Takuji Masuda’s storytelling wizardry is ready for your eyeballs as “Bunker77”, a cinematic portrayal of Bunker Spreckels’, one of surfing’s most notorious playboys, is now complete. As the release of this highly anticipated documentary begins, prepare yourself for a voyage that will spin you into the netherworld. “Bunker77” is simply fascinating, non-sugar-coated, American history.
From the heydays of Hollywood’s elite to the heights of surf/skate royalty, this documentary explores the life of one of the most outrageous characters to ever walk the earth, surf the most sought after waves and hunt dangerous prey on four legs, as well as two. Bunker’s mystique is unveiled in this provoking look at his golden childhood, his ascent to surfing infamy, his mentoring of skateboarding supernova, Tony Alva, and then, of course, there is the rest of the story…
Masuda masterfully tackles taboo topics with cinematic prowess and highlights both the highs and lows of Bunker’s life in this gripping tale that explores the topic of overwhelming wealth bestowed upon a young surfer whose obsessive craving for adventure and boundaries to break down takes him jet-setting around the world.
As the story carries you from Bunker’s soul surfing days on the North Shore to his riotous safaris in South Africa with rare archival surfing footage and astonishing lore, the film provides vital internal viewpoints to Bunker’s discoveries as he searches for mentors in the surfing community to replace the close relationship he once had with his step-father, “The King of Hollywood”, Clark Gable.
“Bunker77” also contains a rare look into Hawaiian history, which was intertwined with the Spreckels family since the 1800’s, and pulls back the curtain to reveal an unprecedented look at a controversial man who became one of surfing’s authentic cult classics.
As Rick Rubin so aptly stated, “Takuji’s film invites us to peer into the unusual world of an American original.”
This enticing saga of exotic surfing mayhem, written and directed by surfing champion, Takuji Masuda, is a must-see doc, starring Craig Stecyk III, Art Brewer, Tony Alva, Laird Hamilton, Bill Hamilton, Rory Russell, and many more.
Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stephen Gaghan (“Traffic”), Edward Norton (“25th Hour”) executive produced the film, and Mike Judge, creator of “Silicon Valley” and “King of the Hill.” provided the narration, while C.R. Stecyk III and Art Brewer co-produced the film with Masuda.
Following the success of “Bunker77” as the Film Lab Winner of the Sun Valley Film Festival, and its world premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival, US premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival, and screenings at the Hawaii International Film Festival and DOC NYC, the film was also featured in a North Shore premiere presented by the Mauli Ola Foundation and hosted its West Coast premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Check out the trailer for BUNKER77 and upcoming screenings info at http://www.bunker77film.com/
About BUNKER77:
BUNKER77 is the wild true story of a young American rebel seeking freedom, love, and authenticity in a chaotic world. Bunker Spreckels, Clark Gable’s stepson and heir to a sugar fortune, defied expectations and grew into a controversial surf star from the late 60s into the 70s. He pushed surfing’s boundaries by riding very short boards in Hawaii’s most critical waves as well as during a pioneering trip to South Africa’s J-Bay. While Bunker mentored skateboard legend Tony Alva to his world championship and dove into collaborations with film auteur, Kenneth Anger, his mysterious and surreal persona blazed to legendary proportions, with an influence that is still felt to this day.
Film website: http://www.bunker77film.com/
(USA, 86 Minutes, Feature Documentary, In English)
As you await the release of this highly anticipated “Bunker77″ documentary, invest in the Taschen published hardcover book: “Bunker Spreckels: Surfing’s Divine Prince of Decadence: by C.R. Stecyk III and Art Brewer. It’s essential reading for any serious surfing memorabilia collector. Available now at www.amazon.com.
Book Synopsis:
The tale of Bunker Spreckels (1949–1977) reads like a pitch for a movie to rival Boogie Nights: the stepson of Clark Gable is a privileged Los Angeles party boy who is heir to a multimillion–dollar fortune; passionate about surfing, martial arts, guns, and women, he lives the life of a debauched international jet-setter before succumbing to his excesses at the tender age of 27.
Born Adolph B. Spreckels III, heir to the Spreckels Sugar fortune, Bunker became a famous surfer as a teenager, but after his inheritance came along, he began to slip into a life of pomp and excess where surfing took a back–seat to drugs, sex, and wild road trips. So remarkable was his lifestyle that he created an alter ego who invited photographers and documentarists to trail him, piecing together a tell-all epic of his own rise to fame and fortune. Before the project, known as “The Player,” could be completed, Spreckels suddenly died of “natural causes.”
Thirty years later, photographer Art Brewer and writer/photojournalist C. R. Stecyk III have come together to make this book, which traces the meteoric rise and dramatic fall of Bunker Spreckels. Widely considered one of the world’s most gifted surfing photographers, Brewer was a close friend of Spreckels’s and his personal photographer throughout the last decade of his life, traveling with him from Hawaii to Los Angeles to South Africa. His images of Spreckels both on the waves and on land chronicle Spreckels’s metamorphosis from hippie surfer to international playboy, while Stecyk’s extensive taped interview with Spreckels, completed just three months before his death, provides a rare first-person perspective on all of the decadent craziness that was his life.
