Ride the Wild Surf has little in common with other beach / surf movies of the 1960s, almost all of which are comedies. Directed by Don Taylor, this film might boast a laugh or two, but it is not a comedy; it’s a drama with moments (especially late) that cross into action / thriller territory.
Three surfer friends - Jody Wallis (Fabian), Steamer Lane (Tab Hunter) and Chase Colton (Peter Brown) - fly from Southern California to Hawaii. Their goal: ride the giant waves of Waimea Bay.
To prepare themselves for the day the huge swells arrive, they move into a beachside commune with some other surfers. The trio make a few friends along the way and even an enemy or two, including Eskimo (James Mitchum), the current champion of Waimea Bay.
The three new arrivals also have some luck with the ladies. Jody falls hard for Brie Matthews (Shelley Fabares), a pretty college student from the mainland who is on vacation. Chase, meanwhile, cozies up to free-spirit Augie Poole (Barbara Eden), who has a particular fondness for wrestling and firecrackers. As for Steamer, he goes after Hawaiian native Lily Kilua (Susan Hart), who lives on a nearby ranch with her mother (Catherine McLeod). Lily’s mom has no time for surfers (Lily’s father left the two of them to travel the world and surf, never to return), so Lily convinces Steamer to lie to her mother, claiming he works for a local auto mechanic.
Jody, Steamer and Chase spend the next few weeks surfing, all to prepare themselves for the day the big waves come in on Waimea. But for Jody, being the best means more than good times. Having dropped out of school, he is looking to make some money, which will only happen if he beats Eskimo and is crowned King of Waimea. Needless to say, Eskimo has other plans.
The opening scenes of Ride the Wild Surf set it up to be a “fun in the sun” kind of film, with the arrival of its main characters, all of whom immediately hit the beach and surf. The surfing sequences throughout the movie are exceptional, featuring actual surf footage interspersed with rear-projection studio shots of the stars paddling out and “riding” the waves (rear-projection is never foolproof, and seldom looks realistic, but it’s used better in this movie than I’ve seen in others).
Yet just as good as the surfing are the scenes in which Jody, Chase, and Steamer interact with their new girlfriends. Jody, whose family life has been pretty dismal, feels he has something to prove, and as Waimea’s big waves draw closer, he gets nervous, which makes him lash out at Brie.
Chase has always played it safe, so Augie makes it her mission to help him loosen up. A scene between the two in which Augie attempts to set off a huge firework specially designed for her, and a subsequent scene when a drunk Chase threatens to dive from the top of Waimea falls, are definite high points.
As for Steamer, he falls deeply in love with Lily, who feels the same for him. Steamer even contemplates moving to Hawaii so he can help Lily and her mother run the ranch, but must come clean with Lily’s mom about being a surfer before that can happen.
The surfing scenes are exciting, but it’s the moments with the leads and their girls, as well as the mounting tension of Waimea’s big waves, that keep you watching. I found myself so invested in the drama that, when a surfing scene suddenly popped up, it felt more like a happy bonus than it did the sole reason to watch Ride the Wild Surf (which I assumed might be the case when I started it).
All the actors do a fine job, but Fabian really impressed me, playing Jody as a guy you root for one minute and want to punch in the face the next (especially late, when he begins to lose his temper). As for the Waimea Bay competition that closes out the film, it’s pretty damn intense, and brings one of the best surf movies I’ve ever seen to a very satisfying end.
Rating: 9 out of 10
No comments:
Post a Comment