I don't bump into Michael Gage that often. But when I do, he always seems to be handing me something that is fairly significant, and extremely cool. Maybe that says something about how cool Michael Gage is…?
This week, I bumped into him at the regular Old Indy Skaters jam. I haven't even seen the guy, in quite some time. But almost immediately, Michael came over, and handed me a copy of "Downhill Motion" to check out. Of course, I've heard of this "skateboarding movie classic", as it was originally released way back in 1975. At first glance, I even thought that I had it in my personal collection somewhere. But, Mike insisted that I take it anyway… so I did, with the promise that I'd give it away to some lucky The Solitary Life winner.
On my drive home, however, I started to think back and wonder: When, exactly, I had gotten this movie; when I had seen it; or, what it was even all about? Realizing that I had no answers for any of these questions, I quickly came to the conclusion that: I'm suffering from a chronic case of The Stupids.
Here's what you're lookin' for, if you're the type of kid to go lookin' for it.
The Basic Premise
Downhill Motion is nothing like you're typical "skate video", by any stretch of the imagination. So, if you think it is? Then, you're mistaken. Also: The title misleads one to assume that it's all-downhill, all the time. It's not.
I would probably describe as "A brief, yet entirely inclusive, overview of the state of the art, as it stood in 1975". It looks like the original intent of the "movie" (I'd probably call it a "public relations propaganda piece", or a "human interest documentary", long before I'd ever call it a "movie") might have been to give the non-skating public-at-large a quick glimpse into the "wide world of skateboarding". In it, there's a ton of footage of skaters "sidewalk surfing", riding banks, exploring pools, carving pipes, dorking off, freestyling, doing speed runs down hills, playing in reservoirs, and just having fun. It's set to a sort of mellow-surf-meets-reggae-and-pop soundtrack … again, the design seems to make skateboarding look "lighthearted" and "soothing" to the general public… and, it's sprinkled here and there with light-hearted narration that seems aimed at somebody that would know nothing at all about skateboarding.
I went looking around YouTube for the "trailer" for this re-release... which, as it turns out, was pretty close at hand. Having seen the movie, I found the "trailer" to be extremely misleading...! That hardcore, '80s-era punk rock implies that "Downhill Motion" is a lot like "Dogtown and Z-Boys", with it's hard-edged themes and rebellious nature...
... but, in reality, this "trailer" is a hell of a lot more accurate. Indeed, it's actually a scene pulled from the actual movie... not a "promotional trailer", per se.
Are You Gonna Buy It…?
Probably not. And, here's why: Sad it may be, most kids just don't give a shit about skateboarding's "rich history". That, obviously, says a lot more about today's kids, than it does about the movie itself. As a documentarian, as a writer, and as a guy that is truly interested in these sorts of "historical references"? I thought it was great! But: I'm not "most kids", either.
For what it was designed to do… yeah, I thought it was very well-done, and pretty entertaining. I thought it was an honest commentary on what skateboarding was really all about, in it's day. It's accurate, and it features a broad cross-section of skaters. Everybody from little kids, to girls, to women, to groundbreaking and pioneering "pros" of the day are in there, including Z-Boys Paul Constantineau and Jay Adams (of course), Russ Howell, Skitch Hitchcock, and Guy Grundy.
The Funny Thing Is…
… in today's recession-laden environment, where skateboarding has "lost popularity with the kids", and the market is "in turmoil"… this might be precisely the sort of thing that an IASC could commission from some young filmmaker, and use to get that "Next Generation" of skaters into the "sport". Frankly, I'm sort of amazed that Brookesey hasn't taken something like this up yet. It seems like it'd be right up his alley… and furthermore, would be a great add-on to the annual Evolutions DVD (which always ends up being widely accessible, on the internet).
The most remarkable thing about Downhill Motion isn't anything that's actually in the movie. The really remarkable thing about it, is the implied premise for making it (The whole "Let's introduce the non-skating public to skateboarding!" thing), and that it actually got done. And furthermore, that it actually enjoyed some measure of "widespread distribution and circulation" (by the standards of the day, at least).
Even if you don't buy it, I'd highly recommend that "skaters that care about these things" watch it at least once in their lives. Which would be "all skaters", if we lived in a perfect world.
