Riding Giants: A
BY PATRICIA DRAZNIN
Did we really need another surfing movie? In this case, absolutely
yes. A superb crowd-pleasing documentary that’s clever and fun,
Riding Giants communicates the passion of surfing so genuinely that
I left the theater wondering why I never tried it.
While other surf movies rely on cinematography, Riding
Giants is driven
by nostalgia. Archival 16mm footage dating back to the 1950s—mostly
drawn from the library of surfing legend Greg Nolls—weaves the
history and evolution of surfing into one entertaining sequence, punctuated
by a sense of humor and great music. The film is laced with interviews
with icons like Greg Nolls, Jeff Clark, and Laird Hamilton, who turned
an unknown sport into a lifestyle, a culture, and a national obsession.
What’s special about this movie is the personal format that brings
the viewing audience inside. We understand the mind of the risk-seeking
surfer. We feel the camaraderie, the exhilaration, the freedom. We share
the reverence for the ocean and the need to experience its power. We
understand why surfers get depressed when the water is calm. And we
taste the passion that makes surfing the driving force of life.
Director and skateboard legend Stacy Peralta (Dogtown
and Z-Boys)
felt that this film had to be made to showcase surfing in its proper
perspective and to address the question of why people devote their
lives to it. And a series of interviews with surfing icon Sam George,
editor of Surfer magazine and the film’s co-writer, charges
the movie with enthusiasm. His ability to communicate the thrill
of catching giant waves and the dangers of wipeout are the backbone
of this tightly edited film.
Needless to say, the photography is arresting, with its visions of
the giant waves of Hawaii and California from the inside out. If Riding
Giants doesn’t play in Southeast Iowa, be sure to catch the wave
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