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:

The Endless Summer

Filming Locations:

French Polynesia

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$10,233

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,233

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

The official documentary of the band Tsunami Samurai.

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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: [Entering Ghana] Were they really doing the right thing? Had the UN been there before or not?

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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

Referenced in Summer School (1987)

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Soundtracks

Decoy
Written by John Gibson and John Blakeley
Performed by The Sandals

User Reviews

The definitive surf movie.

Forget the Hollywood teen scene movies from the 60's with Frankie and Annette. That was teen exploitation (and the teens knew it and didn't watch them, either). This movie is completely different.

"Endless Summer" is not exactly a drama, but not exactly a documentary either. You follow two young surfers as they travel the globe looking for the elusive "Endless Summer" of year-round surfing. The narration is hilarious and the surf action will make even the novice landlubber want to grab a raft and skip across the backyard pool.

No bikini-clad girls trying to understand boys. No swim-trunk clad boys trying to understand girls. No meddling chaperones and hilarious hi-jinks. No musical guest stars. What you get is one of the best films about surfing and Life. Period.

Surfers will own it already, but for those who haven't seen it - see it.