Last Surfer, The (BigDikFactory) Review

Distributor: Toby Ross / BDF (Big Dik Factory) Edition Details: Standard Streaming Movie Specs: Genres: Golden Age Classic, Feature Film, Gay, Drama, Barely Legal Run Time: 62 minutes Rated: X Release Year: 1983/2002 Director: Toby Ross Written by: Toby Ross Cast: Michael Christopher, Daniel Holt, Jeff Folger (as Jeff Folger and Jeff Folgers), Tony Roco (as Tony Roco and Tony Rocco), Paul Camrose (as Paul Camrose and Paul Cambrose), Tad Ryan, Stefen Peach (as Stefen Peach and Steffen Peach), Kathi Stewart, Steve Douglas (as Broderick Sterling), Claudette Folger (as Claudette Folger and Claudette Folgers), Jake Scott, Dan McQuish, Rick Compendium (as Rick Compedium), Freddie Skaar (as Stan Feingold), Teddy Glass (as Cool Jack), Kevin Gladstone (as Sam Darling), Lee Carroll Release Specs: Audio: English Mono Subtitles: none Video: Full Frame, 1.33:1 Video Format: NTSC Format: Streaming Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): N/A Number of discs: N/A

The Last Surfer was the last shot on film that gay hardcore adult film director Toby Ross made before he switched over to shot on video productions. Toby Ross made The Last Surfer as a sister film to his earlier film Cruisin' 57. Cruisin' 57 looked at the coming of age of gay men during the 1950s whereas The Last Surfer looks at the coming of age of gay men during the end of the 1960s when the Vietnam War was ruining the innocence of coming of age forcing young men to face their own mortality at a point when they should just be going out into the world to become themselves.

This review is on the 2002 re-edit of The Last Surfer, not the original version of the film that came out in 1983. The 2002 re-edit of The Last Surfer has a new audio, which just gives a narration for the film. All of the original audio and dialog has been removed in this version. Some of the original footage has been removed from this version to make room for an added sex scene with Jeff Folgers (Jeff Folger) and Paul (Paul Camrose), that was likely shot at the same time as The Last Surfer but was kept for the later 1984 film My Straight Friend. There is also a new ending to the film that contains new footage along with footage of Jeff Folger's brother Rick (Rick Compendium) that was taken from Toby Ross' 1980 short film Half & Half with Freddy Skaar, Teddy Glass, Kevin Gladstone, and Lee Carroll.

The added footage from My Straight Friend and Half & Half fit into the film well and without having seen the original you wouldn't know it had been added. The footage from both films was shot on film as well and the footage with Jeff Folger and Paul Camrose was likely shot at the same exact time as The Last Surfer was so there isn't an aging problem with the actors. The new footage and stock photos stick out like a sore thumb. They look new and have technology in them that wasn't in existence in 1983. For some odd reason, the character of Clinton has been renamed to Jeff Folgers — an inorthographically spelled variant of the actor's name — in this version.

In this version of The Last Surfer, Jeff Folgers (Jeff Folger for the on-screen performance and voice actor unknown) narrates his story of the summer of 1968 in San Clemente, California, reflecting back on the fun he and his friends had in high school and the uncertainty toward the future since Toosh (Stefen Peach) has been enlisted to go to the war in Vietnam and Jeff Folgers and his friends are trying to enjoy their last summer together before everything changes.

Viewers who have seen the original version of the film will find that the tone of the 2002 re-edit of The Last Surfer is much darker than the original was. The original The Last Surfer was more of a lighthearted film whereas the 2002 re-edit focuses more on the toll that Vietnam took on the generation that The Last Surfer covers. In the original version, the friends are going through the summer at the time. In the 2002 re-edit, the character of Jeff Folgers reflects back on that summer, with full knowledge of what is going to become to each character in the future. The humor from the original is vacant from this one as well.

The new dialog isn't great. There are long periods in the film of absolute silence and often the dialog in the narration doesn't match exactly with what is occurring on the screen. This reviewer is assuming that the new audio track is due to issues licensing the music in the original film for a current home video release, however, what has been done just feels cheap and rushed. Fans of the original version are likely to be disappointed with the new narration.

The footage that was shot for the film looks good. The film has great costuming and uses some excellent vintage cars that give the film an authentic, possibly not quite late 60s, feel. Certainly enough for the viewer to believe that the film is taking place at least close to the proper time period.

In its original form, The Last Surfer is a lighthearted and fun film. However, Toby Ross' 2002 re-edit kills the lighthearted feel of the film and the new narration was poorly conceived. Toby Ross had some good ideas with the update but poorly integrated much of them. This reviewer can't recommend the 2002 re-edit of The Last Surfer.

The edition of The Last Surfer screened is the streaming-only edition on TobyRoss.com. Toby Ross and BDF (Big Dik Factory) have done a horrible job with their streaming-only edition of The Last Surfer. The Last Surfer was shot on film and this edition appears to have been mastered from a poor quality video source. The Last Surfer is presented in the Academy aspect ratio of 1.33:1 pillarboxed to the anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The video contains glitches and major distortions making the image very poor throughout the film's presentation. The colors are washed out in some scenes and more vibrant in others. The image itself looks low definition with no fine detail. Basically, The Last Surfer is ugly to watch. There is a TobyRoss.com bug in the lower right-hand corner of the screen throughout the presentation of the film.

In addition to the poor quality video source, The Last Surfer has been altered from its original version. Some of the non-sexual material has been removed from the film and some newly shot footage, on video it appears so the footage doesn't even match properly, and some stock photos have been added to the film. There has also been some footage added from Toby Ross' 1980 short film Half & Half and from his 1984 film My Straight Friend.

The Last Surfer is presented with an English monaural audio track. The channel only plays on the left audio channel making for an odd-sounding audio presentation. The dialog in the film is clear and can be understood at all times during the presentation of the film.

Like with the video, the audio has been modified from the original version. Almost all of the original audio has been stripped from the film and a new audio track has been made with a narration by an unknown voice actor for the audio. The new audio has long silent periods and cuts in and out very obviously.

Toby Ross and BDF haven't included any extras for their streaming-only edition of The Last Surfer.

The edition of The Last Surfer that Toby Ross and BDF (Big Dik Factory) have released as their streaming-only version on TobyRoss.com has been heavily modified from its original version. There has been footage removed, footage added, footage that has been reappropriated, and an entirely new audio track that changes the entire feel of the film. Do yourself a favor and seek out the original version of the film.

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