The name Bruce Brown was a name I hadn't heard until I saw The Endless Summer. Apparently, he is the king of surfing documentaries, a thing I didn't know there was a king of. The Endless Summer is allegedly his quintessential surfamentary and it's really the only one people talk about. It chronicles the journey of two ace surfers as they follow the Summer season around the globe to ride the waves in all sorts of exotic locations like Africa, Australia, and Tahiti. The film has no dialogue from the people in it, only Bruce Brown's narration which fills us in with all the information we need to know to follow this story of an endless summer.
This is a particularly light hearted documentary that is solely for entertainment value to those who find its subject matter interesting. If you're interested in surfing I suppose you would love this movie because about 90% of the footage of the film is actual surfing. If you don't really care about surfing, like myself, The Endless Summer doesn't do much for you. I personally found it a little bit boring and somewhat pointless. However, I can't say that it's a bad film because it's easy to tell what a great surfing documentary it is, even if you couldn't care less about the sport.
Even if you don't care about surfing there are still all sorts of beautiful locations that the two surfers and Bruce Brown visit in this film that are marvelous to look out. In this film you see some of the most beautiful ocean water you will ever see, and some truly perfect waves that you won't see on any beach in America. I can appreciate this and it makes The Endless Summer a slightly more interesting film to someone who has no interest in surfing. Of course, this film is all about the surf, and no time is really devoted to the beauty of the locations or the variety of cultures traveled to here. All the focus is on surfing, and we have to take it upon ourselves to notice the kind of beauty this subject matter is immersed in.
You have to constantly remind yourself that this is nothing more than a documentary about surfing, so you have to cut it slack for not devoting time to things a non-surfer would find more interesting. However, one of the truly strange things about the film is it's sense of humor at times. It's a very easy going documentary with a light hearted and sarcastic sense of humor, but this humor is also a bit awkward at times. Some of the remarks about the African natives sometimes come off as insensitive, though not blatantly so. It's nothing that makes you do a double take, and I'm sure Brown means well in his narration, but there are a few remarks that just seem off. Who knows. Maybe it just comes with the times. It didn't bother me much, but I couldn't help but notice it, and it stayed on my mind throughout the film.
The Endless Summer is perfect for a surfer who wants to watch a surfing documentary. If you're not a surfer and you want to watch a surfing documentary you might feel just a little indifferent about this film. It's not bad, in fact it's well made overall, but it won't really stick with me by any means.
This is a particularly light hearted documentary that is solely for entertainment value to those who find its subject matter interesting. If you're interested in surfing I suppose you would love this movie because about 90% of the footage of the film is actual surfing. If you don't really care about surfing, like myself, The Endless Summer doesn't do much for you. I personally found it a little bit boring and somewhat pointless. However, I can't say that it's a bad film because it's easy to tell what a great surfing documentary it is, even if you couldn't care less about the sport.
Even if you don't care about surfing there are still all sorts of beautiful locations that the two surfers and Bruce Brown visit in this film that are marvelous to look out. In this film you see some of the most beautiful ocean water you will ever see, and some truly perfect waves that you won't see on any beach in America. I can appreciate this and it makes The Endless Summer a slightly more interesting film to someone who has no interest in surfing. Of course, this film is all about the surf, and no time is really devoted to the beauty of the locations or the variety of cultures traveled to here. All the focus is on surfing, and we have to take it upon ourselves to notice the kind of beauty this subject matter is immersed in.
You have to constantly remind yourself that this is nothing more than a documentary about surfing, so you have to cut it slack for not devoting time to things a non-surfer would find more interesting. However, one of the truly strange things about the film is it's sense of humor at times. It's a very easy going documentary with a light hearted and sarcastic sense of humor, but this humor is also a bit awkward at times. Some of the remarks about the African natives sometimes come off as insensitive, though not blatantly so. It's nothing that makes you do a double take, and I'm sure Brown means well in his narration, but there are a few remarks that just seem off. Who knows. Maybe it just comes with the times. It didn't bother me much, but I couldn't help but notice it, and it stayed on my mind throughout the film.
The Endless Summer is perfect for a surfer who wants to watch a surfing documentary. If you're not a surfer and you want to watch a surfing documentary you might feel just a little indifferent about this film. It's not bad, in fact it's well made overall, but it won't really stick with me by any means.