![Sandra Dee, Cliff Robertson, and James Darren in 'Gidget', 1959](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Sandra_Dee%2C_Cliff_Robertson%2C_and_James_Darren_in_%27Gidget%27%2C_1959.jpg)
Surf movies fall into three distinct genres:
*the surfing documentary - targeting the
surfing
Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...
enthusiast
*the 1960s
beach party films - targeting the broader community
*fictional feature films with a focus on the reality of surfing
Surfing documentaries
The earliest-known, footage of people surfing, an ''
actuality film
The actuality film is a non-fiction film genre that, like the documentary film, uses footage of real events, places, and things. Unlike the documentaries, actuality films are not structured into a larger argument, picture of the phenomenon or coh ...
'', was lensed by
Robert Kates Bonine (Born:14 September 1861, Altoona, PA; Died: 11 September 1923, Honolulu, HI;), beginning 31 May 1906, and at least until 12 August 1906, for
Thomas A. Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventio ...
, distributed in 1907, called ''Hawaiian Islands'', composed of over thirty segments, of which three segments, ''Panoramic View - Waikiki Beach Honolulu'', ''Surf Board Riders - Waikiki Honolulu'', and ''Surf Scenes - Waikiki Honolulu'', depict people surfing.
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* :File:Hawaiian Islands A Film by Thomas A Edison Shot in 1906 v240P.webm
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* :it:Boys Diving, Honolulu
]
The surfing documentary film was pioneered by
Bud Browne (e.g. ''Hawaiian Holiday'') in the early
1950s, and later popularized by
Bruce Brown (e.g. ''
The Endless Summer
''The Endless Summer'' is a 1966 American surf documentary film directed, produced, edited and narrated by Bruce Brown. The film follows surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August on a surfing trip around the world. Despite the balmy mediterrane ...
'') in the late 1950s and early 1960s. They were later advanced by
Greg MacGillivray and Jim Freeman (e.g. ''
Five Summer Stories
''Five Summer Stories'' is a 1972 surf film by Jim Freeman and Greg MacGillivray of MacGillivray Freeman Films. The last film of the genre by the duo, it explores the joy of surfing amid the backdrop of 1970s political and environmental problem ...
'') in the 1970s and beyond (MacGillivray and Freeman later went on to film
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.
Graeme F ...
movies such as ''
To Fly!'' and
''Speed''). The genre itself has been defined by surfers traveling with their friends and documenting the experience on film. In the era of Bruce Brown, Greg Noll, Bud Browne,
John Severson
John Severson (SEA-ver-son, 1933–2017) was an American editor, author, filmmaker and artist, widely known as the founder of '' Surfer'', a magazine focused on the sport and culture of surfing. Severson also created a diverse body of artwork dedi ...
and others, films were projected for fans in music halls, civic centers, high school gyms, coffee houses, and high school auditoriums.
During the 1980s, the market for surf films surged with the release of more affordable video cameras. By the 1990s, the
surfing
Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...
market became saturated with low and medium budget surf films, many with sound tracks that reflected the
surf music
Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is instrumental su ...
. VHS and DVDs made the surf film viewing experience an "at home" affair, and the era of joining friends or taking a girl to "surf movie night" at the local high school soon waned. Furthermore, large surf brands began sponsoring surf films to promote clothing and product sales. Titles like
Sonny Miller
Sonny Miller (July 18, 1960 – July 8, 2014) was an American cinematographer and waterman specializing in surfing and nature photography. He achieved success filming surfing related dramas, ''In God's Hands'' (1998). '' Riding Giants'' (2004), ...
's, ''The Search'' for
Rip Curl
Rip Curl is a designer, manufacturer, and retailer of Surfing#Equipment, surfing sportswear (also known as ''boardwear'') and accompanying products, and a major athletic sponsor. Rip Curl has become one of the largest surfing companies in Aust ...
redefined the genre with exotic locales, big budgets and name surfers, such as
Tom Curren
Tom Curren is an American surfer.
Professional career
By the time Curren joined the ASP World Tour in 1983, he was competing with professionals such as Rabbit Bartholomew, Shaun Tomson, and Cheyne Horan.
He was world champion
A world c ...
.
In the late 1990s to the present, there has been a revival of the "independent surf film." Artists, like
The Malloys
The Malloys is the working name of music video and film directors and brothers Emmett Malloy and Brendan Malloy. They have been with Superprime Films since 2010.
Videography
*"Holiday" by Vampire Weekend (2010)
*"Love Dealer" by Esmée Denter ...
,
Jack Johnson (musician) and Jason Baffa have reinvented the genre by shooting self-financed 16mm motion picture film and utilizing indy music bands like G. Love, Alexi Murdoch, Mojave 3, White Buffalo and Donavon Frankenreiter, creating what the surf media has called, "modern classics." Some venues still screen surfing films on the big screen.
Examples of surfing documentaries include:
*''Hawaiian Islands'' (1906)
*''Surfing, National Sport in the Hawaiian Islands'' (1911)
*''
Burton Holmes
Elias Burton Holmes (1870–1958) was an American traveler, photographer and filmmaker, who coined the term "travelogue".
Travel stories, slide shows, and motion pictures were all in existence before Holmes began his career, as was the profess ...
’ Hawaiian Shores'' (1921)
*''Topical Budget 884-2 Bucking the Waves'' (1928)
*''Pictorial Sportreel: Riding the Crest'' (1939)
''Riding the Crest''
at Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
*''Surfboard Rhythm'' (1947)
*''Thrills of the Surf'' (1949)
*''Surfing Daze'' (1949)
*''Slippery When Wet
''Slippery When Wet'' is the third studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was released on August 18, 1986, by Mercury Records in North America and Vertigo Records internationally. It was produced by Bruce Fairbairn, with recording sess ...
'' (1958)
*'' Surf Crazy'' (1959)
*''Honolulu Surfing Daze'' (1959)
*'' Barefoot Adventure'' (1960)
*'' Surfing Hollow Days'' (1961)
*'' Waterlogged'' (1962)
*''Gone With the Wave'' (1964)
*''King of the Wild Waves'' (1964)
*''The Living Curl'' (1965)
*''The Endless Summer
''The Endless Summer'' is a 1966 American surf documentary film directed, produced, edited and narrated by Bruce Brown. The film follows surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August on a surfing trip around the world. Despite the balmy mediterrane ...
'' (1966)
*''The Moods of Surfing'' (1967)
*''The Fantastic Plastic Machine
''The Fantastic Plastic Machine'' is a 1969 documentary film following a group of California surfers as they journey to an Australian surfing competition. The film is narrated by Jay North. It was directed by Eric and Lowell Blum and was filme ...
'' (1969)
* ''The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun'' (1970)
*''Five Summer Stories
''Five Summer Stories'' is a 1972 surf film by Jim Freeman and Greg MacGillivray of MacGillivray Freeman Films. The last film of the genre by the duo, it explores the joy of surfing amid the backdrop of 1970s political and environmental problem ...
'' (1972)
*''Morning of the Earth
''Morning of the Earth'' is a 1971 classic surf film by Alby Falzon and David Elfick.
The film's soundtrack was produced by G. Wayne Thomas and included music and songs by noted Australian music acts Tamam Shud, John J. Francis, Brian Cadd, Mik ...
'' (1973)
* ''Crystal Voyager
''Crystal Voyager'' is a 1973 Australian surf film directed by David Elfick. It was filmed by Albert Falzon, written and narrated by surfer, photographer and filmmaker George Greenough who had previously made the 1970 surfing film '' The Innermo ...
'' (1973)
*''Tubular Swells'' (1975)
*'' Storm Riders'' (1982)
*''Momentum
In Newtonian mechanics, momentum (more specifically linear momentum or translational momentum) is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It is a vector quantity, possessing a magnitude and a direction. If is an object's mass an ...
'' (1992)
*'' Endless Summer II'' (1994)
*''The Kill'' (1993)
*'' Thicker than Water'' (2000)
*'' September Sessions'' (2000)
*'' The Endless Summer: Revisited'' (2000)
*'' Liquid Time'' (2002)
*''Surf Movie: reels 1-14'' (2003)
* ''Blue Horizon'' (2003)
*'' Step Into Liquid'' (2003)
*''Glass Love'' (2004)
*'' Riding Giants'' (2004)
*''Somewhere, Anywhere, Everywhere'' (2004)
*'' Singlefin: yellow'' (2004)
*''The Seedling'' (2004)
*''AKA Girl Surfer'' (2004)
*''Billabong Odyssey'' (2005)
*'' Fair Bits'' (2005)
*''Going With The Flow: Classic California Soul Surfing'' (2005)
*''Sprout'' (2005)
*''A Broke Down Melody'' (2006)
*''Free As A Dog'' (2006)
*''Peel: The Peru Project - A Surf Odyssey'' (2006)
*''The Secret Machine'' (2006)
*'' One California Day'' (2007)
*''Sipping Jetstreams'' (2007)
*''The Forgotten Coast'' (2007)
*''Bustin' Down the Door'' (2008)
*''New Emissions of Light and Sound'' (2008)
*''Live: A Music & Surfing Experience'' (2008)
*''Water man'' (2008)
*''Waveriders
''Waveriders'' is a 2008 documentary film produced by Margo Harkin and directed by Joel Conroy.
Synopsis
''Waveriders'' focuses on the Irish roots of surfing. The film covers the life of Irish-Hawaiian surfer George Freeth and his influence in p ...
'' (2008)
*'' Out of Place'' (2009)
*''The Present'' (2009)
*''Fiberglass and Megapixels'' (2010)
*''First Love'' (2010)
*'' God Went Surfing With The Devil'' (2010)
*''White Wash
Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime ( calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk calcium carbonate, (CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes use ...
''
*''Year Zero'' (2011)
*''Drift
Drift or Drifts may refer to:
Geography
* Drift or ford (crossing) of a river
* Drift, Kentucky, unincorporated community in the United States
* In Cornwall, England:
** Drift, Cornwall, village
** Drift Reservoir, associated with the village
...
'' (2012)
*'' Here & Now: A Day in the Life of Surfing'' (2012)
*''Strange Rumblings in Shangri-LA'' (2014)
*''View from a Blue Moon'' (2015)
* ''Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable'' (2018)
*''Self Discovery for Social Survival'' (2019)
*''In The Water, Behind The Lens'' (2022)
Beach Party films
The second type of surf movie would be the campy entertainment feature, also termed " beach party films" or "surfploitation flicks" by true surfers, having little to do with the authentic sport and culture of surfing
Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...
and representing movies that attempted to cash in on the growing popularity of surfing among youth in the early 1960s. Examples of Beach Party films include:
*''Gidget
Gidget () is a fictional character created by author Frederick Kohner (based on his teenaged daughter, Kathy) in his 1957 novel, ''Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas''. The novel follows the adventures of a teenaged girl and her surfing fri ...
'' (1959)
*''Gidget Goes Hawaiian
''Gidget Goes Hawaiian'' is a 1961 American romantic comedy musical film starring James Darren, Michael Callan and Deborah Walley. Released by Columbia Pictures, the film is a sequel to the 1959 Sandra Dee beach film vehicle ''Gidget''. Dee was ...
'' (1961)
*''Beach Party
''Beach Party'' is a 1963 American film and the first of seven beach party films from American International Pictures (AIP) aimed at a teen audience.Smith, Gary A. Smith (2009) ''The American International Pictures Video Guide'', McFarland p.2 ...
'' (1963)
*''Ride the Wild Surf
''Ride the Wild Surf'' is a 1964 American romantic drama film. It was filmed in 1963 and distributed in 1964. Unlike the beach party movies of the era, this was a departure from the typical Hollywood approach to surfing as it was a drama, not a ...
'' (1964)
*'' Surf Party'' (1964)
*'' Beach Blanket Bingo'' (1965)
*''Malibu Beach
Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...
'' (1978)
*''The Beach Girls
''The Beach Girls'' is a 1982 American sex comedy film directed by Pat Townsend. It stars Jeana Tomasino, Val Kline and Debra Blee.
Plot
Two college girls, Ducky and Ginger, meet their naive friend, Sarah, at a Southern California beach house. ...
'' (1982)
*'' Spring Break'' (1983)
*''Hardbodies
''Hardbodies'' is a 1984 American sex comedy film about three middle-aged men who hire a younger man to help them pick up women at the beach. The film was directed by Mark Griffiths, and stars Grant Cramer, Courtney Gains and Gary Wood. It was f ...
'' (1984)
*''Back to the Beach
''Back to the Beach'' is a 1987 American comedy film starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, directed by Lyndall Hobbs. The original music score is composed by Steve Dorff. The film generated a total domestic gross of $13,110,903. It re ...
'' (1987)
*''Teen Beach Movie
''Teen Beach Movie'' is a Disney Channel Original Movie that premiered on July 19, 2013, on Disney Channel, starring Ross Lynch and Maia Mitchell. Directed by Jeffrey Hornaday, ''Teen Beach Movie'' was filmed in Puerto Rico. It was the only Disney ...
'' (2013)
Narrative Surf Films
Surfing is occasionally portrayed more realistically within fictional storylines, or used as a backdrop, or side theme.
*''Big Wednesday
''Big Wednesday'' is a 1978 American coming of age film directed by John Milius. Written by Milius and Dennis Aaberg, it is loosely based on their own experiences at Malibu, California. The picture stars Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, and Gary ...
'' (1978)
*''Puberty Blues
''Puberty Blues'' is a 1981 Australian coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Bruce Beresford, based on the 1979 novel of the same name (essentially a protofeminist teen novel) by Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey.
Plot
The story focuses ...
'' (1981)
*'' Surf II'' (1984)
*'' North Shore'' (1987)
*'' Surf Nazis Must Die'' (1987)
*''Point Break
''Point Break'' is a 1991 American action crime film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by W. Peter Iliff. It stars Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey. The film's title refers to the surfing term " point break", wher ...
'' (1991)
*''A Scene at the Sea
is a 1991 Japanese drama film written, edited and directed by Takeshi Kitano starring Claude Maki.
Plot
A deaf garbage collector happens upon a broken and discarded surfboard. The discovery plants in him dreams of becoming a surf champion. Enc ...
'' (1991)
*'' Surf Ninjas'' (1993)
*''Blue Juice
''Blue Juice'' is a 1995 British drama film directed by Carl Prechezer and starring Sean Pertwee, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ewan McGregor, and Steven Mackintosh. It follows JC (Pertwee) as he attempts to reconcile his surfer lifestyle and loser f ...
'' (1995)
*'' In God's Hands'' (1998)
*''Blue Crush
''Blue Crush'' is a 2002 sports film directed by John Stockwell and based on Susan Orlean's 1998 ''Outside'' magazine article "Life's Swell". It stars Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez, Sanoe Lake and Mika Boorem. The film tells the story of ...
'' (2002)
*''Local Boys
''Local Boys'' is a 2002 American coming-of-age drama film. The film was directed by Ron Moler and written by Norman Douglas Bradley and Thomas Matthew Stewart. The film stars Jeremy Sumpter and Eric Christian Olsen as two brothers who face new ch ...
'' (2002)
*''Lords Of Dogtown
''Lords of Dogtown'' is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by Catherine Hardwicke and written by Stacy Peralta. The film follows a group of young skateboarders in Santa Monica, California during the 70s. This is the first (and so ...
'' (2005)
*'' Surf's Up'' (2007)
*''Soul Surfer
A soul surfer (term invented during the 1960s) is a surfer who surfs for the sheer pleasure of surfing. Although they may still enter competitions, winning is not the soul surfer's main motive, since they scorn the commercialization of surfing. T ...
'' (2011)
*'' Blue Crush 2'' (2011)
*''Chasing Mavericks
''Chasing Mavericks'' is a 2012 American biographical drama film about the life of American surfer Jay Moriarity (portrayed by Jonny Weston). It was directed by Curtis Hanson and Michael Apted, and stars Gerard Butler, Elisabeth Shue, Abigail S ...
'' (2012)
*'' Drift (film)'' (2013)
*''Point Break
''Point Break'' is a 1991 American action crime film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by W. Peter Iliff. It stars Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey. The film's title refers to the surfing term " point break", wher ...
'' (2015)
*'' Surf's Up 2: WaveMania'' (2017)
See also
* Ski film
A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partial ...
Sources
* Booth, Douglas (1996) "Surfing Films and Videos: Adolescent Fun, Alternative Lifestyle, Adventure Industry" ''Journal of Sport History''
* Thoms, Albie (2000) ''Surfmovies: The History of the Surf Film in Australia''
* Lisanti, Tom (2005) ''Hollywood Surf And Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959-1969''
* Warshaw, Matt (2005) ''Surf Movie Tonite!: Surf Movie Poster Art, 1957-2004'' San Francisco: Chronicle Books
* Williams, Randy (2006) ''Sports Cinema 100 Movies: The Best of Hollywood's Athletic Heroes, Losers, Myths, and Misfits'' Limelight Editions pg 134-136
* Chidester, Brian; Priore, Domenic; Zuckerman, Kathy (2008
''Pop Surf Culture: Music, Design, Film, and Fashion from the Bohemian surf boom''
Santa Monica Press Chapter 7
* Ormrod & Wheaton (2009) ''On the edge: leisure, consumption and the representation of adventure sports'' Leisure Studies Association Issue 104: 17-25
* Engle, John (2015
''Surfing in the Movies: A Critical History''
McFarland
* JONES, DAVIS (2017
“History Of Surfing: Bud Browne Goes To The Movies”
''Surfer''
* MacGillivray, Greg (2019
“The evolution of the surf film”
''Surfer Today''
References
External links
Surf Film Filmography
at montjuichboards.com
Surf Movies .org
1920’s film clip
at University of Hawaii
{{Authority control
Film genres
Film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...