Jump to content

The Endless Summer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the 1966 documentary film. For other uses, seeEndless Summer (disambiguation).

The Endless Summer
Theatrical releaseposter[1][2]byJohn Van Hamersveldfrom photograph of Bruce Brown (left),[3]Robert August and Mike Hynsen by Bob Bagley, taken atSalt Creek Beach;[4]artwork also used forhandbills[5](1964-1966) and show program booklets.[2]
Directed byBruce Brown
Produced byBruce Brown
StarringMike Hynson
Robert August
Narrated byBruce Brown
Cinematography
  • Bruce Brown
  • Phillip Akin
  • R. Paul Allen[6]
  • Bob Bagley
  • George Greenough
  • Bob Richardson
  • Paul Witzig
Edited byBruce Brown
Music byThe Sandals
Production
company
Bruce Brown Films
Distributed by
Release date
  • June 15, 1966(1966-06-15)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$50,000
Box office$20 million[8]

The Endless Summeris a 1966 Americansurfdocumentary filmdirected, produced, edited and narrated byBruce Brown.The film follows surfers Mike Hynson andRobert Auguston asurfingtrip around the world. Despite the balmymediterranean climateof their native California,cold ocean currents[9]make local beaches inhospitable during the winter, without later, modern wetsuits. They travel to the coasts ofAustralia,New Zealand,Tahiti,Hawaii,Senegal(Dakar),[10]Ghana,NigeriaandSouth Africain a quest for new surf spots while introducing locals to the sport along the way.

The narrative presentation eases from the stiff, formal documentary of the 1950s and early 1960s to a more casual, fun-loving and personal style filled with sly humor, honed from six years of live narration. The film'ssurf rocksoundtrack was provided byThe Sandals,and the theme song was written by Gaston Georis and John Blakeley of the Sandals;Theme From "The Endless Summer"[11]has since become one of the best known film themes in the surf movie genre.[citation needed]

In 1994, it was followed by thesequelThe Endless Summer II.In 2000,Dana Brown,compiledThe Endless Summer Revisited,later directingStep into Liquid,in 2003, documentingtow-in surfing.[12]

Background[edit]

8 mm[edit]

Bruce Brown started surfing in the early 1950s.[8]He took still photographs to show his mother what the draw of the sport was. While serving in theU.S. NavyonOahuyears later, he used an8mmmovie camera to photograph surfers from California.[13][14]Once Brown got back to the states, he edited his footage into an hour-long film. SurferDale Velzyshowed it at hisSan Clementeshop, charging 25 cents for admission.

16 mm[edit]

Bob Bagley chose the equipment at the camera store, including a16 mmcamera, and Velzy peeled off the money from his wad of cash to outfit Brown's $5,000 production[15]Slippery When Wet(1958), Brown's first "real" surf film.[8]

In the winter of 1958, Brown went back to Hawaii to film theNorth Shore's big surf. Just as Allen had done, to learn promotion, Brown went to the library for a book about how to make movies,[15]and on the plane ride over, the novice filmmaker read the book. Brown said, "I never had formal training in filmmaking and that probably worked to my advantage".[8]In 1959, Dick Metz's[16]meeting[17]withJohn Whitmore,on a Cape Town beach, and introduction to Cape St. Francis, during his family-liquor-license-sale-to-Disneyland-funded[18]three-year global surf trip (1958—1961)[19]led to his inspiring[20]Bruce Brown to film there,[21][22]By 1962, he had spent five years making one surf film per year, exhibiting at high school gyms and coffee houses, as a live production, narrating the silent film, from the stage, and playing tape recorded music.[23][24]and a letter, to Whitmore, about Brown.[25]He would shoot during the fall and winter months, edit during the spring and show the finished product during the summer.[26][5]

Prior toThe Endless Summer,Brown madeunnamed 25¢ silent 8mm film footage,Slippery When Wet(1958),Surf Crazy(1959),Barefoot Adventure(1960),Surfing Hollow Days(1961),[27]andWaterlogged(1962).[28][29]Each year, Allen and Brown made two tours, of theWest Coast of the United States,andHawaiʻi,exhibiting a film.[5]

"We would take the films to the venues in a van, and we had rewinds and viewers in the back of the van and I would actually edit the stuff while we were traveling. I would adjust it according to the reactions of the audience from the previous night." —Bruce Brown[8]

Title[edit]

The film's title comes from the idea expressed at both the beginning and end of the film that, if one had enough time and money, it would be possible to follow the summer up and down the world (northern to southern hemisphere and back), making it endless.

Development[edit]

Brown remembered, "I felt if I could take two years to make a film, maybe I could make something special".[8]To do this, he would need a bigger budget than he had on previous films. To raise the $50,000 budget forThe Endless Summer,Brown took the best footage from his four previous films and madeWaterlogged.[30]With the money raised fromWaterlogged,Brown filmedThe Endless Summer,his sixth surf film.[30]

Brown's original concept was forCape St. Francisto be the main destination, but through the suggestion of atravel agent,during the planning stages of the film, that around-the-world ticket,would cost $50 cheaper than just aLos AngelestoCape Town, South Africaround-trip flight.[31]after which Bruce came up with the idea of following the summer season by traveling up and down the world.[citation needed]

Production[edit]

The Endless Summerwas filmed in:

Mike Hynson and Robert August had to pay $1,400 for their own around-the-world tickets, and Brown required a commitment of three months.[37]Production lasted four months.[38]

The opening shot of Mike Hynson and Robert August as silhouettes walking to the beach with burnt orange sky evokes the movie poster.[39]

Cast[edit]

(South African guide)[49][50][51]

Poster[edit]

John Van Hamersveld with an original 60 "x 40" The Endless Summer poster

In 1964, fellow surfer John Van Hamersveld was a student at the Art Center College of Design and the art director ofSurfing Illustrated MagazineandSurfermagazine. To produce the image that would become iconic, he organized a photo session with the producer and the two stars at Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point.[52]Using photo techniques for the central image and hand-lettering the title Van Hamersveld created a “national phenomenon”[52]image that has endured as a classic. He was paid $150 for the art. The poster is featured in the National Museum of American History section of the Smithsonian Institution. In the description the museum noted, “The poster’s premise was Browns but Van Hamersveld took Bob Bagley’s image of the movie’s stars Mike Hynson and Robert August and Brown and transformed it into a 1960s neon masterpiece.”[53][54][55]

Distribution[edit]

Bruce Brown, at first, narrated the silent film live, from the stage, and accompanied it with tape recorded music, at school auditoriums, and similar venues, with R. Paul Allen collecting tickets,[56]travelling by camper.[57]He later took the completed film to several Hollywood studio distributors but was rejected because they did not think it would have mainstream appeal.[8]In January 1964, Bruce Brown and R. Paul Allen[58][59][60]tookThe Endless SummertoWichita, Kansasandfour-walledthe Sunset Theater[61]for two weeks, amidst a projectionist strike, with a bomb threat[51]on the first showing, where moviegoers lined up in snowy weather in the middle of winter, selling out multiple screenings, and locallyoutgrossingMy Fair Lady.[38][62]Distributors were still not convinced and Brown rented a theater in New York City where his film ran successfully for 48 weeks.[63][8]After the success of the run at New York's Kips Bay Theater, Don Rugoff of Cinema V distribution said he did not want the film or poster changed and wanted them distributed as is, thus Brown selected him over other distributors who wished to alter the poster.[64]When distributed by Cinema V,The Endless Summergrossed $5 million domestically[65]and over $20 million worldwide.[8]

Reception[edit]

OnRotten Tomatoes,the film has an aggregate score of 100% based on 23 critic reviews.[66]Roger Ebertsaid of Brown's work, "the beautiful photography he brought home almost makes you wonder if Hollywood hasn't been trying too hard".[67]Timemagazine wrote, "Brown leaves analysis of the surf-cult mystique to seagoing sociologists, but demonstrates quite spiritedly that some of the brave souls mistaken for beachniks are, in fact, converts to a difficult, dangerous and dazzling sport".[68]

In his review forThe New York Times,Robert Aldenwrote, "the subject matter itself—the challenge and the joy of a sport that is part swimming, part skiing, part sky-diving and part Russian roulette—is buoyant fun".[69]

Legacy[edit]

WhenThe Endless Summerpremiered on June 15, 1966, it encouraged many surfers to travel abroad, giving birth to the "surf-and-travel" culture, with prizes for finding "uncrowded surf", meeting new people and riding the "perfect wave". It also introduced the sport, which had become popular outside ofHawaiiand thePolynesianIslands in places likeCaliforniaand Australia, to a broader audience.[citation needed]

The then-unknown break offCape St. Francisin South Africa, characterized as having the “perfect wave”, became one of the world's most famous surfing sites thanks toThe Endless Summer.[70]

In 2002,The Endless Summerwas selected for preservation in the United StatesNational Film Registryby theLibrary of Congressas being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[71][72]

Gallery[edit]

  • Publicity photos from the making ofThe Endless Summer

Sequels[edit]

In 1994, Brown released a sequel,The Endless Summer II,in which surfersPat O'ConnellandRobert "Wingnut" Weaverretrace the steps of Hynson and August. It shows the growth and evolution of the surfing scene since the first film, which presented only classiclongboardsurfing. O'Connell rides ashortboard,which was developed in the time between the two movies, and there are scenes ofwindsurfingandbodyboarding.

The 1994 film illustrates how far surfing had spread since 1964, with footage of surf sessions in France, South Africa,Costa Rica,Bali,Java,and evenAlaska.The 1994 sequel follows a similar structure to the original, with another round the world surfing adventure reflecting on cultural differences since the first film was shot.[citation needed]The South Africa material includes a return visit to Cape St. Francis, where the “perfect wave” had deteriorated somewhat, due to onshore construction projects.[73]

In 2000,Dana Brown,Bruce's son, releasedThe Endless Summer Revisited,which consisted of unused footage from the first two films, as well as original cast interviews.[citation needed]

Further reading[edit]

  • Eagan, Daniel (January 1, 2010). "The Endless Summer".America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry.A&C Black. pp. 615–616.ISBN978-0-8264-2977-3.OCLC277068941.
  • Sproul, David Kent (2004).Post-modern cowboys: The transformation of sport in the twentieth century(PhD dissertation).Las Vegas, Nevada:University of Nevada, Las Vegas.doi:10.25669/rwgb-7n85.Paper 2621.
  • "OC Surf Stories".OC PL – viaYouTube.

References[edit]

  1. ^
  2. ^ab
  3. ^"It's History: 'The Endless Summer'".Dana Point Times.October 7, 2016.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  4. ^"'The Endless Summer' Historical Marker ".Historical Marker Database.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  5. ^abcdA, RP."Promoting" The Endless Summer "".OC Surf Stories.OC PL ocgov.com.RetrievedMay 11,2022.via YouTube
  6. ^
  7. ^pronounced "cinema five"
  8. ^abcdefghiRyan, Tim (October 24, 2004)."Big waves, big screen: 'Endless Summer' filmmaker Bruce Brown talks about the movie that changed the sport".Honolulu Star-Bulletin.Archived fromthe originalon August 9, 2010.RetrievedMay 11,2022.
  9. ^
  10. ^"'The Endless Summer' Movie Review ".Common Sense Media.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  11. ^"Theme From 'The Endless Summer'".Universal Music Group. March 31, 2017.RetrievedMay 11,2022– viaYouTube.Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
  12. ^Farhi, Paul (December 13, 2017)."Perspective: The beautiful lie Bruce Brown and 'The Endless Summer' told us about surfing".Washington Post.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  13. ^Remembering Bruce Brown, Director of The Endless SummerOutsideviaInternet Archive.Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  14. ^‘Endless Summer’ Filmmaker Bruce Brown Dies at 80Variety.Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  15. ^abA, RP."Making Surf Movies".OC Surf Stories.OC PL.RetrievedMay 11,2022.via YouTube
  16. ^
  17. ^"A Lifelong Friendship Is Born: Dick Metz and John Whitmore, Capetown, 1959 -".Surfing Heritage and Culture Center.September 30, 2021.RetrievedMay 11,2022.
  18. ^"Episodes 301 - Dick Metz: Part Two".Surf Splendor Podcast.December 11, 2019.RetrievedMay 11,2022.
  19. ^Scales, David (December 5, 2019)."episode 300 - Dick Metz: Part One".Surf Splendor Podcast.RetrievedMay 11,2022.
  20. ^"Life & Times of Dicky Metz: Surfer, playboy, explorer & entrepreneur".Pacific Longboarder Magazine.Nerang,Australia:Surf Media Pty Ltd.RetrievedMay 11,2022.
  21. ^Sakamoto, Glenn."Birth of the Endless Summer: Discovery of Cape St. Francis - An Interview with Richard Yelland".Liquid Salt.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  22. ^Haro, Alexander (November 2, 2021)."'Birth of the Endless Summer: Discovery of Cape St. Francis' Tells Untold Story of Iconic Surf Film ".The Inertia.
  23. ^Handler, Amy (January 10, 2011)."The Endless Summer: Filmmaker Bruce Brown".Film Threat.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  24. ^Grilli, Jon (November 2, 2018)."Selling the Stoke: Surfing Toward the 'The Endless Summer'".KCET.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  25. ^Turner, Andrew (November 25, 2021)."'Birth of The Endless Summer' brings surfing community together ".Daily Pilot.Los Angeles Times.RetrievedMay 11,2022.
  26. ^Roderick, Kevin (December 11, 2017)."Bruce Brown, surfing filmmaker of 'The Endless Summer,' dies at 80".LA Observed.KCRW.Archived fromthe originalon December 17, 2017.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  27. ^"Surfing Hollow Days (1961)".rogerwilkersonblog.June 5, 2014.RetrievedMay 11,2022.
  28. ^"Bruce Brown, Director of Surf Film 'Endless Summer,' Dies at 80".The Hollywood Reporter.Associated Press.December 11, 2017.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  29. ^Banash, David (June 14, 2011)."In Search of the Endless Summer: Surf Films".PopMatters.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  30. ^ab"Five Decades of Endless Summers".Dana Point Times.May 2, 2014.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  31. ^Bharath, Deepa; Connelly, Laylan (May 15, 2014). "Surfing through time".Huntington Beach Wave.p. 3.
  32. ^Hoffman, Carl (May 1, 2004)."Endless Summer (on Demand)".Wired.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  33. ^"Surfing Raglan's famous left-hand breaks".Hamilton and Waikato Tourism.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  34. ^"The Endless Summer".Bruce Brown Films.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  35. ^"The Endless Summer".Film in America.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  36. ^Pursell, Robert."Almost 50 years later, surf film 'The Endless Summer' location, Labadi beach, trashed".Men's Journal.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  37. ^Hoad, Phil (December 13, 2017)."'If there's an ocean, maybe there's surf': Bruce Brown on making The Endless Summer ".the Guardian.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  38. ^ab"5 things you may not know about Bruce Brown and 'The Endless Summer'".Men's Journal.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  39. ^P., Chris (January 11, 2015)."The Endless Summer".The Focus Pull: Film Journal.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  40. ^Schou, Nick (July 9, 2009)."Mike Hynson star of 'The Endless Summer,' resurfaces with tales of the Brotherhood".OC Weekly.RetrievedJune 13,2012.
  41. ^Warshaw, Matt."Hynson, Mike".Encyclopedia of Surfing.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  42. ^ab"Biographies: Robert August".Surfhistory.com.December 30, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon December 30, 2006.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  43. ^"Mike Hynson".Brotherhood of Eternal Love, History.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  44. ^abcdeEagan, Daniel (January 1, 2010). "The Endless Summer".America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry.A&C Black. pp. 615–616.ISBN978-0-8264-2977-3.OCLC277068941.
  45. ^"Corky Carroll - Bio".Surf School.November 13, 2019.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  46. ^
  47. ^"Biographies: Nat Young".Surfhistory.com.March 11, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon March 11, 2007.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  48. ^abcdefgh"The Endless Summer".SurferToday.
  49. ^Serong, Jock (August 26, 2017)."A Short History Of The Endless Summer".Surfing World Magazine.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  50. ^"The Endless Summer".TCM Movie Database.Turner Classic Movies.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  51. ^ab
  52. ^abLA Magazine Article on John Van Hamersveld
  53. ^Review of poster on the Smithsonian Institution website
  54. ^Article about John Van Hamersveld
  55. ^Entry about JVH in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
  56. ^Sandomir, Richard(December 12, 2017)."Bruce Brown, 80, Dies; His 'Endless Summer' Documented Surfing".The New York Times.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  57. ^Soergel, Matt (March 25, 2019)."In the summer of 1964, everybody went surfing".The Florida Times-Union.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  58. ^A, RP."Making Surf Movies".OC Surf Stories.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  59. ^A, RP."Promoting" The Endless Summer "".ocstories.org.RetrievedMay 10,2022.Transcript & embedded video
  60. ^Allen, R. Paul (December 5, 2019)."Promoting" The Endless Summer "".Orange County Surf Stories.Oceanside, Orange County, California: Orange County Public Libraries.RetrievedMay 10,2022.viaYouTube
  61. ^"Sunset Theatre in Wichita, KS".Cinema Treasures.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  62. ^Benning, Jim (December 11, 2006)."The Enduring Appeal ofThe Endless Summer".WorldHum.RetrievedMay 26,2010.
  63. ^Howard, Jake (December 14, 2017)."In Remembrance: Bruce Brown, Maker of 'The Endless Summer,' Passes Away at 80".San Clemente Times.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  64. ^The Endless Summer - A Look Back at the Endless Summer(DVD). monterey media. 2010.
  65. ^Tom Lisanti,Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959-1969,McFarland 2005, p270
  66. ^"The Endless Summer".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedSeptember 2,2022.
  67. ^ Ebert, Roger(June 12, 1967)."The Endless Summer movie review (1967)".Chicago Sun-Times.RetrievedMay 10,2022– via RogerEbert.com.
  68. ^"Surfs Up".Time.July 8, 1966.
  69. ^Alden, Robert(June 16, 1966)."The Screen: A Grim, Gripping Western, 'Duel at Diablo,' Opens Here:James Garner Stars in Ralph Nelson Film 5 Other Movies Have Local Premieres".The New York Times.RetrievedMay 10,2022.THE ENDLESS SUMMER, written, photographed and produced by Bruce Brown. Assistant photographers: R. Paul Allen, Bob Bagley and Paul Witzig. A Bruce Brown film, presented by the producer. At the Kips Bay Theater, 520 Second Avenue.
  70. ^Cosford, Bill (June 10, 1994)."Beach Culture".Entertainment Weekly.RetrievedMay 26,2010.
  71. ^"Librarian of Congress Adds 25 Films to National Film Registry".Library of Congress.RetrievedSeptember 30,2020.
  72. ^"Complete National Film Registry Listing".Library of Congress.RetrievedSeptember 30,2020.
  73. ^“Fake Diamonds”,Surfer Magazine(July 22, 2010).

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toThe Endless Summer.
Wikiquote has quotations related toThe Endless Summer.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Endless_Summer&oldid=1233988961"