Endless Summer, The (1966)

Endless Summer, The (1966)

“I couldn’t help but think of all the waves which had gone to waste.”

Synopsis:
Two American surfers (Michael Hynson and Robert August) travel the world in search of the “perfect wave”.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Documentary
  • Sports
  • Surfers

Review:
Bruce Brown’s 16 mm documentary about surfing the world’s waves is, as noted in TCM’s article, little more than a glorified home video. Nonetheless, it received reasonable reviews upon its release, and, despite the hokey narration by Brown, has developed a nostalgic cult following over the years. Naturally, there’s lots of footage of the surfers out on the waves, which can get tedious if you’re not a fan — but if you’re going to see one documentary about this hugely popular sport, this should be it.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • An often amusing time-capsule glimpse at one of the world’s most popular water sports
  • Brown’s unintentionally campy narration

Must See?
Yes. This cult documentary should be seen by all film fanatics.

Categories

  • Cult Movie
  • Historically Relevant

Links:

One thought on “Endless Summer, The (1966)

  1. Not a must.

    I’ve nothing against this little travelogue, per se. It’s nicely done and, as per noted, informative for fans of the hugely popular sport – and I don’t find the narration “campy”; just seems done by a fun-loving heterosexual guy.

    However, I have a real hard time imagining the average ff saying, “Gee, I keep meaning to see ‘The Endless Summer’!” I mean, a whole film about surfing – without a goofy plot, Annette Funicello and (esp.) a cameo by Paul Lynde?

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