Surfwise: The Amazing True Odyssey of the Paskowitz Family | 
| Director: Doug Pray
Actors: Dorian Pakowitz, Adam Paskowitz, Josh Paskowitz, Rob Jones, Salvador Paskowitz
Studio: Magnolia
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $13.37
You Save: $6.61 (33%)
New (38) Used (12) from $10.68
Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 14675
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 93 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 10093
UPC: 876964000932
EAN: 0876964000932
ASIN: B00180R040
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: July 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
LEGENDARY SURFER 'DOC' PASKOWITZ ABANDONED A SUCCESSFUL MEDICAL PRACTICE TO WITHDRAW FROM THE LIFESTYLE OF MAINSTREAM AMERICA & TOOK HIS WIFE & 9 CHILDREN ALONG FOR THE RIDE - ALL 11 OF THEM LIVING IN A 24 FOOT CAMPER. THE FAMILY SPENT THEIR DAYS LIVING BY DOC'S RULES ON HEALTH, SEXUALITY & ABOVE ALL SURFING.
Amazon.com
American history is filled with legendary characters who turned their backs on society, snubbing its conventions and opting for a simple, contemplative life. Like Thoreau. Kerouac. And.. Paskowitz? Well, actually, yeah. Surfwise, director Doug Pray's 2007 documentary, tells the decidedly offbeat tale of Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz. Now in his mid-80s, the guy who calls himself "one of the few dumb Jewish doctors" was once on a big-time career track; a Stanford-educated physician, he was the head of the American Medical Association in Hawaii, an expert surfer, and a strong, handsome man who often donated his services and was asked to consider a run for governor of that state. But more than 50 years ago, Paskowitz and his third wife, Juliette (his previous marriages had failed due to his own "sexual ignorance"), essentially chucked it all for the sake of family, surfing, and precious little else. They had nine children, all but one of them boys, and the entire brood lived in a 24-foot camper, traveling constantly. Money? There was precious little of that (although years later the family generated some income by establishing a popular surf camp near San Diego). Food? They managed, with Paskowitz enforcing a strict organic regimen. School? "Education be damned," Doc said, and not one of the children ever attended classes regularly. To outsiders, it was an idyllic life; "we were not attached to the physical world at all," says one of the (now middle-aged) kids today. But the downside was deep. Crammed into their tiny space, the children watched and listened as their parents noisily made love every single night (not a great thing for the kids' own later sex lives). Driven--and sometimes abused--by their ultra-controlling, narcissistic dad, they became excellent surfers but were ill-prepared for adult life when finally, in their 20s, some of them began to leave "home." Remarkably, they all seem relatively (so to speak) fine now, with real jobs in surfing, music, and the film business and a fairly clear perspective on their strange upbringing ("Don't do anything a gorilla wouldn't do" was one of Doc's mantras). Extras include outtakes, commentary, surfing footage, and more. --Sam Graham
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| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
 touching, funny, real... June 18, 2009
Gen U Hein
This is amazing. Not vanilla coated at all. Very admirable what this family endured and what a life they've had so far!!!!
Great movie! June 10, 2009
Lucy
I loved this movie. My boyfriend, who is not a surfer and could care less about the ocean, LOVED this movie. And to top it off, I didn't realize that this family created the Surfer's Healing Program for children with Autism! Google the name and support the program, it's incredible!
For all to see May 29, 2009
Peter A. Cramer
Awesome documentary. Many of us would call the Paskowitz way of life unconventional; yet it was all for love and a dream for the best for your loved ones.
Something to learn from May 27, 2009
Panni (Baltimore, MD)
There is something to be said for dancing to the beat of your own drum. The documentary demonstrates that it is possible to raise kids with less barriers or hang-ups.
Some of the kids didn't get the meaning of it all. They saw things really out of balance and their father a dictator. They will (hopefully) see the value of his courage when they grow old. To observe two people overcome some fears/limits and to teach that to their children - well, let's just say, it is inspiring.
Love the film, hate the narcissistic father. May 14, 2009
Sunny Beech (Carolinas)
The film - so delicious you could eat it with a spoon. And with that same spoon, you'll want to take the eyes of that father's head. It's fine if, as an adult, you want to live a bohemian lifestyle and be a blow-about. It's another if you subject nine innocent children to a lack of food, resources, schooling, peer contact, and then add physical and emotional abuse to that lovely equation. It's a wonder any of those kids have their heads screwed on tight. I'd like a follow-up film entitled "After the Fake Reunion Which the Kids Have Been Paid to Fly to," and in which the father has died and five or ten more years have passed and they see how their father's legacy has screwed up the next generation. Now THAT would be a film. I wish Pray had not tried to tidy up the film by the Hollywood ending where all is forgiven. Life just ain't like that.
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