Riding Giants

Theatrical Release Date: 2004 07 09 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 043396060067

Studio: Columbia TriStar

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:null

Summary: With the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys, skater-cum-filmmaker Stacy Peralta introduced viewers to the history of the West Coast skateboarding culture and made a huge splash at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, taking home both the Documentary Directing Award and the Documentary Audience Award. For this follow-up effort, Peralta leaves the land for the sea, focusing his lens on the world of surfing. Narrated by Sean Penn, just as Dogtown and Z-Boys was, Riding Giants attempts to trace the origins of surfing and also explore the growth and progress of surf culture. Among the surfing luminaries who chime in on topics varying from the business of the sport to "the big wave" are Laird Hamilton, Greg Noll, and Jeff Clark. Hoping to find the critical success akin to its predecessor, Riding Giants premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Category: Sports & Recreati

Awards: Film Presented – Sundance Film Festival

Features: ccCommentary by director Stacy Peralta and editor Paul Crowder
Commentary by writer Sam George and surfers Greg Noll, Jeff Clark, and Laird Hamilton
Deleted scenes
Fuel TV's Blue Carpet Special
Making of Riding Giants
Previews

Riding Giants

Format: DVD

Release Date: 01/04/2005

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 101 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,French

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Start [4:20]
2. Southern California [4:35]
3. Hawaii = Paradise [2:26]
4. Astronauts of Surfing [6:54]
5. Waimea Bay [2:38]
6. The Impossible [3:36]
7. Wipeout [3:07]
8. The Legends [2:44]
9. Gidget [3:22]
10. The Big Wave [4:44]
11. Surfing Revolution [1:23]
12. Northern California [2:28]
13. Mavericks [5:28]
14. Making the Wave [3:28]
15. Surviving the Wave [2:13]
16. The Leash [4:04]
17. Death of a Surfer [1:43]
18. Invisible [3:55]
19. Oahu, Hawaii [2:33]
20. Laird [3:41]
21. Catching the Wave [2:04]
22. Surfing Evolution [3:44]
23. Jaws [4:16]
24. Hazardous to Your Health [2:54]
25. Purification [2:36]
26. Depression [:53]
27. King of the Big Waves [6:40]
28. The Ultimate Wave [8:33]

Derek Armstrong

Stacy Peralta gives the Hollywood term "triple threat" a whole new meaning. The skateboarder/surfer/director turns in his second accomplished documentary in three years with Riding Giants, a follow-up to his critical darling Dogtown and Z-Boys. One might consider Peralta the film industry's chief chronicler of extreme sports, if that didn't belittle how seriously he takes his craft. As with Dogtown, Peralta has really done his homework, unearthing yards of priceless footage of 1950s big-wave surfers and their wonky postures. During this era of the film, he also identifies surfing as the centerpiece of a new counterculture, consisting of beach bums with no prospects other than to gleefully anticipate the swells. Where Giants diverges from Dogtown is that it pushes the sport's societal impact to the background, opting for a more mechanical focus on new techniques and the defiant quest for ever more bone-crunching waves. This turns the film into more of a highlight reel than a historical tableau. The problem is that, lacking the panoramic perspective of standing on the beach, most viewers have a difficult time appreciating the increasing enormity of the waves down through the decades. The feats are quite impressive, but the interview subjects' array of superlatives grows a tad repetitive. For the most part, though, it's a thrilling and entertaining window into a world of athletes who take as many risks with their lives as mountain climbers. Especially cool are the interviews with big wave godfather Greg Noll, who paved the waves at Hawaii's Waimea Bay. He recalls the era with off-color observations and a youthful bravado that belies his stocky, nearly 70-year-old body. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Darrick Doerner  Actor 
Titus Kinimaka  Actor 
Brian L. Keaulana  Actor 
Greg Noll  Actor 
Laird Hamilton  Actor 
Dave Kalama  Actor 
Stacy Peralta  Director 
Stacy Peralta  Producer 
Stacy Peralta  Screenwriter 
Laird Hamilton  Executive Producer 
Alex Matter  Composer (Music Score) 
Agi Orsi  Producer 
Jane Kachmer  Producer 
Sam George  Director 
Sam George  Screenwriter 
Nathalie Delest  Executive Producer 
Marty Franck  Executive Producer 
Sean Penn  Actor 
Dick Brewer  Actor 
Sam George  Actor 
Buzzy Kerbox  Actor 
Jeff Clark  Actor 
Ricky Grigg  Actor 
Pete Cole  Actor 
Billy Hamilton  Actor 
Peter Mel  Actor 
Pat Curran  Actor 
John Milius  Actor 
Lyon Hamilton  Actor 
Mickey Munoz  Actor 
Darryl "Flea" Virostko  Actor 
Walter Hoffman  Actor 
Steve Pezman  Actor 
Dr. Sarah Gerhardt  Actor 
Randy Rarick  Actor 
Gabrielle Reece  Actor 
Buffalo Keaulana  Actor 
Dr. Mark Renneker  Actor 
Evan Slater  Actor 
Kelly Slater  Actor 
Mike Stange  Actor 
Matt Warshaw  Actor 
Grant Washburn  Actor 

Country: France,USA