Five Summer Stories is a 1972 surf film by Jim Freeman and Greg MacGillivray of MacGillivray Freeman Films. The last film of the genre by the duo, it explores the joy of surfing amid the backdrop of 1970s political and environmental problems. Its stars include David Nuuhiwa, Eddie Aikau, Gerry Lopez, and Sam Hawk.

Five Summer Stories
Inside a big number 5, a man and woman in beach fashion have a surfing board and a soap. At the bottom is written: "SUMMER: NOT A SEASON, BUT A STATE OF MIND."
Theatrical release poster
Story byJim Freeman
Greg MacGillivray
StarringDavid Nuuhiwa
Eddie Aikau
Gerry Lopez
Sam Hawk
Music byHonk
Production
company
Release date
  • 1972 (1972)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The film's backstory dates two years prior, when MacGillivray and Freeman decided they will end their surf filmmaking career, and conceived Five Summer Stories as their closure for the surfing community. The film was cinematographed by Bud Browne, with principal photography occurring for months in Hawaii. Editing included the creation of animation by John Lamb, who was among the first to animate surfing and skateboarding. The Beach Boys, an American rock band, offered their music into the film,[1] while Honk composed the score.[2] The poster used an original painting by Rick Griffin.[3]

Five Summer Stories premiered at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on March 24, 1972.[1] Its VHS re-release was in 1994, followed by a DVD release.[4] Honk's soundtrack album was released on LP record format in 1972[5] and re-released on CD in 1992.[6] Called a "cinematic cult classic",[7] the film is generally acknowledged as the start of the second generation of surf films, with the first generation being typified by Bruce Brown's The Endless Summer.[citation needed] A 50th-anniversary edition, featuring remastered audiovisual quality and two new sequences, is slated to be released in August 2022.[1]

Soundtrack charts

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Chart (1973) Peak
position
Australian (Kent Music Report) 29[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Five Summer Stories". Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  2. ^ The Original Sound Track from Five Summer Stories, track listing at AllMusic. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  3. ^ MacGillivray, Greg (November 15, 2022). Five Hundred Summer Stories: A Life in IMAX. Earth Aware Editions. p. 85. ISBN 9781647227364.
  4. ^ Five Summer Stories (DVD video). Laguna Beach, California: MacGillivray Freeman Films. 1994 [1972]. OCLC 82292272. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  5. ^ Honk (1972). The Original Sound Track from Five Summer Stories (Music LP). Granite. OCLC 32445211. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  6. ^ Honk (1992). The Original Sound Track from Five Summer Stories (Music CD). Hollywood, California: GNP Crescendo Records. OCLC 26590578. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  7. ^ Honk (1973), overview at Allmusic at AllMusic. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  8. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 141. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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