4/6/11

The innermost limits of pure fun (1969)



1968 was a very important year in surf history. Until that epoch most surfers used to surf with longboards. These kind of boards were slower and easier to handle. That is the iconic image we nowadays have of surf in its beginnings: the typical beachboy driving a cadillac with a foam longboard by his side. But surfculture was about to change. George Greenough, Robert "Nat" Young and Bob McTavish, two american surfers and an australian sharper realized that the popularity of surf was stagnating and soon looked for a solution.

A couple of years of years before, during the World contest in San Diego, Young tried to compete with a shorter version of the common 9´6´´ board because he had no money to afford the longer version. So, Young approached shaper McTavish and asked if he could come up with a solution to his problem. McTavish had already some ideas about shaping a board far thinner then every other boards, but it was only when he met with kneeboarder Greenough, in Noosa Heads, that both finally came up with something. The shortboard was born.

The innermost limits of pure fun, made in 1969, only one year after the reinvention of the surfboard, is one of the first surf movies from that revolutionary period in surfing. What today is a piece of nostalgia, back in its time was an innnovative film, featuring point of view cameras and other technical novelties. The amateurish making, the groovy soundtrack and the opportunity it gives us to witness surf history make it a pleasant experience. What could be better than watch the birth of the shortboard from the highly personalized perspective of its inventors?

Verdict: 7/10

33 comments:

  1. Wow great peace of surfing history

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  2. Why did surf went so beyond longboard?
    In terms of popularity, I mean...

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  3. Aw man, if there's one thing about that era, it's the music. I really dig that music. Cool video for sure.

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  4. Thanks for the info and video.

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  5. Nice post dude, followed, check out my blog.

    surfs up breh!

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  6. I didnt know there were so many movies about surfing.

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  7. I do like surfing movies, so I guess I need to watch this one.

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  8. When I read "greatsurfmovies", I thought of Troma's 'Surf Nazis must die' first. But those actual surf videos are much nicer!

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  9. The music made me picture 70's English gangsters swaggering down the street like the don't give you frack. Putting that aside the vid is sweet. At 1.10 you see a surf dude getting taken out.

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  10. Looks like a good time to me. I've always wanted to learn to surf.

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  11. The video was awesone

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  12. Great music and it looks like so much fun

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  13. california is the place to surf.

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  14. Awesome vid! makes me wish even more I could surf

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  15. Old, but the music is awesome! Thanks for sharing.

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  16. The music of that video is awesome :3

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  17. indeed a magnificent piece of history in surfing

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  18. Great stuff mate, thanks for sharing!

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  19. nice stuff!

    http://all-around-toto.blogspot.com

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  20. Another great video. Starting to really love the content of this blog.

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  21. I never tried surfing before but i've always wanted to :/ If i go to the beach this summer i will deffinetly try out surfin !

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