The Endless Summer (1966)

The crown jewel to ten years of Bruce Brown surfing documentaries. Brown follows two young surfers around the world in search of the perfect wave, and ends up finding quite a few in addition to some colorful local characters.

Director:

Bruce Brown

Writer:

Bruce Brown

Stars:

Robert August, Michael Hynson, Lord James Blears

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Michael Hynson	...	Principal surfer (as Mike Hynson)
Robert August	...	Principal surfer
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lord James Blears	...	Himself (as Lord 'Tally Ho' Blears)
Bruce Brown	...	Narrator
Terence Bullen	...	South African guide
Roy Crump	...	North Shore Surfer
Chip Fitzwater	...	Himself - Bodysurfer at the Wedge with 'rigor mortis of the stomach.'
Chuck Gardner	...	Himself - Bellyboarder at the Wedge throwing board over wave
Wayne Miyata	...	Himself

Storyline

They call it The Endless Summer the ultimate surfing adventure, crossing the globe in search of the perfect wave. From the uncharted waters of West Africa, to the shark-filled seas of Australia, to the tropical paradise of Tahiti and beyond, these California surfers accomplish in a few months what most people never do in a lifetime...They live their dream. Director Bruce Brown creates a film so powerful it has become a timeless masterpiece that continues to capture the imagination of every new generation. When it first played in theaters, audiences lined up to see it again and again, spellbound by its thrilling excitement and awesome photography. But in fact, what's most compelling about the film is the sport of surfing itself, and once you've seen it, you'll never forget why.

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Plot Keywords:

national film registry | beach party | surfing | wave | surfer | 

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Taglines:

A true motion picture about surfing. Filmed in Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii and California.

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Genres:

Documentary | Sport

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 August 1968 (Japan)

Also Known As:

A végtelen nyár

Filming Locations:

French Polynesia

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bruce Brown Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jess Porting, founder of the Center for Surf Research, said of this film, "[It] planted an adventure seed in millions of young people's minds".

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Goofs

Walking down to the beach in Ghana, West Africa, both Mike Hynson and Robert August are wearing white bathing suits. A few moments later on the same beach Mike Hynson is now wearing a blue bathing suit.

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Quotes

Narrator: [while surfing in Durban, South Africa] They call their bathing suits 'costumes' - in America we'd call that thing a g-string!

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Crazy Credits

Special thanks to old king Neptune for providing the waves in this film

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Alternate Versions

Footage not originally shown in the movie is shown in the documentary "Endless Summer Revisited".

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Connections

Featured in Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story (2019)

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Soundtracks

Wild as the Sea
Written by Walter Georis and John Blakeley
Performed by The Sandals

User Reviews

One trip definitely worth taking!

THE ENDLESS SUMMER is a terrific Documentary and a really great "trip" (in every sense of the word) to another era: the 1960's.

Basically, the film is a photographic journal of two American surfers who start off from California, USA, and travel the world to find "the perfect wave". We follow them as they travel, and, if we're in a receptive mood, we have a lot of fun also. The film includes most of their trip, but the focus is on their journey through North and South Africa, New Zealand,Hawaii, Tahiti and Australia.

The film features some typical surfer humour that some would find a bit "lame", but it always makes me laugh. One silly example: The two surfers pack their bags for their trip. One of them reads about possible shark attacks. The next thing that we see is the other one packing a single "band-aid"...for emergencies! Typical surfer humour!! Interestingly, but unfortunately for us, the only place the boys can't find a decent surf is here, in Australia! During their Australian trip they are constantly told by the younger and older surfers alike: "You guys really missed it. You should have been here yesterday!" This really means: "You guys really missed it. You should have been here last winter!" There are so many good things in the film to enjoy: the laconic narration by Bruce Brown; the personalities of the two surfers, Robert and Mike; the evocative music score; the excellent photography and editing; and the scenic locations all combine to make this a great experience. This is one of the few films that will make you really appreciate surfing...and documentary films. It's a fine example of how to make an imaginative film with a small budget. THE ENDLESS SUMMER is truly one trip definitely worth taking!