Customer Reviews

Riding Giants (Special Edition)

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"Riding Giants" is a superb documentary on the history of big wave surfing, directed and co-written by Stacy Peralta, who also made 2001's skateboarding documentary "Dogtown and Z-Boys". Peralta was a Z-Boy himself, as well as a skateboarding manufacturer and videomaker, so "Dogtown" was very much his element. But "Riding Giants" surpasses "Dogtown" with improved technical proficiency, writing, and editing. It's a dynamic account of the history of the surfing subculture, starting centuries ago, but focusing on the past 55 years, which saw surfing explode into mainstream culture and become extraordinarily athletic and increasingly daring.

"Riding Giants" has 3 parts or acts, each concentrating on one surfing innovator and the culture in which he thrived. The first act explores the world of Greg Noll, surfing's flamboyant celebrity of the 1950s and 1960s. Interviews with Noll and other surfing giants of the time, including Ricky Grigg, Mickey Munoz, and Mike Stang, take us through the genesis of the surfing lifestyle in Southern California to Hawaii's Waimea Bay, through the explosion in surfing popularity brought on by "Gidget" in 1959, up until Noll surfed "the greatest swell of the 20th century" at Makaha in December of 1969. "Riding Giants"' second act focuses on Jeff Clark and the surfers of Maverick's in Northern California. Clark tells the story of surfing Maverick's alone for 15 years before finally convincing 2 other surfers to join him in 1990. Maverick's surfers talk about the challenges of cold water, fog, and rocks and the day that Mark Foo died. The third act of "Riding Giants" profiles Laird Hamilton, a man who has been described as the "best big wave rider the world has seen", and explores the relatively new field of tow-in surfing, in which surfing becomes a partnership instead of a solitary pursuit. A tow-in by a jet ski provides surfers with the speed required to catch enormous waves -up to 80 feet- at considerable peril. Hamilton and fellow surfers Darrick Doerner, Dave Kalama, and Gerry Lopez talk about discovering the tow-in technique and surfing Peahi (Jaws).

To tell the story of surfing's history, "Riding Giants" makes use of old movie footage provided by Greg Noll, hundreds of archival photographs, interviews with surfers who were there, and the knowledge of co-writer Sam George, the editor of "Surfer" magazine. Modern footage of Waimea, Maverick's, and Peahi, some of which is quite stunning, conveys the beauty and incredible power of big waves. A digital technique that transforms a still photograph into a 3-dimensional image and allows the "camera" to pull through it has been applied to some photos of big waves with spectacular effect. In short, this is not only an informative film; it is also quite beautiful. "Riding Giants" successfully communicates the exhilaration of big wave surfers, so that even someone like me, who doesn't care much for water, can understand their passion and applaud their accomplishments. "Riding Giants" is a wonderfully entertaining look at the world of big wave surfing that everyone can enjoy. I hope to see an Oscar nomination for Stacy Peralta.

The DVD: Bonus features include a making-of documentary, a featurette on the film's premiere, 5 deleted scenes, 2 promo spots (for the soundtrack and for Quiksilver), and 2 audio commentaries. "The Making of Riding Giants" (27 minutes) starts out discussing the film's genesis and includes comments by director Stacy Peralta, the producers, Greg Noll, Laird Hamilton, and Paul George. Then it gets into details of how the film was put together: the interviews, editing, sound, and photos, as explained by Peralta and editor Paul Crowder. "Fuel TV's Blue Carpet Special" (20 minutes) is a piece about the film's Hollywood premiere at the Egyptian Theater that includes interviews and film clips. It's too long and dull. The audio commentaries are both interesting. The first commentary, by director Stacy Peralta and editor Paul Crowder, is about filmmaking. Peralta and Crowder discuss the technical aspects of putting the film together. The one fault that I find is that they frequently talk about the film's music, but we cannot hear what they're referring to, as the film's audio is turned off for this entire commentary. The second commentary, by Sam George, Greg Noll, Jeff Clark, and Laird Hamilton, is about surfing. They don't discuss making the film, but they comment on everything that they see in the film, including more details about the archival footage and commentary on nearly every surfer who appears onscreen. Aspiring documentarians will appreciate Peralta and Crowder's audio commentary. The surfers' commentary is pretty entertaining for a wide audience. Subtitles for the film are available in English and French.

While the Billabong Odyssey tried to recreate The Endless Summer for the big wave surfing set, Riding Giants is much more ambitious. Fresh from the success of his documentary on `70s skateboarding, Dogtown and the Z Boys, Stacy Peralta takes the next logical step and tackles the history of big wave surfing. What makes these men and women ride such huge waves and run the risk, in some cases, of almost certain death? This doc attempts to answer that question.

Peralta breaks things down into three acts, each one dominated by three legends of the sport from different eras. Greg Noll is a renowned surfer who rode the biggest wave ever. Jeff Clark tamed the wild surf 20 miles from San Francisco known as Mavericks. Laird Hamilton, the greatest big wave surfer of his generation, pioneered a new method for riding big waves further from the shore than had been previous attempted.

There is an audio commentary by Stacy Peralta and his editor Paul Crowder. They talk at length about the film was put together in terms of editing. This is an engaging, informative track.

Surfing fans are in for a real treat with the second commentary track that features surfers, Sam George, Greg Noll, Jeff Clark and Laird Hamilton. It's great to hear these guys, especially Noll, tell old stories and cut loose with surf lingo. They joke and have fun watching the movie. It is also interesting to hear them talk about the technique of various surfers.

"The Making of Riding Giants" is a 28-minute look at how Peralta made this doc. Peralta even talks about how he did his research and organized his doc.

"Fuel TV's Blue Carpet Special" is a 20-minute look at the premiere of the film at the Egyptian Theater with stars like John Cusack in attendance.

Also included are five deleted scenes that include plenty of surfing sequences that were cut for time and a slightly different ending that would have utilized a Coldplay song.

There are also promos for the soundtrack and surf gear company Quiksilver.

Riding Giants presents an engaging look at the history of big wave surfing and the men and women who seek the ultimate wave: one that is bigger and larger than anyone has experienced before. This is a fantastic documentary, quite possibly the best one on surfing since The Endless Summer. It is easy for the newcomer to understand and enjoy and yet it also treats its subject with respect as well.

Here in New York City I'm surrounded by tall buildings and a cold and snowy winter. It's a perfect time for a surfing film and Riding Giants, the 2004 entry into list the ever-growing documentaries about the sport, is one of the best. By now I take the spectacular cinematography that is possible today for granted. But I just cannot get enough of the real-life stories of the surfers who risk their lives for their obsession.

For example, there is Jeff Clark. For fifteen years he surfed all by himself in frigid water off the rocky coast of California just north of San Francisco. When other surfers finally discovered these waves, the best of them rushed there with photographers at the ready. The cameras were running when a well know and experienced surfer, Mark Foo, drowned. And then there is Laird Hamilton. He's enjoying his fame and fortune now. But we first meet him in the late sixties, a little boy of 4 years old, who loved to body surf. One of the surfers took an interest in the little boy, and wound up marrying his single mother. Little Laird grew up in the world of surfing and has recently made a fortune when he developed a business for jet skis and a towing boats Formerly, it would take hours for a surfer to get out to the big waves. But now this is done in a matter of minutes and it's changed the sport entirely.

The film is a documentary about surfing from the 1950s on. I've seen other films on this subject but it seems there is always new and fresh material. This time it is includes some vintage home movies about group of young men who defined convention, and went off to live on the beach and do nothing but surf all day. We watch them surfing and playfully living their free and fun life. Many of them are still alive with happy memories of that time. And some of them continued to surf, becoming legends in the sport.

In addition the great cinematography, there are also drawings. In one section of the film the surfers talk about what it feels like to be buried under a mountain of waves. Naturally there are no photos to illustrate this. But the drawings really gave me a feeling of what it must be like.

This is a fine film. I loved every minute of it. But, I honestly had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as I watched these surfers having so much pleasure in the surf when I thought about the recent tsunami tragedy. In spite of this, I still cannot help but recommend this film.

My boyfriend, who is a surfer, brought me to see Riding Giants, and I had no idea what to expect. It turned out to be the best surf film I have ever seen, one of the best documentaries I have ever seen, and possibly one of the best films I have ever seen. The cinimatography is beautiful, and the story that is told is extremely entertaining. Even though I am not a surfer, I loved this film and totally reccomend it. Whether you are a surfer or not, you have to see Riding Giants.

This is only one of three surf movies I actually paid to see in a theater before buying the DVD. I watch it at least twice a year. The "brief history of surfing" is absolutely hysterical. If you had to describe the surfing culture to someone who didn't surf, this is what you'd show them. Greg Noll makes the movie. His language and candor is a refreshing change from modern day professionals.

This movie by Stacy Peralta came on one night on one of my HD movie channels. Lucky for me. I caught it right from the start and recorded it. I was glued to my TV and watched it 2 more times in the next few days. Then I went and got the DVD. I have never surfed a day in my life. I did grow up street skating in NYC back in the 80s and in some small way I feel I can relate to this culture. I was never a "sports" guy. I always hated team sports and the jock mentality. Skating attracted me due to it's lack of such "jocks". Surfing it seems is very much the same, with nice people I can imagine meeting and talking with. Everyone seemed nice and just out for having fun. The story was peppered with tragedies which I suspected it would when I started watching. This was not glossed over in any way and was told with care and respect for those who paid the ultimate price. The sport, if it can be called that, seems to attract people who are more like artists to me than fanatics, or nuts. The way surfing was spoken of by many of them with such awe, care, love, and respect leeds me to believe that it is to most who do it way more than just a thrilling set of skills and a momentary rush. The film was directed masterfully and edited in such a way as to truly convey the energy of surfing. I can only imagine how real surfing must feel. If the film could get me all charged up and excited, actual surfing must be 1000 times more exciting and alluring. I recomed this for anyone who can appreciate a good film, a good documentary, and can relate to good whoolesome people with of love of what they do and the courage to follow their bliss all they way, and with no fear.

This is the most impressive movie about surf, focused on giant waves. It shows the sport on the historical prospective supported by excellent remarks made by alive surfer legends.
I strongly recommend this movie for whoever like sports in general. I am not a surfer and loved it.

Great stories of surfing's great, big wave pioneers.Great stories & insightful interviews.Beautiful photography,both vintage & recent.Amazing what these incredable men had accomplished for the surfing world.A must see for anyone who appriciates sports legends.

Riding Giants is a brilliant documentary that dives deep into the world of one of the most underappreciated sports and brings to the surface a very human and raw emotion that only director Stacy Peralta could capture. Everything from the structure, to the players, to the amazing stock footage, to even the style in which this was filmed only reinforced the beauty and power behind the sport of surfing. Of all the surfing films that I have seen (Endless Summer, Billabong Odyssey, and Step Into Liquid) this was the most consistent and relevant. Beginning with the early ages of surfing (a brief history lesson) lasting all the way till Laird's infamous ride, Riding Giants goes further into the mind, heart, and soul of the sport than any of these other documentaries. How does it do this? By giving us the whole story, from start to finish, without fictionalizing or jig jagging from wave to wave.

To begin this film was structurally sound. In the other films that I have seen about surfing, you sometimes find yourself jumping from new person to new person, wave to wave, event to event, without any knowledge of why or who? In Riding Giants, we have a very small cast of veterans and newbies. This allows you to really go deeper into the mind of each one. Also, instead of just riding waves, we are handed more history and more personal insight to the world than before. This is what really attracted me to this film. I was impressed that instead of showing all these big waves (because it is a big wave movie), we listen to stories and see first hand what these surfers had to overcome to get to those waves. I loved the information about the "beach bums" or father's of surfing. I am still floored by the amazing tales of Greg Noll and his early adventures into the harsh deep blue. Then, to see him in person, talking about what was going on in his mind, only added more fuel to the fire. The straightforward structure that Peralta followed allowed me to follow and walk away with more knowledge of the sport than with any of the earlier films. Peralta shows so much emotion and passion that you cannot help but be amazed by what these brave people have done, and where the sport is going.

Add to a immaculate structure some intense and creative cinematography, and you have darn near perfect film. Using techniques that I last saw in The Kid Stays in the Picture, Riding Giants creates some scenes that almost feel as if they are jumping out of the screen. While it isn't 3D, it is that flat dimensional feeling that you get when you put two pictures on top of each other. In this film, it worked. It created more depth to the scenes, and really added to not just the shock value (man these waves were huge), but also the danger that these guys constantly faced. If it broke differently or they maneuvered wrong, these waves would kill them. Some did die, but it didn't stop the sport. It only created more excitement and more passion to do better. It is this love of the ocean and sport that leads me to my final point.

The human element. So many of my earlier adventures in the world of surfing documentaries left me with beautiful waves, but very little about the people. The films knew that people were watching for the waves, so it would basically go from wave to wave to wave and the maybe a short second about the person. This film was the direct opposite. Peralta created this masterpiece by still giving us the waves, but devoting so much more attention onto the surfers and the immortal question of why they do this everyday. What rushes through their minds, what pushes them to go further, and the bonds that are formed while out there on the wild blue yonder. I felt like after watching this film that I not only knew more about big wave surfing, but also about the emotional side to the sport. This was an element not as developed in the other films and pushed Riding Giants to a whole new personal level.

Overall, this film was brilliant. Never have I witnessed so much passion, devotion, and love wrapped in a structurally sound film. From beginning to end, I was impressed. I would be very happy if this film won the Oscar this year for Best Documentary, and to see a new rebirth in the surfing world and open more doors for films of this nature.

Grade: ***** out of *****

I had a ticket to see Riding Giants at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. I didn't know much about it rather that it was a surf documentary, and when I came out after the screening, I was completely blown away and on an adreniline rush that I haven't experienced in a long time during a film. The history of surfing was a lot more interesting than it seems, and this film truely shows it. It starts with a very neat part cardboard cutout, part still photograph, part animated sequence that tells the origins of surfing from Hawaii dating way back. The brief history then brings us to the history of big wave surfing and the surf ledgends that started the new generation of surfers in the late fifties continuing until now. It shows how these boys were social drop-outs and spent time being together, goofing off, and surfing. It wasn't a sport to impress chicks, it was an act of rebellion and the adventure of pushing the limits. It has original film footage of the pioneers, all the way up through surfing superstar of the now, Laird Hamilton. As I described before about the still photographs and Animation, later on in the film there are still photographs of the famous surfers who have pushed the limits. The effect used on the photograph makes the pictures look 3-dementional, and really adds to the entertainment of the film. The pictures look like they are actually really moving pictures, they are great. I am not a surfer. I am from Salt Lake City and the only thing close to surfing I have done is snowboarding. I didn't know very much about surfing, but this film is great for the biggest die hard fan of surfing and the date he has that only knows what a surf board is because she saw her dads beach boys album cover. It is great entertainment, and worth of buying. A Plus.