| | | No Special Effects. No Stuntmen. No Stereotypes. No Other Feeling Comes Close.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby Surround Sound, Deleted Scenes, Music Video, Featurettes, Games, 2 Discs
From the makers of Endless Summer, Step Into Liquid takes us from the terrifying monstrous waves of Oahu's North Shore to the Texas waters of the Gulf Of Mexico (where waves are created by massive oil supertankers) to the shores of Ireland and Rapa Nui. Told through the voices of legends, pros and everyday surfers alike, it is not just a film for surfers, but for anyone with an appreciation for sport and an inkling of what it means to be "stoked."
"A rapturous celebration of freedom and courage." Megan Lehmann, New York Post
"A classic surfing film." Michael Agger, The New Yorker
"The best surfing documentary ever made. And that includes 1966's "The Endless Summer" and its terrific 1994 sequel..." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"Not only set the high standards for surfing documentaries but brought the sport much greater respect and interest from around the globe." Barry Garron, The Hollywood Reporter
"Insanely gorgeous in gradations of aquamarine...will send you into a dream state." Elvis Mitchell, The New York Times
"Absolutely unlike any documentary you've ever seen, Step Into Liquid nearly qualifies as a religious experience." Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
"An awe-inspiring survey of global surf culture, with the power to crush the post-"Gidget" decades of Hollywood stereotyping of surfers and surfing." Scott Foundas, Variety
Editor's Note
With STEP INTO LIQUID, Dana Brown emerges from his legendary father's shadow and adds another classic film to the surf documentary canon. Son of hugely influential filmmaker Bruce Brown (THE ENDLESS SUMMER, ON ANY SUNDAY), Dana's debut as a writer/director is a gorgeously photographed tribute to surfing and the individuals who love it. Journeying all across to the world to show just how universally praised a sport--and lifestyle--surfing is, Brown uses his natural enthusiasm and humor to great effect, narrating the film with an infectious, breezy optimism. He presents a wide range of surfers, from superstars (Kelly Slater, Laird Hamilton, Keala Kennelly) to amateurs, including an old man who hasn't missed a day of surfing in over 25 years.The locations include such unknown surf spots as Wisconsin, Texas, and even Ireland, to the more widely regarded waters of Hawaii, California, and Australia. Brown wisely saves the best for last, as a group of incredibly bold surfers journey out to sea to test out their skills on 60-foot-plus waves. But what makes STEP INTO LIQUID such a vital experience is its overall positive energy. This is a film that doesn't just celebrate surfing; it celebrates life.
| Features | Complete Video Game Of Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer | | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital Stereo | | Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Disc Two (DVD-Rom) | | Music Video Montage | | Scene Selection | | Interactive Menus | | Surfline Feature: The Bill Of Rights And Lefts...The Final Word On Surfing Etiquette | | Capturing The Wave Featurette | | Multiple Interviews And Commentaries With The Surfers And Filmmakers | | Extensive Deleted Scenes/Outtakes | | Surf Lessons With Wingnut And Maureen Drummy | | Making Of A Surfboard With Robert And Sam August | | Stunning 3-D Fly-Through Satellite Imagery Tour Of Surf Locations Featured In The Film Provided By Keyhole. | | Widescreen Presentation | | Dana Brown DVD Intro | | Step Into Liquid High-Definition: The Complete Theatrical Version Of the Film In Microsoft Windows Media High-Definition Video, With Stunning Video Quality And 5.1 Surround Sound, Playable On Your PC | | Robert August Surfboard Outfitter: Interactive Feature Allows You To Customize A Surfboard That Is Just Right For You! | | Additional Surfline Features: Surf Glossary-Essential Surfing Terms/Surf Cams |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Artisan |
| Release Date: 8/22/2006 |
| Running Time: 90 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2003 | | Catalog ID: 14838 | | UPC: 00012236148388 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Available Subtitles: Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew | Dana Brown - Director | | Dana Brown - Screenplay | | Kelly Slater - Featuring | | Laird Hamilton - Featuring | | Rochelle Ballard - Featuring | | Taj Burrow - Featuring | | Bruce Brown - Executive Producer | | Chris Malloy - Featuring | | Dana Brown - Writer | | Dana Brown - Editor | | John-Paul Beeghly - Cinematographer | | Keala Kennelly - Featuring | | Richard Gibbs - Original Music By | | Rob Machado - Featuring | | Robert "Wingnut" Weaver - Featuring | | Scott Waugh - Editor | | Scott Waugh - Producer |
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...Mr. Brown has the magic ability to take his public on a two-hour vacation. It's the next best thing to being there..." 08/08/2003 p.E10Los Angeles Times
"...Brown has expertly captured the exhilarating and terrifying experience of watching surfers attack waves so preposterously large and ridiculously beautiful they defy description..." 08/08/2003 p.C6 Entertainment Weekly
"...STEP INTO LIQUID is a great title for a surfing documentary, and the movie, written, edited, and directed by Dana Brown, lives up to that trippy sensual promise..." 08/15/2003 p.53 Rolling Stone
"...Dana Brown's STEP INTO LIQUID is the best surfing documentary ever made..." 09/04/2003 p.150 Box Office
"...It's funny and pithy and the figures profiled are all so dedicated to the life one can't help but get into it..." 09/01/2003 p.119 USA Today
"[T]his surprisingly talky beach-hopper climaxes with the thrilling finessing of a 66-footer." 04/30/2004 p.3E San Francisco Chronicle 8 of 10
A bubble wash for the senses, an adrenaline rush for the mind, "Step Into Liquid" will have even the most landlocked goofy-footers wondering why they never learned to surf...It certainly looks appealing here. Big, curling waves, jolly attractive folks, and if things get too scary, you just kick it down into slow motion. Men, women and kids do it, and all over the world, too, from Ireland to Vietnam. This is a valentine to surfing from Dana Brown, son of the cupid of the sport, Bruce Brown, whose "Endless Summer" and "Endless Summer II" were the gold standard for surf flicks...What can Brown the Younger add? For starters, surf-ology has changed. "Tow- in" surfing means that riders (and cameramen) can get out to the monster waves way off shore by hitching a ride on a Jet Ski. It isn't just bigger waves, it is better footage of bigger waves and sound that will rattle your esophagus...To watch these gorgeous people skim across those magnificent waves, you'd think that surfing was a kind of cheerful, watery commune where everyone loves the ocean and gets along. As we know well here, "wave rage" is actually a serious and persistent problem...Having said that, anyone who goes to "Liquid" for social commentary is in the wrong movie. This is not only escapist fare, it is also heart-pounding, stunning stuff. There is simply no sport that is anything like surfing. - C.W. Nevius
Reel.com 9 of 10
Surely the first real documentary about surfing had to be 1966's The Endless Summer. Coming along in the mid 60s, it was smack in the middle of that decade's sunny youth culture wave (marked by surfing, cars, and beach girls and boys). The social unrest of the '60 and early '70s was still a year or two off, and director Bruce Brown combined stunning footage of surfing action with a tongue in cheek documentary style for a movie that captured its period perfectly...Nearly 40 years later, son Dana has taken the ball (or board) and run with it. Step Into Liquid is full of some of the most breathtaking, stupendously gorgeous cinematography imaginable; if ever a movie would have been perfectly suited to the IMAX format, this would be it. It's regrettable that it wasn't, but even so the sumptuous camera work is almost overwhelming...It's hard for a sports documentary to hold up for an entire feature length movie, and granted, there are times when Step Into Liquid drags a bit or could have benefited from some judicious editing. Still, the movie's images are so seductive and intoxicating, they'd have the most landlocked Midwesterners hankering for some sand between their toes and a briny spray in the air. It goes a long, long way towards explaining the allure of surfing, and why it's been drawing people back to the waves for 2000 years now. - Jerry Renshaw
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