RIDING GIANTS
Year: 2004
USA: Sony Pictures Classics
UK: Columbia Tristar Films (UK)
Cast: Laird Hamilton, Jeff Clark, Greg Noll, Peter Mel, Dick Brewer, Grant Washburn, Darrick Doerner, Kelly Slater, Dr Sarah Gerhardt, Buzzy Kerbox, Dr Mark Renneker, Bill Hamilton, Sam George, Ricky Grigg, Titus Kinimaka, Peter Cole, Pat Curren, John Milius, Mickey Munoz, Darryl Virostko (Flea), Walter Hoffman, Steve Pezman, Dave Kalama, Randy Rarick, Brian Keaulana, Gabrielle Reece, Buffalo Keaulana, Evan Slater, Mike Stange, Matt Warsaw
Director: Stacy Peralta
USA: 105 mins
UK: 101 mins
USA Rated: PG-13 for brief strong language
UK Certificate: 12A contains one use of strong language
USA Release Date: 9 July 2004 (Limited Release)
UK Release Date: 3 December 2004
Synopsis
RIDING GIANTS explores surfing's timeline from its early Polynesian roots, to its rebirth on 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.
They include Greg Noll, the pioneer, whose relentless push into Hawaii's "unridden realm" in the late 1950s and '60s earned him the nickname "The Bull"; Jeff Clark, northern California's lone frontiersman who, after discovering the massive waves near San Francisco, rode their alone for over a decade and finally Hawaii's Laird Hamilton, the prototypical 'extreme' surfer, a rare breed of athlete/innovator considered the best big wave rider who ever waxed a board.
Funny and spirited, often poignant and dramatic, their stories form the heart of RIDING GIANTS revealing not only some extraordinary characters but gives authentic insight into the birth, development and ultimately the global appeal of the romantic, culturally significant surfing lifestyle itself.
