Many consider this to be a landmark of American cinema. The Library of Congress added it to its National Registry in 2002. It stands as the most influential surf movie of all time and was the first major theatrical film to bring surf culture to the masses. Bruce Brown's premise was simple — he'd follow pro surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August as they follow the summer season around the globe.
The surfing universe had its center in California in 1966, but the cool Pacific made surfing rough in winter (especially before wetsuits). So the young men head first to Africa and Brown films the boys surf waves that have never been surfed before. In some locations, the locals become infatuated with these white kids floating on boards in the ocean. Hynson and August give them some lessons and some of the children copy them by finding any board that will float. After hitting various spots in Africa, they head to Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti and finally Hawaii, where surfing isn't totally alien. A reoccurring statement they hear from local surfers in various locations was "you should have been here last week."
The first striking element of documentary is its era. From the filmmaking style to the documentary presentation, it represents its era for good and bad. At first, the film comes off as dated and corny, but after awhile, the silly jokes and elementary school presentation transform into a quaint charm. In some of the African sections, cultural insensitivity peeks through as narrator Brown makes humorous asides at the expense of the locals. And those aren't nearly as awkward as the sequence when a "witch doctor" chases the surfers out of the jungle.
As an introduction to surfing, the film is informative, if a little stiff, like the educational videos Walt Disney produced at the same time. It's interesting how terms like wipeout need to be explained to the 1960s audience. But when it begins its world travels the film really begins to capture the carefree nature of the sport. Hyson and August meet up with other legendary surfers like Miki Dora, Phil Edwards and Butch Van Artsdalen, and interact with local teens along the way. They serve as ambassadors to the sport. Hyson and August come off as nice All-American young men just out for a bit of fun in the sun. And let's not forget some great surfing footage and how it differs from location to location.
With its classic surf rock soundtrack by The Sandals, THE ENDLESS SUMMER is like a time capsule. It captures an era when surfing was new and exciting to the world. But it also serves as a time capsule for filmmaking; the style is wonderfully representative of its more naïve time. It might date the film, but that’s part of the film's fun — the trip the viewer primarily takes is back to 1966.
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Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
