Riding Giants

With the success of Stacy Peralta's (famous skater and one of the original Dogtown Z-Boys) award-winning documentary "Dogtown and Z-Boys" in 2001, surfer/skater turned filmmaker Stacy Peralta went on to work on his next documentary in 2004 titled "Riding Giants".For this documentary, Peralta's goal was to focus on the origins of surfing and big wave riding."Riding Giants" would feature plenty of classic home movie footage of surfers from Hawaii and the West Coast to show the culture and what happened when the surfers from California (who fell in love with a photo of three surfers riding 30+ foot high waves) went to Hawaii and discover the waves for themselves.From the surfing innovators of the 1940's to the early 1950's when the lightweight longboard was created and paved a way for more people to take on the sport. Featuring big wave surfers Greg Noll, Pat Curren and many other surfers who surfed Windansea and Vandenberg and then left to Hawaii and paddled out and attempted what was thought impossible at Waimeia Bay and learning about the transition from 80 lb. boards to the creation of guns for big wave surfing.In Dec. 1969, the greatest waves ever recorded in Oahu took place due to a massive low pressure system. The dangerous storm created waves as high as six stories. This segment featuring Greg Noll surfing the largest wave ever attempted at the time in Makaha.In the 70's, longboards became overshadowed by shortboards and Waimeia had been usurped by the Banzai Pipeline and Sunset Beach. But by the 80's, the giant wave riding experience was celebrated through tournaments and how Ken Bradshaw, Marc Foo brought big wave riding back to Waimeia.As the film shifts to the 1990's, the film would also feature Mavericks in California known for its big waves, the challenges of surfing the break but also featuring the death of Hawaiian big wave rider Mark Foo in 1994 with actual footage and photos of December 23, 1994.The film would close out with the most recognized name and face of big wave surfing and the creation of tow-in surfing, Laird Hamilton. Featuring awesome footage of Laird Hamilton riding a tremendously insane waves including the August 2000 footage of Hamilton riding the most dangerous wave ever attempted (note: the huge swell formed an enormous amount of water under, behind and over Hamilton) and captured on film at CHOPU in Tahiti.Peralta's "Riding Giants" manages to showcase the progression of big wave surfing and its evolution from the 1940's to modern times.VIDEO & AUDIO:"Riding Giants" is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1). Picture quality varies as classic home video footage to modern footage looks very good but you can see the combing at times. In certain interviews, the jump to HD increases the grain amount of certain footage but for the most part, considering that this documentary focuses on the history of surfing, specifically big wave riding and we have all this vintage footage included in this documentary, the importance is seeing this vintage footage that has only been part of someone's home collection for so many years.The fact that Peralta was able to obtain so much of this older footage is remarkable and you may not get the best PQ due to the age of the video footage, but it still gets a big boost in PQ compared to its DVD counterpart now that the footage is featured in 1080p High Definition.As for audio, the documentary is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA. Truthfully, I don't expect too much from documentaries using the surround channels and that dialogue and music are typically front and center channel driven but to my surprise "Riding Giants" features audio utilizing the surround and rear surround channels. You actually hear the waves crashing all around you and you hear the seagulls that is fantastic! The documentary is dialogue driven but the fact that the documentary did feature lossless audio utilizing the surrounds was pretty awesome.Subtitles are featured in English, English SDH and Hindi.SPECIAL FEATURES:"Riding Giants" comes with the following special features in standard definition, in English stereo with English subtitles. Included are: * * Director and Editor's Commentary - Audio commentary by Stacy Peralta and editor Paul Crowder talking about the footage and how grateful they were able to get music and footage for the documentary. Peralta talks about how the documentary came together and interviewing Greg Knoll, Greg Hamilton and more. * Writer and Surfers' commentary - Audio commentary by Sam George, Greg Knoll, Jeff Clark and Laird Hamilton. It's cool to hear the surfer's commenting on the footage and further insight from Greg Knoll surfing in Hawaii for the first time. But everyone's commentary when Laird surfed the killer wave in CHOPU and even to even hear from Greg Knoll and hear him stoked about that wave. Also, to hear Laird talk about it and how it was made possible because of the straps on the board. Awesome commentary! * The Making of Riding Giants - (28:04) Featuring Stacy Peralta and producer Agi Orsi talking about how the documentary came to fruition and how Stacy was inspired by Greg Knoll and Laird Hamilton to create a documentary about big wave surfing. * Fuel TV's Blue Carpet Special - (20:21) Fuel TV at the premiere of "Riding Giants" and interviews with the cast and crew promoting the film. But interesting comments from Peralta of the challenges of doing a documentary on surfing and the pressures involved. * Deleted Scenes - Five deleted scenes which include: Surf Talk, Wave Complexity, Half Moon Bay, the Original Ending and end credits sequence.JUDGMENT CALL:When I saw this film for the first time, needless to say that I was quite interested to see what Stacy Peralta had to bring after the successful documentary "Dogtown with Z-Boys". And after watching his latest documentary, I was amazed of how much footage he was able to get for this film.Peralta keeps his footage consistent by focusing on the evolution of big wave surfing and I thought it was fantastic how he was able to interview a good number of people for the film but also incorporate their home video footage into the film. Similar to "Dogtown with Z-Boys", where Peralta featured an amazing number of clips and photographs that no one has seen but the owners, he repeats it with "Riding Giants" and the results are fantastic.As a surfer myself, I've grown up to read the stories featured in the film but to hear it from the people and see actual photos and video is amazing. Greg Noll surfing a huge wave during a major storm is featured in the documentary and to hear him and friends talk about it is very cool but most of all, for those of us who were stunned by Marc Foo's death (especially for us who watched "Prime Ticket" and see him covering the various surf competitions on television back in the 90's) were shocked because Marc Foo was among the best from Hawaii in big wave surfing and to hear that he died at Mavericks was a shock. But I was surprised of how Peralta was able to gather photos and even video footage from that day and to hear those who were present, those who recovered his body was indeed a shock. But to show the memorials was fitting but also to mention other names include Todd Chesser's death (which was another shock) was also fitting about the challenges of surfing these big waves. People who know that they can die by attempting the large surf but know that they can't pass it up, this is their passion.And of course, what better than to end these film with Laird Hamilton. An innovator and just an all-out gutsy guy that surfer's appreciate for his humbleness but the fact that he is not afraid to conquer the largest of waves. Also, the documentary is fitting for showcasing his talent as big-wave surfer. Dana Brown's documentary "Step Into the Liquid" showcases Hamilton's innovation towards tow-in surfing but Peralta's "Riding Giants" focuses on Laird's mindset of conquering the wave and also featuring footage from him challenging the deadliest wave ever see in CHUPO.The Blu-ray release of "Riding Giants" is similar to Peralta's "Dogtown with Z-Boys" in the fact that one should not expect the great picture quality in HD for the documentary as there is so many types of footage incorporated in the film. From home video to classic vintage footage and photography that ranges in quality. But that is what makes this documentary so enjoyable because it is able to feature this time capsule of vintage surfing footage and those who were involved with big wave surfing from the 1930's to the 2000's. Audio quality is actually pretty awesome as we hear the lossless audio and the waves crashing all around us. I definitely like how the surrounds and rear surrounds were used in this documentary. And also, how they managed to keep all the special features intact including the FUEL TV's "Blue Carpet Special" (unlike Dana Brown's "Step Into the Liquid", the Blue Carpet Special was dropped in the Blu-ray release).Overall, "Riding Giants" is a wonderful documentary and Peralta really did his homework in gathering the materials to make sure that he managed to keep the pacing intact from the 1940's and showing us how big wave surfing had progressed.Of course, there is only so much that can be incorporated in this 101 minute documentary and a lot of surfers are not included. But even in the audio commentary, Sam George explains how it would be too difficult to make this film in chronological order and feature everything especially during the 60's and 70's, so they tried to focus on several people.For the most part, this "Riding Giants" is fantastic but I wished there was some inclusion of big wave surfing from the 1970's and 80's which was barely featured in the documentary. But it's a documentary done right and I think that it helped having Peralta working with Sam George, Knoll and Hamilton in order to make this film right. So, it's good to hear a documentary in which the people featured are all in unison so supportive of it. But overall, "Riding Giants" was a title that I was hoping would come out on Blu-ray and sure enough both Peralta documentaries (including "Dogtown and Z-Boys") are both being released together on the same day which is definitely awesome!There are not many surfing related films on Blu-ray, but finally we get one of the better surfing film's out there with "Riding Giants". For those who own the previous version on DVD and have a pretty solid home theater setup at their home, then the upgrade to Blu-ray is well worth it.Even if you have never seen this documentary before and have an interest in surfing, "Riding Giants" is definitely a title worth owning! Highly recommended!

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 *****

At last a surfing movie that is interesting as well as entertaining. 'Giants' spans about 50 years and it's fascinating to see the development in surf boards and surfers. Its a development that's driven by the need for more performance in big waves. It is the surfers, though, that are the heart of the film. Greg Noll, the first of three featured big wave riders, is a hugely likeable character, both then in the sixties and now. The second featured surfer, Jeff Clarke, is the epitome of the man who has committed his whole being to what he loves most, surfing. His courage in surfing alone, for 15 years, the monster called Mavericks, makes one step back and wonder at the man. The third surfer to feature is Laird Hamilton. There is a mystique about Laird. His humility portrayed in his acknowledgement of the bravery of his support team is moving. The footage showing Laird being snatched from the white water by a jet ski racing against an oncoming wall of water is memorable. The credits at the end are a must see. A crusty old Gregg Noll reminiscing about his love for Waiamea Bay with tears in his eyes while informing us that he is not emotional is a delight. The movie moves at a good pace and balances nicely drama, excitement, courage and humour. One is left, at the end, with a feeling of admiration for this strange breed of men who are only truely happy riding really, really big waves

Ordered on Friday 14th July 2023 delivered on Wednesday 19th July and watched the same evening; I was so intrigued I wrote the review straight away. This DVD was not overpriced and a bargain, it starts with a quick history of surfing, which began in Hawaii and goes on to feature surfers Greg Noll, Jeff Clark and Laird Hamilton.George Downing designed and built the first big wave surf board. Greg Noll was in to big wave surfing in California during the 50’s, they had no work, just wore shorts and a t-shirt, and did crazy things waiting for the next big wave. Many surfers then moved to Hawaii after hearing tales of the North Shore, after this discovery they said it was like the equivalent of Columbus finding the New World. In the early days they lived in tents on the beach, and if they wanted to eat they would dive for a fish, eat a coconut or steal a chicken. Waimea Bay was riddled with fears and superstition over the death of two guys in December 1943, but once they decided to surf it, they opened up the flood gates during 1958, and later developed long boards over 11 feet to catch the waves, but there were concerns of wipe-out and swimming with sharks.Greg introduced showmanship and it became his way of life, and by 1965 Greg had a big business making 150 surfing boards per week, and employed 67 people; he had a love affair with Waimea Bay for 25 years, and in those days there was no helicopter to help you out, so if you “f----d-up” you were on your own. There was surfing films like “Gidget” (1959), which introduced more people to surfing, and “Ride the Wild Surf” (1964), where you saw a guy sitting in a fish pond without a ripple, and then suddenly he was on a 25 foot wave. He wondered how anybody could believe those films, when they made him puke.Also spoke too many other surfers at that time, including Director John Milius, who said his parents thought it was a disease; he made the surfing film “Big Wednesday” (1978) from his own experience. On to Jeff Clark in the 70’s who surfed Mavericks near San Francisco for 15 years before it became popular, there were 40 and 50 foot waves crashing down on to dangerous rocks.In Hawaii Laird Hamilton developed towed-in surfing using a small board, making the long board unnecessary to reach the big waves. At Peahi, which is like Waimea and Mavericks both together, they could then catch the perfect 50 foot wave travelling at 35 mph, by being towed in by jet-ski. Many surfers said nobody comes close to Laird’s ability on the surfboard.All very interesting and exciting to watch, there were injuries and deaths and the cinematographers then and now achieved impressive shots.Several special features, including “The Making Of” talking to Director Stacy Peralta, Editor Paul Crowder and Writer Sam George for 28 minutes. They used old b&w photos and colour film from the 50s and wanted to be better than “The Endless Summer” surfing documentaries of 1964 and 1994.

Il DVD è incentrato sull'evoluzione del surf e sulla cultura ad esso legata, dai primi anni 50 sino ai giorni nostri. E' molto bello in quanto le immagini sono spettacolari e interessanti perchè permettono di scoprire come il surf era vissuto agli albori, in un'epoca ormai andata e di fare un raffronto con le epoche successive che da fenomeno legato soprattutto ad una sottocultura, ne hanno fatto un fenomeno più commerciale, in parte snaturandolo ma senza riuscire ad alterare il fascino dell'eterna sfida tra l'uomo e gli elementi. Consigliato a chi vuole fare un "viaggio nel tempo" e ama sfide e natura.

aLove this movie. I have never surfed in my life, but this movie makes me wish I had (and had the guts to ride the giants). A great documentary showing the evolution of surfing big waves from the 50's to today. I have watched and re-watched this movie a number of times.

Après nous avoir pondu les meilleurs planches de skateboards et nous avoir fait rêvé avec les Z-Boys, Stacy s'est attaqué aux sources du skate : le surf. Il nous propose un documentaire qui est désormais un grand classique des films du genre.Il part de la base en pour remonter sur la carrière des big waves riders qui ont influencés le monde. La bande son et le montage sont sublimes... en core merci Monsieur Peralta.

Molto bello e interessante, una cavalcata sulle onde della storia del Surf.Un evoluzione incredibile dell’uomo e delle sue paure.Da collezionare.