Morning of the Earth 40th Anniversary Tour

Released in 1972, Albe Falzon and David Elfick’s Morning of the Earth is sometimes called one of the greatest surfing films ever made. It’s so iconic, in fact, that you can now buy handcrafted, 70s-inspired Morning of the Earth surfboards.

As much about the surfing as it is about the music – its soundtrack was listed in the 2010 book 100 Best Australian Albums – to celebrate its 40th anniversary this year it’s been re-edited and remastered, and will be touring Australia’s east coast, screening with live bands.

“I made Morning of the Earth because I really wanted to make a positive film about surfing and the world,” says Falzon. “I was designing books at the time, doing this design for the Catholic Church, commissioned by two nuns. I remember walking along the street with them one day, and they said ‘what would you really like to do if you had the opportunity to do whatever you wanted to do?’ And I said that I'd like to make a really beautiful, positive film about the world. Not long after that I was travelling up and down the coast making a surfing film and Morning of the Earth came from it.

With Flazon’s blessing, Morning of the Earth was re-edited and remastered to highlight its visual beauty and its story – the dream of every surfer to search for the perfect wave. New footage from film surf makers such as David Rastovich will also be shown at the screenings.

Filmed across Australia’s north coast, Bali and Hawaii, the film is still the largest selling surf DVD in Australian history. With no narration, it is instead soundtracked by songs written specifically for the movie, by musicians including Brian Cadd. The soundtrack – mostly country, soul and psych folk tracks – later became a top 10 hit and was the first compilation CD to reach Gold status in Australia; it’s since gone platinum several times over.

Says Cadd, “Forty years ago I was privileged to be involved in writing and producing music for a revolutionary new kind of surf movie: Morning of the Earth. Freedom and breaking the rules was the order of the day and a most unique and eclectic collection of music became the 'dialogue' running under Albe's superb pictures. Four decades on we are finally marrying this music with those pictures again, this time in a live performance setting.”

Calling the event “incredibly exciting”, Cadd will perform live at the screenings, along with original performer Tim Gaze, guitarist for Tamam Shud, and special guests Lior, Gyan and Mike Rudd from Spectrum. Audiences can expect to be taken back to when life was simpler enjoying songs including ‘Simple Ben’, ‘Making It On Your Own’ and ‘Open Your Heart’. These tracks have summer written all over them, which in some parts may be the only taste of summer you’re actually going to get in the next few weeks! Get a preview by heading over to briancadd.com.

The screenings kick off in Melbourne, at the Regent Theatre on Thursday and Friday January 19 and 20. Then they head to the Dromana Drive In, a National Trust-listed relic of the 60s, on Saturday January 21. From there, the film and musicians head to Newcastle Civic Centre on Monday and Tuesday January 23 and 24, the QPAC Concert Hall in Brisbane on Wednesday and Friday January 25 and 27. And tour concludes at the Sydney Opera House on Saturday February 5.

For more information and to book, visit www.morningoftheearth.com.