Half a century ago ‘Morning of the Earth’ made surfers wild with delight as they watched it in cinemas. It’s not an overstatement to say it changed lives. Some saw the film and cast aside career plans to go travelling, while others embraced the whole country soul message and bailed up the coast. Even now the surfing in the film is rapturous, but MOTE director Albe Falzon was always just as interested in the film’s subliminal message about being more connected to the planet. “Morning of the Earth reflects in a simple way how we can endure and sustain and enjoy our life here and leave a small footprint and a better world in our passing,” explains Albe.
In the lead-up to the 50th anniversary of ‘Morning of The Earth’, Albe uncovered a treasure-trove of lost footage from the outtakes. “Well, it was like I knew it was somewhere but I’d given up,” recalls Albe. … “Then last year Jack Eden’s son, Adam, rang me up out of the blue … And when he was going through Jack’s estate after he passed away, Adam came across all that material, and there was 90 minutes of ‘Morning of the Earth’ footage and I nearly fell over when I heard that.”
RE-MOTE: The Lost Reels from Origins Archival on Vimeo.
A never-before-seen sample of those lost reels is featured above. The additional footage will be used to create a new, 30-minute mini-film to be released in conjunction with the 4K digitally re-mastered version of the original ‘Morning of the Earth’. Images from the lost reels will also be a feature of a meticulously curated, coffee table book that will be part of the 50th-anniversary celebrations. Both the book and the mini-film aim to deliver a more complete picture of the MOTE story and invite readers to appreciate what Albe and the crew were experiencing along the way.
HEAD TO MORNINGOFTHEEARTH.COM TO PRE-ORDER THE FILM AND THE BOOK.
SEE THE FULL DETAILS ON THE MOVIE RE-RELEASE, THE BOOK, AND THE OUTTAKES FILM BELOW. ALSO, CHECK OUT THE UPCOMING ISSUE OF TRACKS FOR THE COMPELLING, UNTOLD STORIES FROM THE MAKING OF THE FILM WHICH STILL SETS THE BENCHMARK FOR SURF CINEMA.
MORNING OF THE EARTH – IN 4K
To celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary, ‘Morning of the Earth’ is being meticulously restored and beautifully remastered from the original 16mm AB Rolls. Each and every one of the 150 000 frames have been digitised in 4K and are undergoing a state-of-the-art museum-grade digital restoration process. To match the original projection, the film is being color graded, stabilised, de-flickered, scratch and dust-busted, all while staying true to the director’s original vision and the 16mm source format. The soundtrack is also being remastered for a completely revamped experience. A culmination of a three-year effort, this 50th Anniversary edition presents a pristine and timeless copy which the director, Albert Falzon, says, “Looks and sounds better than it ever has.” This re-release will be presented open-matte and displayed in its original Academy aspect ratio.
MORNING OF THE EARTH – 50th ANNIVERSARY BOOK
This beautifully designed coffee table book commemorates ‘Morning of the Earth’s’ 50th anniversary and showcases 170 brilliantly remastered images from the film. Executed without compromise, it is the definitive companion, featuring 50 screen grabs from never-before-seen outtakes that reveal a forgotten past. The book is swiss bound for a truly immersive lay-flat experience, presenting crystal clear imagery on uncoated paper stock that transports the viewer back to a land before time. See Australia, Bali and Hawaii before rampant development took over; see the wide-angled point of views that didn’t make the film; see legendary scenes like the surf discovery of Uluwatu, Bali; and travel back to the early 70s where country soul was life, and surfing was too.
The book includes a 40-page introduction with Albert Falzon and Torren Martyn, a foreword by David Elfick, and essays by Sean Doherty, Jamie Brisick, Simon Jones and Falzon, who share intimate stories, dive deep into the history of the film, reveal rare never-before-seen archival treasures, and explore the early development of an artist and the filmmaker’s journey. This treasure keeps the story going, and as a comprehensive look at ‘Morning of the Earth’s’ 50-year heritage, is a must-have and pre-requisite for any surfer and cinephile alike. It is a stunning time capsule that will allow you to fall in love with ‘Morning of the Earth’ all over again.
Comes with two films: ‘Morning of the Earth’ in 4K, and the 30-minute ‘Lost Reels’ film. A Limited Collector’s Edition will also be available, signed and numbered with a fine art print (A4) of the newly remastered and world-famous Michael Peterson cutback.
Head to morningoftheearth.com to pre-order the film and the book.
MORNING OF THE EARTH – THE LOST REELS OUTTAKES FILM
In the process of remastering ‘Morning of the Earth’, 90 minutes of never-before-seen outtakes were unexpectedly unearthed. Because of the wealth of this material, a 30-minute outtakes film is being produced. Getting back to where it all began, this artistic showcase of the ‘Lost Reels’ paints a more complete picture of ‘Morning of the Earth’ and reveals culturally, environmentally and socially significant details. Even though these lost reels surfaced late in the game, the same meticulous restoration process is being applied. The film will cover Australia, Bali, and Hawaii, and be accompanied by an all-new original soundtrack.
