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 | surfing | wave | surfer | australia | 

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Taglines:

The Search for the Perfect Wave

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Genres:

Documentary | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 August 1968 (Japan)

Also Known As:

A végtelen nyár

Filming Locations:

Australia

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

According to an article in the "L.A. Weekly", after the film was edited, Michael Hynson and Bruce Brown (I) toured the U.S. in a bus in the summer of 1964, screening the documentary in high school auditoriums and Lions Clubs. The film originally didn't even have audio; Brown would play surf records and narrate the action live.

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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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Connections

Followed by The Endless Summer Revisited (2000)

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Soundtracks

TR-6
Written by Walter Georis and John Blakeley
Performed by The Sandals

User Reviews

Beautiful Wonderful Nostalgic Escape

Beautifully filmed, wonderfully nostalgic trip to a simpler time. A labor of love by those who lived the life and embraced the philosophy of the lifestyle. Characterized by friendly exploration of different beaches (as they chased Summer around the globe) as well as different cultures; a true escape in every sense of the word. These ambassadors of the sport don't perform a high energy showcase of different surfing moves, rather they exhibit the beauty and grace of 60's style surfing, making friends along the way. A must for anyone who has ever been on a board or dreamed of it. A great film for the whole family, I put it on on a Sunday night to forget the stress of the upcoming week. Watch it over and over-- it gets better every time.