RIP Bruce Brown, groundbreaking surf film pioneer

The Endless Summer is the most important film in the history of surfing, and a lot of that is due to director Bruce Brown's evangelistic narration and participatory enthusiasm. Brown died this week at age 80.

Via the wonderful obituary in Surfer:

"The Endless Summer" was filmed on a $50,000 budget in 1963 and starred Mike Hynson and Robert August on a journey around the world searching for "the perfect wave." While "The Endless Summer" may appear to be a simple travel documentary, Brown's charming narration and the story of seeking and discovering perfection and adventure around every turn spoke to core surf and mainstream audiences alike. The film was a massive commercial success upon its wide release in 1966, and is seen as the most iconic surf film of all time, inspiring countless surfers to hit the road in search of their own perfect wave.

Here's a late-life interview from The Inertia.

The Endless Summer is available on Amazon Prime. and it's worth a watch.

Best Clip from "The Endless Summer" (YouTube)