User reviews

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.

This was an entertaining and educational trip around the world. It follows two American surfers who are seen visiting West Afrcia, South Africa, India, Australia, New Zealand and, of course, Hawaii.

For one thing, it was interesting to see how they looked at prices of things. For example, in Africa, they are astounded at having to pay $30 a night to stay in a motel or pay $1 for a gallon of gasoline. (I'll bet they would change their tune today!)

The film gives you a good feel for the '60s surf scene with the lingo ("stoked, hang ten, etc.")

The surging can get boring after awhile but Bruce Brown, who made this film and narrates it, usually didn't overdo those parts and he does an outstanding job narrating to keep our history. He's interesting and he's funny.

There are some memorable moments: seeing a place where the waves go past the sand right to the shore and then back out again; the famous Waimea Bay of Hawaii, of the biggest waves ever to be surfed; the perfect waves on the east side of Africa, the incredible scenery in New Zealand and the flies in Perth, Australia!

A fun movie. If you enjoyed this, check out the sequel "Endless Summer II." That is very good, too, and with better camera-work.

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.

Now, how seriously this film was meant to be taken, I don't know. It is an incredibly honest look at surfing around the world, and has plenty of good scenes. But it also has subtle humor due to Brown ribbing his friends. Who was his intended audience? The film now (2016) operates as both great documentary on surfing, but also as a bit of a time capsule. This was 1966, and it was an "endless summer"... just before the "summer of love". There is no way that Brown could have seen this film as indicative of the era, but in many ways it is.

What a fun little film this is! Every 5 or 6 years I revisit this work and enjoy it as much as the first time I saw it. My hat is off to Bruce Brown for having the vision and determination to create this film. With cinematography, music, and narration that is easy on the mind and eyes, this film floats through the screen and has you envisioning your own paradise, whether or not you're a surfing aficionado. The two featured surfers in this film are at the top of their sport and seem to be doing it only for love - NOT for big prizes or cash purses. There is a unique innocence about this film that is very appealing.

See this film because it is not violent. See it because there are no special effects (save one or two jerky camera moves). See it because it takes you back to a simpler time when the world (and you do see much of the world) seems much simpler. Still fun and still an inspiration, this film will remain forever timeless...

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.

Interesting, intelligent and well-narrated movie done in the days of innocence before boring thrash-metal soundtracks drowned out commentary from surf-movies. No matter what age you are, if you like surfing (and probably if you don't) you will find this movie interesting as it travels around the world examining cultures and people as well looking for the "perfect wave". Sure, Bruce Brown's commentary may sometimes sound goofy but it enhances the innocent feel of the movie and its place in time. This is the definitive surf movie - the measure by which other movies can only be judged. A recent "Realsurf" website (Realsurf publishes worldwide surf reports on the internet) reader pool of '000's voted "Endless Summer" as the best surf movie of all time with daylight second and Endless Summer 2 next.

Being something of a surfing enthusiast, myself (in my younger days I've surfed in both Australia and Hawaii) - "The Endless Summer" (from 1966) certainly turned out to be a very entertaining and enjoyable documentary, highlighting the thrills and excitement of this tres' exhilarating sport.

From sunny Malibu Beach, California, to the uncharted waters of West Africa, to the tropical paradises of Tahiti and Hawaii, 2 young, American surfers accomplish in a few months what most people never do in a lifetime - They live their dream. And that dream for Mike and Robert is to find and ride the perfect wave.

Director Bruce Brown's whimsical narration in "The Endless Summer" gives the whole production a very comfortable, easy-going feeling that greatly contributes to its overall charm and appeal.

THE ENDLESS SUMMER is a terrific Documentary and a really great "trip" (in every sense of the word) to another era: the 1960's.

Basically, the film is a photographic journal of two American surfers who start off from California, USA, and travel the world to find "the perfect wave". We follow them as they travel, and, if we're in a receptive mood, we have a lot of fun also. The film includes most of their trip, but the focus is on their journey through North and South Africa, New Zealand,Hawaii, Tahiti and Australia.

The film features some typical surfer humour that some would find a bit "lame", but it always makes me laugh. One silly example: The two surfers pack their bags for their trip. One of them reads about possible shark attacks. The next thing that we see is the other one packing a single "band-aid"...for emergencies! Typical surfer humour!! Interestingly, but unfortunately for us, the only place the boys can't find a decent surf is here, in Australia! During their Australian trip they are constantly told by the younger and older surfers alike: "You guys really missed it. You should have been here yesterday!" This really means: "You guys really missed it. You should have been here last winter!" There are so many good things in the film to enjoy: the laconic narration by Bruce Brown; the personalities of the two surfers, Robert and Mike; the evocative music score; the excellent photography and editing; and the scenic locations all combine to make this a great experience. This is one of the few films that will make you really appreciate surfing...and documentary films. It's a fine example of how to make an imaginative film with a small budget. THE ENDLESS SUMMER is truly one trip definitely worth taking!

The name Bruce Brown was a name I hadn't heard until I saw The Endless Summer. Apparently, he is the king of surfing documentaries, a thing I didn't know there was a king of. The Endless Summer is allegedly his quintessential surfamentary and it's really the only one people talk about. It chronicles the journey of two ace surfers as they follow the Summer season around the globe to ride the waves in all sorts of exotic locations like Africa, Australia, and Tahiti. The film has no dialogue from the people in it, only Bruce Brown's narration which fills us in with all the information we need to know to follow this story of an endless summer.

This is a particularly light hearted documentary that is solely for entertainment value to those who find its subject matter interesting. If you're interested in surfing I suppose you would love this movie because about 90% of the footage of the film is actual surfing. If you don't really care about surfing, like myself, The Endless Summer doesn't do much for you. I personally found it a little bit boring and somewhat pointless. However, I can't say that it's a bad film because it's easy to tell what a great surfing documentary it is, even if you couldn't care less about the sport.

Even if you don't care about surfing there are still all sorts of beautiful locations that the two surfers and Bruce Brown visit in this film that are marvelous to look out. In this film you see some of the most beautiful ocean water you will ever see, and some truly perfect waves that you won't see on any beach in America. I can appreciate this and it makes The Endless Summer a slightly more interesting film to someone who has no interest in surfing. Of course, this film is all about the surf, and no time is really devoted to the beauty of the locations or the variety of cultures traveled to here. All the focus is on surfing, and we have to take it upon ourselves to notice the kind of beauty this subject matter is immersed in.

You have to constantly remind yourself that this is nothing more than a documentary about surfing, so you have to cut it slack for not devoting time to things a non-surfer would find more interesting. However, one of the truly strange things about the film is it's sense of humor at times. It's a very easy going documentary with a light hearted and sarcastic sense of humor, but this humor is also a bit awkward at times. Some of the remarks about the African natives sometimes come off as insensitive, though not blatantly so. It's nothing that makes you do a double take, and I'm sure Brown means well in his narration, but there are a few remarks that just seem off. Who knows. Maybe it just comes with the times. It didn't bother me much, but I couldn't help but notice it, and it stayed on my mind throughout the film.

The Endless Summer is perfect for a surfer who wants to watch a surfing documentary. If you're not a surfer and you want to watch a surfing documentary you might feel just a little indifferent about this film. It's not bad, in fact it's well made overall, but it won't really stick with me by any means.

As a surfing-themed movie, "The Endless Summer" is one of the most impressive things that you'll ever see. Bruce Brown (RIP) and Mike Hynson know how to travel the world to look for the perfect wave. However, it IS very much a product of its time. Brown and Hynson clearly weren't raised with any consciousness about the rest of the world. In Ghana, they have a Euro-centric view of the native people. While in South Africa, they never once mention apartheid.

But aside from that, it's a fun documentary. I suspect that it inspired countless other people to start surfing. I never have, but there are people who are really into it.

I recommend the movie.

Outstanding documentary about two young surfers who travel the world looking for a good wave. Bruce Brown's cinematography is breath-taking, and the ongoing narration (also by Bruce) is inspired and truly funny. One of those rare movies that you wish would never end. Followed by the equally-good Endless Summer II 30 years or so later, which must be close to a record for sequels.

For A movie being over 50 years old It held its own for our time. It totally reminded me of a Warren Miller ski movie. However at times it was a challenge to keep my attention.

The Endless Summer has some of the greatest art work posters ever printed in the 1960s. The film is only interesting when the scenery is depicted, minus the narration and the horrible soundtrack.

To surf all over the world strikes one as a waste of time, and it proves to be a waste of time, except for the African episodes, which show the "natives, as they are called, bored with the whole thing after a while.

The racism in this film is so blatant that it looks like the KKK may have produced it.

The South African "observations" on the Zulu are unconscionable, and this is a 1966 film, Viet Nam time, and Martin Luther King was talking about the horrors of apartheid.

Women are treated as pure sex objects,and yet the two stars never date or seem interested in girls. Enough said there.

Not good, but relevant for those who wonder where Coppola got his inspiration for surfing madness in "Apocalypse, Now," where Robert Duvall in combat in Vietnam is having certain military surfing experts try to find the "perfect wave."while drugged to the hilt. Somebody saw what was going on in The Endless Summer...sheer madness with guys who have had lobotomies.

Despite the fact that this film is over thirty years old it's just as good as when it first came out in 66. No plot, No stars. Two guys who take off to surf the world (or at least as much of it as they can)in search of the perfect wave and are photographed as they do it. Good narration and great surfing footage along with the right amount of humor thrown in makes it an endless classic without really being a documentary.

The sport of surfing has changed much over the years and this insightful documentary gives us a snapshot of the sport in the 60's. What is most impressive about the movie is the excellent narrative and photography. I recently have received the movie poster from allposters.com and I recommend this to anyone who is a Bruce Brown or surfing enthusiast.

Even non-surfers will appreciate this documentary because you'll understand the allure of the ocean. 50 years later, it's still a ton of fun and required viewing for any surfer

I like surfing and love the world and sport of surfing. The idea of the endless summer and these two guys actually in pursuit of it excites, inspires, and motivates me. The surfing results of their singular, dedicated quest for the endless summer is well captured and presented here. I don't recall anyone else mentioning it but in addition to the title of this film I absolutely love the poster! That image, those colors, that title together is a work of art that speaks volumes. There's no real dialogue here just the filmmaker narrating over the images and action. If you're into surfing then you will enjoy this film. If you're not into surfing you will not likely enjoy as much but if you're genuinely curious then definitely check it out and see what you think, who knows, it just might inspire you too!

I discovered this film last weekend among the playlists offered by my TV provider. I chose it because I am always curious about less known films from the past. From what I read online, this movie was filmed in the 1963 to 1964 winter season (on the north hemisphere) but wasn't launched for a general release until 1966. At any rate, it has the flavour of the prosperity years after WWII and a quaint charm about it. The pace is lively, the landscapes are gorgeous, and the surf scenes are breathtaking, all told in a youthful and merry mood, with a brisk sense of humour throughout the film. I was gladly surprised to see there is more to surfing than we usually find in mainstream media. No wonder this film became a myth. It is also a good life lesson, a toast to freedom and a travel experience. I am happy to know that the director and the main players are still alive, for maybe they will be able to read how thankful I am for this priceless masterpiece. You cannot overpraise such a great beauty, achieved with so few filming resources. Worth taking hats off by all means.

Being something of a surfing enthusiast, myself, in my younger days (I've surfed in both Australia and Hawaii), The Endless Summer certainly turned out to be a very entertaining and enjoyable documentary, highlighting the thrills and excitement of this tres' exhilarating sport.

From sunny Malibu Beach, California, to the uncharted waters of West Africa, to the shark-filled seas of Australia, to the tropical paradises of Tahiti and Hawaii, 2 young, American surfers accomplish in a few months what most people never do in a lifetime - They live their dream. And that dream for Mike and Robert is to find and ride the perfect wave.

The Endless Summer is an imaginatively photographed travelogue, from the absolute height of surfing-mania in the mid-1960s, that thoughtfully captures the joy, danger and humor of searching the world for that ultimate, most perfect wave of all.

Director Bruce Brown's whimsical narration in The Endless Summer gives the whole production a very comfortable, easy-going feeling that greatly contributes to its overall charm and appeal.

I truly enjoyed this documentary.

Great job by all and for the surfer's living our their passion.

Funny, inspiring, insightful.

This documentary is about two surfers by the names of Robert August and Michael Hynson who travel the world in search of a warm climate and good surfing. After leaving California at the end of summer they fly to the west coast of Africa and then eventually head to various other locales such as South Africa, Australia, and Tahiti to mention just a few. During this process the viewer is shown a multitude of waves and some surfers who attempt to ride them. Now, if one were to really love surfing I have little doubt that they will certainly enjoy this film. On the other hand, those who might be curious due to the high rating and want to see what this documentary has to offer might not be so enthused. Personally, I thought this film was somewhat interesting at first but after an hour of watching one wipe out after another it seemed to get rather tedious-and this included some of the bigger waves toward the end. Again, those who enjoy the sport of surfing will definitely want to watch this documentary. Those who don't might just want to leave it alone.

Back before Sean Penn gave us his hilarious interpretation of a surfer as a drugged-out loser with a limited vocabulary in "Fast Times At Ridgemont High", the common image of a surfer was that of a clean-cut guy who surfed just like other people sailed or fished. They were normal people. This film was made during that time, when surfing was a sport and surfers were athletes. And its that charm that makes this film special.

Bruce Brown had made 4 feature-length films prior to making this one, but this film's incredible success made him a cult hero, a Cinderella story who came out of nowhere to give us a film that could quite possibly be the best surfing documentary ever made. His premise was simple: take 2 surfers and try to achieve what everyone dreams of: an endless Summer of sun, surf, and girls (but mostly surf).

Brown's narration, with its soft California tone, really gives the film that comfortable, easy feeling, like watching an old Walt Disney film from the early 60's, which contributes to the film's charm. We know, we just know, that these two guys are going to go out on an adventure and nobody will die, nobody will get arrested, and nobody will do anything immoral (or at least _too_ immoral).

From the west coast of Africa, to South Africa, to Australia, to islands in the Pacific, to Hawaii, we go along as two young men from California introduce the sport of surfing to people who have never seen a surfboard before. It is quite hilarious to see villagers in Ghana and Senegal try to surf a longboard in heavy surf for the first time, and Bruce's narration really tells a funny story, and all along we're relaxing to the gentle guitar sounds of The Sandals.

We also get to see some of the best surfers riding some great waves in the age before the beaches got crowded with jet skis, racing boats, and more surfers. "Endless Summer" is one of those films that acts like a time capsule, and is just as entertaining now as it was when it first came out.

I highly recommend it for everyone. Adults, kids, surfers, non-surfers. There's something for everyone in this film. You don't need to know how to surf to enjoy this movie.

I watched this wonderful film for the first time since first seeing it in 1966 in a tiny theater, hosted by Bruce Brown himself, who I consider the "Godfather" of the entire surf film genre. I don't know how many kids like me he turned on to the wonderful sport of surfing, but I know it was a lot. I was saddened to her that the co-star Mike Hynson had fallen on hard times in the ensuing years, but he's "back from the dead" and making his own custom surfboards I'm told. Surfing has the miraculous ability to heal, and I think it must have healed him. In my sixties now, I long for those years I spend surfing the California coast, and seeing this gem again made those long-forgotten memories come back like a returning faith. God bless you, Bruce Brown!