Riding Giants
"Riding Giants" takes us along surfing's timeline from it's early Polynesian roots, to its rebirth in the early 20th Century, to the development of a fledgling surf culture along the coast of Southern California in the 1940s highlighting the group of extraordinary adventurers that emerged: surfers who, not satisfied with the mere recreational and social aspects of the sport, began searching for bigger and bigger waves, pushing the boundaries of performance to explore the "unridden realm." Riding Giants is the story of these big wave riders, of where and how their quest began, of the classic characters who throughout the eras chased their dreams out into the blue water, and of the surfers who still do today, riding 50, 60 and even 70 foot waves in a manner once considered the realm of fantasy.
Member Reviews
Something special - Superdave
The most famous surfing documentary of them all, Endless Summer, follows the adventures of a few guys who feel driven to surf, but it never really answers the question why. Why give up everything else in your life just to surf?
Riding Giants is the docu that answers this and every other question you ever had about surfing, and by so doing emerges as the definitive surfing movie. It delves into the history and sociology of the sport, but then veers off from its mainstream elements to examine the world of those pioneers who sought to master the biggest and most dangerous waves. Greg Noll, the key big wave surfer of the 60s, emerges as a Babe Ruth figure, a flamboyant character who tries and succeeds at that which is dismissed as impossible: surfing the big waves of Weiamea Bay. Another time, he surfed the massive swells that followed a tropical storm. The mere fact that the film's creators could find footage, stills and so on of these events is testament to the thoroughness of their research. An amusing side thread examines how surfing was viewed in movies, with clips from Gidget and Ride the Wild Surf, and featuring salty commentary from Noll.
The middle of the film focuses on Jeff Clark, discoverer of an unlikely big wave surfing Mecca right off San Fransisco, Mavericks, and then it concludes with an examination of recent advances in the sport, with the focus on the world's leading big wave surfer of today, Laird Hamilton.
The film is never less than fascinating, nor does it fail to be visually stunning in its depiction of the beautiful and dangerous world of the big wave surfers. The sweep of the film is epic and yet intimate, as it gets up close and personal with many of these pioneering figures, collecting their experiences and probing as to why they risk their lives at this endeavor.
An excellent documentary, and one which requires little in the way of surfing knowledge or even interest in its viewers. It supplies all of that.Awesome - samiam1
Awesome pretty much sums up this wonderful documentary. Beginning with the origins of surfing and ending with where surfing big waves is today, it is an excellent journey to watch. It makes me think and feel that anyone can pick up this sport and enjoy all the spiritual benefits that comes with it. Of course, once the movie is over and I carry on with my daily life, I think "what am I crazy? i could never do that!!"....
However, this movie will make you beleive that you can and even, that you should.A GIANT SUCCESS ! - StEpHuLAr
Riding Giants is an amazing documentry of surfing. It takes you from the very beginings of surfing, right up to currently, featuring the greatest surfer in the world, Laird Hamilton. Laird has taken surfing into an entire new realm, and it's something you have to see for yourself to believe. Hamilton has surfer the largest waves in history, and still lives to tell the tale. Unfortunately, some of his dear friends & heroes haven't been so lucky, and this movie does a great job at looking at the dark side of surfing as well.
The surfing shots are breathtaking, and done so well, you can almost feel like you're along for some of the rides, and they are spectacular. After viewing this movie, you'll completely understand why so many of these people gave up everything in life to pursue their one goal: surfing !
OVERALL RATING: 9.5/10
Member Reviews
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Something special - Superdave
The most famous surfing documentary of them all, Endless Summer, follows the adventures of a few guys who feel driven to surf, but it never really answers the question why. Why give up everything else in your life just to surf?
Riding Giants is the ...Awesome - samiam1
Awesome pretty much sums up this wonderful documentary. Beginning with the origins of surfing and ending with where surfing big waves is today, it is an excellent journey to watch. It makes me think and feel that anyone can pick up this sport and enjoy all ...A GIANT SUCCESS ! - StEpHuLAr
Riding Giants is an amazing documentry of surfing. It takes you from the very beginings of surfing, right up to currently, featuring the greatest surfer in the world, Laird Hamilton. Laird has taken surfing into an entire new realm, and it's something you ...