Documentary Film > Endless Summer vs. Step Into Liquid: In Pursuit of Happiness

What is surfing all about? Why so many of the finest documentary film makers decide to make a movie about surfers? What was first? The love of film making or the love of surfing? It’s hard to tell. The film Endless Summer was directed by Bruce Brown, and released in 1966. He follows two young men around the globe in search of the endless summer, and in their quest to find the best waves possible. Step Into Liquid is a film directed by Dana Brown, son of Bruce, and is dedicated to uncover the motives of the best and most determined surfers in the world. My aim is to discover similarities and differences, - if there is any- between the two productions. Both father and son seem to be obsessed with the sport of surfing, knowing all of its beauty as well as its dangers. They both use a slightly different approach to introducing the viewer to the sport, but their ultimate goal is quite similar. To show us that happiness can be achieved through a simple little thing, such as catching the “perfect wave.”

The first of the two films I’ve seen was the Step Into Liquid. It was first shown in 2003 on the Tribeca Film Festival, followed by a limited release across the country. “No special effects. No stuntman. No stereotypes. No other feeling comes close.” The film’s opening tag prepares the viewer that what they are about to see will be hard to believe. What these surfers are capable of doing is far from what other ordinary people will ever be able to, no matter how much they practice those impossible tricks. The film is however made for the wider audience, not only for the fans of the sport. Dana Brown aims to popularize surfing partly by showing all its beauty and magnificence partly by eliminating false preconceptions about surfers, These guys are way more than just beach bums who don’t do anything meaningful with their lives. Surfers have to train hard to be as good as possible; still they always have to explain themselves to the rest of the world. The narrator is the director himself; he interviews the biggest contributors to the sport, not only the surfers, and the pioneers, but also magazine editors and competition organizers.

The film is organized into a structure in which we get to know all the biggest names in the sport, get to see the wildest and most exotic places on earth. In the first part of the movie we see how kids learn to surf, why they like to do it so much, or why they don’t like big waves. Later we meet the best women surfers, whom are just as fearless and competitive as the men. There is one thing that makes them different from the male surfers, and it is their attitude.As one of the girls puts it; “the best surfer is the one who has the most fun”.

Whether we are surfers or not, we all know that this statement captures the truth. No matter what our interest is, whatever gives us the most joy is worth doing it. As the story progresses we learn that surfing is a constant reinvention of oneself. At the Island of Rapa Nui, we all come to the conclusion that nature and human is all, but one. Surfing is a spiritual journey. We all want to know what it feels like to ride waves on a little board, surrounded by nothing but the bluest and deepest waters.

Besides just meeting the best surfers, the film also takes us to places that are not extreme in any sense. Not every types of water is ideal for surfing; locals can still be satisfied with what they have. For example who would think that people actually surf in Wisconsin? The modest waves are more than just good enough for the local surfers. They go as far as comparing their waves to the ones in Oahu’s North Shore. Just as a reality check, we are quickly taken to the mentioned local, and are introduced to the injuries and dangers of the sport. However scary a gigantic wave is, it is still beautiful through the cameras of John Paul Beeghly. The ocean is so perfect blue, and the beaches are so creamy yellow, it’s hard to imagine that people can actually die here. Gerry Lopez, one of the best pipeline riders says that it’s so scary to be sucked under a wave that it’s possible that they die a little. Chris Malloy says: “You just pray that you get injuries that can be fixed.” They know that a little hesitation can be a big mistake, and if they fall, their injuries may be fatal. Just as we see the breathtaking pictures, at the same time we hear a high-energy, high-volume music, and the singer screams at us: “Seize the moment seize the day.” Why take all the risks? Because it makes all your friends envy you, or is it something that you can show off? The answer is neither. When you’re in the water, your soul is free, you feel like you’re flying, and this feeling can be compared to nothing. It brings out your inner child. As a matter of fact, one man turned so silly that he decided to surf every single day, and at the time of the interview, he had already surfed for 9182 days in the past 25vears. He had planned to complete 10407 days by 2004. He tells us that by now he realized that dreams can come true. Surfing is his mission; the only meaning to his life is to ride until the end.

Dana Brown has the tools that his father didn’t have in 1966. There are gorgeous underwater shots that weren’t possible to take forty years ago. There is actually one attempt by Bruce Brown to go underwater. He gives a camera to Rob, who takes it with him when riding on his surfboard. This shot is only a few seconds long though, and not very spectacular or clear either. Dana has the technology to make longer, prolonged shots with a camera submerged in the ocean. He also uses helicopters, and jet-skis to get a better view of what the surfers do. These shots make Dana Brown’s film more of a spectacle that can be easily enjoyed without listening to the interviews and narrator.

Bruce Brown was in a much less advantageous position back in his times; nonetheless his film captures the essence of surfing just as excellently. His subject is the two surfers, Rob and Paul and their search of the “Endless Summer” around the globe. The sunrise and the sunset frame the film beautifully, giving us the impression that what we see happens in only one day. It’s like saying that life should be nothing but careless fun. This film is unarguably more subtle than Step Into Liquid in every imaginable respect, except for maybe one. The love of surfing and the cheer it spreads is clearly captured by both films. So let’s see what this subtlety means. Well, for one, the waves are a lot smaller in the earlier film. Most waves we see in this film can be easily ridden by both Rob and Paul. This sure is not an accident. Back then surfboards were a lot different from today’s boards, and not even suited for bigger waves. So the film maker decided to not even include them in his work. Another difference is the style of the music underlying the action. Bruce Brown chose music that is sometimes cheerful, sometimes incorporates local styles, but never overwhelming. In Step Into Liquid music is more intense, and it effectively complements the otherwise powerful images. Endless Summer has no interviews, the only voice we hear is Bruce Brown’s narration and sometimes people shouting in the background. The mood is very cheery, and happy, we are not faced with the dangers of the sport, except for maybe one or two reference to sharks. Even the appearance of the two young men is more subtle, they are young and skinny, have no tattoos, piercing, and don’t dye their hair. They are always friendly and pleasant to the locals, and never seem to be worried about anything.

The story is that the two boys will travel around the world, see some wild life, and make friends with the natives, maybe even teach them to surf. During their trip they go to Africa, visit Senegal and Ghana, and spend a month in South Africa. They meet a man who is afraid of the ocean, but is fearless when it comes to capturing poisonous snakes. Surfers here like to surf all together, and their age is surprisingly in the upper twenties and thirties. Girls are not likely to be the greatest surfers in the 1960s; they are only there for decorating the beaches. There is a couple of other difference that can be seen between the two films. First of all, there are many excellent women surfers today who are sometimes better than the men. Another difference is that Step Into Liquid introduces us to many not so young surfers, as a matter of fact, the best ones are way past their thirties. Of course it’s hard to imagine that these boys would ever get old. We also visit Australia, Haiti, and of course Hawaii, where the waves are perfect.

Interestingly enough Rob and Paul are included in the latter film as well, and mentioned in the subtitle that they were the heroes of the pioneering movie, the Endless Summer. They tell us that surfing is their first love, and it is something that they will do until the day they die.

Step Into Liquid seems to complement the deficiencies of the earlier film by presenting us with the spectacular images that were impossible to create due to technical constrains in 1966. Endless Summer maybe one of the first important surfing documentary, but Dana Brown sure created something valuable as well. Through the most beautiful locations to the most captivating surfers, this film is sure to offer something important to the surfer and to the every day people. That we should not fight the forces of nature and that we all have to respect our unifying but limited power. Life is short, but surfing is forever.

 

 

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