against the cliff on the small beach next to the cave. It was a full moon and with Rusty playing his guitar, a few Balanese fisherman perched on the rocks against the cliff face and an exploding sea not far in front of us it was a pretty memorable experience. The next day was still big. We surfed and filmed there all day and went back to Kuta in the afternoon burnt and surfed out.” - A.F.
Alby started surfing at 14 and began making his first surf films at 15, showing unedited footage in his backyard and charging a small fee at the gate, just as he had seen Bud Brown do when he brought his first surf films from overseas. Bob Evans, father of the Australian surf film and the head of Surfing World magazine, acted as a mentor to Falzon. Evans brought Falzon on staff after receiving numerous still-shots from his homebreaks on the NSW Central Coast, and the two learned the art of film-making together with no formal training. Eventually, Falzon branched off on his own and started Tracks magazine as a bi-weekly with John Witzig and David Elfick, using his off-weeks to continue working on his own surf film, one focused more on a surfing lifestyle integrated with the natural world rather than on the most radical maneuvering.
There is no commentary in the film, a stark contrast to earlier surf film styles such as Bruce Brown’s archetype The Endless Summer which is driven by his commentary and humor, which makes the music all the more important. Featuring a completely original soundtrack, the first ever to receive a Gold Record status for album sales in Australia, all of the film’s music was performed by friends of the filmmaker. Falzon would give the musician’s a sequence of film to go off and live with for a time, and they’d come back with the music to accompany the surfing footage.
Alby continues his creative life today, having recently finished the film Globus: The Meaning of Light and is in production on an IMAX surfing film as well. He has traveled extensively beyond surfing locales to such destinations as Burma and Tibet, where he was the first person to ever film the sacred Wesak Festival in the remote Himalayan mountains, having to trek two weeks through sub-zero temperatures to reach his destination. Falzon made a 12-part documentary on “Festivals of the World” which is sold now in more than 80 countries.
He is a huge proponent of living life to the fullest in each passing moment and believes that the secret to a happy life in surfing is giving away the best waves to your friends . . .
…there’s always one more…
Aloha for now…
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Trey Highton, KIMA SURFARIS, Bali