Surf Crazy

Bruce Brown is THE surfing movie guy, from the late 50's through the 60's and even into the 90's. This early entry is very enjoyable and highly recommended. The boys start out in the "smaller" surf of California and Mexico, and in the second half step up to Sunset Beach and other North Shore (Hawaii) locales, finishing with the bone-crushing waves of Waimea Bay. Humorous interludes are as always interspersed with great action shots. Perhaps a tad less polished than later efforts, but the blueprint for classics like The Endless Summer is clearly evident.

This is his second film. It's a little more polished than his first film, "Slippery When Wet". This film is pure fun. It takes me back to the more friendly, innocent, fun days of surfing, before every other idiot thought they were a surfer, before every wave was as crowded as a freeway at rush hour, and before all the localism and vandalism of the recent times.

This film is pure fun. It shows some of the big North Shore Hawaii waves. See how uncrowded it is out there? Pure Heaven!!! See how uncrowded even the beaches are? Unbelievable! This film was a little before my time, but I was in Hawaii surfing in the late 60s, and it was a very relaxed, very friendly, very liberating time. No localism or uptightness that was actually noticeable. Way less crowded waves. Other surfers were friendly and helpful. It was more like a brotherhood, because everyone had the same interest in common.

Beautiful days! Beautiful nights! Oh, for a time machine!!!

Bruce Brown's movie about surfing in Mexico, California, and Hawaii is a charming, breezy film that never takes itself seriously. By that I don't mean surfing itself. Brown shoots and edits the scenes of the guys atop their boards in the water seriously, with a clear sense of how to compose a moving shot for the camera. It's his attitude about the surfers themselves, offering them as lovable goofs on an endless vacation. If there's any complaint, it's that he makes what they do too easy.

The IMDb shows movies that encompass surfboarding going back to 1917; I seem to recall seeing shots back in the Mauve Decade, when actualities were first being edited into early travelogues. Never mind. Brown's work bore fruit quickly, leading into all those teenage-surf movies in the 1960s.

Bruce Brown's films are a celebration of an era and the surf lifestyle, and this one features a little road trip to Mexico as well. How much you like this may depend on whether you see it as a documentary which seems low budget and scattered, or as a home move which seems elevated and organic. For me, it's the latter. I like Brown's hip narration, with its little bits of wry or corny humor set to a jazz soundtrack. There are some groaners but I found myself smiling, and I chuckled out loud when he imitated an old lady who had pulled over to watch the surfing. I could've done with a little less of the "Warner von Utter" experiments with the model planes and firecrackers though.

The surfing down in Mexico at Mazatlan, Cuyutlan, Alcapulco (Pierre Marquesas), and Petatlan was notable because no one had ever surfed there before, but the quality of waves wasn't the greatest, which made other footage perhaps more interesting, like the driving conditions, a cliff diver, or (randomly) some 45-minute-old baby goats. Interspersed were needed switch backs to surfing in Southern California at Cottons Point and Rincon.

Eventually we get to the real highlight of the movie, the footage out in the significantly larger waves off the North shore of Oahu, at Sunset Beach, Waimea Bay, and Pupukea. The power and danger can really be felt, and the waves really allowed the surfers to show off their talents. There are too many surfers shown to list here, but notable to me were Phil Edwards (who Brown calls "the best surfer in the world right now"), the graceful Joey Cabell, the fancy-footed Kemp Aaberg, and 15-year-old phenom Donald Takayama.

The camaraderie between these guys is sometimes silly and may not be of interest, but including it does give us a little window into their playful, laid back vibe, the simplicity of their meals, and how difficult it was to get around. Warning though, a couple of surfboards were sacrificed to cheesy comedy in the making of this film.

Of all the non-"Endless Summer" films in the Bruce Brown Golden Years of Surf Collection, this one has always been my favorite. This is my third time to purchase this DVD (my previous two VHS copies were worn out from use at parties). It lacks everything a "quality" film requires - and yet it beats the mainstream by a mile. If you want to feel like you were there (Mazatlan or the North Shore) and you love vintage surf movies, this is it. Pure, honest, classic. This is a must for true soul surfers.

Other movies in this collection include: Slippery When Wet, Barefoot Adventure, Surfing Hollow Days, Waterlogged, Surfin' Shorts and (of course) The Endless Summer.