“You guys really missed it. You should have been here yesterday!” – Bruce Brown –
In a way this phrase from The Endless Summer, Bruce Brown’s iconic surf film, rings true on a larger scale. With fewer people in the water at high caliber waves, less expensive travel options, welcoming foreign populations, and countless empty waves to discover, the early years of surf culture were an adventurer’s paradise. As evidenced by his motivation to capture much of it on film, Brown was hyperaware of this early on.
As one of only a handful of surf film makers in the 1950s and 1960s, Brown was a pioneer. Along with Bud Browne, Greg Noll, and John Severson he helped create an entirely new genre of culture defining film and figured out ways to present it to the world. Prior to The Endless Summer Brown made 5 other surf movies: Slippery When Wet (1958), Surf Crazy (1959), Barefoot Adventure (1960), Surfing Hollow Days (1961), and Waterlogged (1962). These films were generally screened for live audiences, with commentary by Brown in auditoriums in beach side communities.
The Endless Summer, one of the most commercially successful surf films of all time, launched Brown’s film making career to another level. Originally screened in 1964, it was altered a few times before reaching a mainstream audience and critical acclaim. Along with expanding the film from 16mm to 35mm, and touching it up with a few edits, his trademark brand of sarcastic narration was added. After a successful run in theaters the film generated roughly $30 million, a massive amount of money for its time.
Considered an instant classic by many and later a disingenuous portrayal of surf culture by others, The Endless Summer would be the last feature surf film Brown would create until nearly 30 years later when The Endless Summer II emerged. He worked on other film projects in the interim but his subjects strayed to other topics like motorcycle riding, On Any Sunday (1971), On Any Sunday II (1981), and off-road racing Baja 1000 Classic (1991).
Late in his life and career Brown collected a series of awards and accolades for his contribution to surf culture. These included a Surf Industry Manufacturers Association Waterman Achievement Award, Lifetime Achievement Award from Surfer Magazine, and induction into the Surfer’s Hall of Fame in 2009.
As the sun sets on another legendary surf documentarian and the screen fades to black, you can almost hear the theme music from The Endless Summer by The Sandals. And while Brown himself has traveled on from a long productive life, his films will remain deeply embedded in surf history forever, a legacy indicative of an endless influencer.
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