Dust to Glory

What an amazing docu-drama! Expertly filmed and well thought out. I cant even begin to imagine the logistical nightmare for what must have ended up being a terrific assignment. Kudos to the whole crew and Kevin for putting together an awesome film crew! Makes me want to go buy a bike or wish i had my old beat up Subaru to go run the Baja for the heck of it! Maybe they can do a part tow that has even more in-depth interviews with some of the greats and maybe even get Mario to run the full course! He should not have any problems getting sponsors! I feel sorry for all the assistants who probably spent days trying to get the silt out of everything! Probably stills falls out of nooks and cracks when they least expect it! Ha ha!

I am normally not a big documentary fan, but Dust to Glory really impressed me. First off, the Baja 1000 is the coolest race ever. I imagine that if you were able to read minds, you would find that everyone leaving the theater would be thinking 'Baja 1000... wow. I wonder if I could do that'. Now I dream of one day competing in the Baja 1000.

Dust to Glory will convert everyone in the audience into a Baja 1000 addict and you will leave in awe of the competitors and the race itself. Tons of energy, emotion and dirt. Great stories, characters and beautiful locations. Dana, we won't be staging any interventions for a long time.

Dana Brown follows up his spectacular surfing documentary Step Into Liquid with the spectacular race documentary Dust to Glory. I just read the unemployed critic's review in which he asserts that Dana Brown had some kind of ulterior motive in imposing meaning onto the race itself which was never there to begin with and doesn't fit with the material anyway, which is outstandingly wrong. Then again, he also called Step Into Liquid "lukewarm," so the fact that Brown's next film blew over his head as well is hardly lightning out of a clear sky for unexpectedness.

Brown highlights the human aspect of the Baja 1000, a grueling, 24 hour race down the length of Baja California, but the movie is only peppered with scenes about the race, because it's not about winning, it's about being out there with so many other like-minded people, and the people you meet and the adventures you have along the way. It's amazing to see people in million dollar trucks racing on the same course as people driving un-modified Volkswagen Beetles, and the film manages to overcome the tendency to identify other drivers as cars rather then people.

Brown's narration is just as effective as it was in Step Into Liquid, and it is clear in both films that he is fascinated with the subject material and is not simply reporting it. Interestingly, he describes the Baja 1000 at one point as the longest nonstop endurance race in the world, which is not even remotely true. The Race Across America has taken place every year since 1982, and is a 3000 mile transcontinental endurance race on BICYCLES, no less.

Let's put it this way. By the time the Baja 1000 is over, most riders have not taken a single break from riding in the Race Across America. They generally ride for about the first 40-50 hours literally without getting off the bicycle, then they stop and sleep for 90 minutes, then get up and get back on the bike and ride 22 1/2 hours a day until they get to the East Coast. The Baja 1000 is truly an impressive event, but as an endurance race it doesn't even compare to Race Across America.

Nonetheless, Brown again displays his skill in bringing the wonder and excitement of such an unusual event to the screen, telling the story thoroughly and entertainingly, and certainly leaving me wondering what marvels he'll focus on next.

To me this movie had more passion that almost any movie I had seen, especially in a documentary. This movie truly showed that the Baja Race wasn't about anything, but passion and love of family and pushing yourself to that ultimate limit. The cinematography in this movie, like Dana's previous film, (stepping into liquid) was amazing. It truly made me feel as if I was watching/inside of the Baja race. It was as if I could taste the sand in my teeth as they were riding through the silt beds and I can smell the ocean breeze when they were skidding along the beaches.

I knew little to nothing about the Baja Race, but coming away from this movie I am in awe of the passion and the love of something so intense that you are willing to risk your life for it. There isn't a lot of people out there that would do this, not only entering into a competition, but also watching it.

I would recommend this movie to anyone that gets an opportunity or a glimpse of this awe-inspiring movie.

Just saw this excellent film tonight. Even though I'm a street rider and not a big racing spectator, I must say I am amazed. Picture, if you will, 300-plus vehicles of all descriptions, from dirt bikes, to quads, to million-dollar sand buggies, to stock VW Beetles (yes, I said stock) flying across the desert hell-bent-for-election, over all manner of terrain; paved roads, rocks, beaches and choking clouds of silt and dust, all chasing the clock, maybe, just maybe, you might come close to the spectacle of the 1000.

This film reminds me a lot of the classic Endless Summer, reflecting the passion of the sport and it's participants, their dedication to the sport and to their extended families of team members, fellow racers, and even spectators.

Amazing footage, especially of the motorcycle competitors. Excellent interviews and narration. The action footage (yes, even a few crashes) is some of the best I have seen in motor-sports coverage. Great overview of the history of the race (although some more vintage footage would be really cool) and some of the race's more well-known competitors.

A must see for any off-roader, racing enthusiast, or motor-head.