Surf’s still up for Woody Brown

'Of Wind and Waves' is a surfing film that aims to inspire nonsurfers as well

Not only has Woody Brown been around longer than most of us can remember, he's been a fixture on Hawaii's beaches longer than our parents can remember. But as the memorable new documentary "Of Wind and Waves: The Life of Woody Brown" explains -- often heartbreakingly -- Woody's life in Hawaii was actually his third attempt at finding himself.

Premieres "Of Wind and Waves: The Life of Woody Brown," with appearances by Woody Brown and filmmaker David Brown. Aug. 6: 3 p.m., Spalding Auditorium, University of Hawaii at Manoa, $5 Aug. 7: 7:30 p.m., Waimea Valley Audubon Center; $7 Discounts: Available for children, students and seniors Call: 415-468-7469 Neighbor Isle Screenings Maui: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, McCoy Studio Theatre, Maui Arts and Cultural Center; $10 Big Island: 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday, Aloha Theatre, Kainaliu; $7 Kauai: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 8, Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort, Poipu; $10

He began as the pampered son of upper-crust New York City rajahs, horrified at the idea of living in concrete canyons; then became an acolyte of aviator Charles Lindbergh and the thrills of flying, moving to rural Southern California with a wife and stepdaughter he adored, so he could spend his days teaching gliding. There, he discovered surfing.

Then, his wife died in childbirth. Overcome with grief and dangerously suicidal, Brown put his stepdaughter and baby up for adoption and fled to Hawaii to live on the beach. He was already in his 30s and unaware that his life was just beginning.

Brown became a legendary Hawaii waterman, riding the big waves when few others dared -- and along the way seemingly befriended everyone he met. He was the other man in the soup when Dickie Cross was swallowed alive by monster combers at Waimea in 1943, an event that scared off big-wave surfers for more than a decade.

Inspired by twin-hull canoes he saw in the South Pacific during World War II, and armed with aeronautical engineering and lightweight construction know-how, Brown invented the first modern catamaran in 1947. The Manu Kai was not only the fastest sailboat in the world, it was a design revelation that not only inspired a generation of sailors, it is one of Hawaii's true historic vessels. Surfer Hobie Alter was so impressed by the Manu Kai that he reinvented the concept as the "Hobie Cat," and Alter is listed today as the inventor of the catamaran in sources as authoritative as Wikipedia.

But we know better. It seems that Brown was having too much fun selling rides aboard Manu Kai to Waikiki tourists to bother with patents.

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"It's a pretty rich and resonant story for surfers and nonsurfers alike. It embodies a lot of themes, such as the concept of following your bliss, about fractured families and reconciliation -- and redemption, to a certain extent." David Brown Filmmaker, "Of Wind and Waves: The Life of Woody Brown"

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A life of fun -- joie de vivre -- colors Brown's life, and this is reflected in the film by David Brown (no relation, although he seems to be the only one in the film who isn't a relation). Brown earlier filmed Brown (!) for his award-winning documentary "Surfing for Life." Today, Brown the Elder, at 94, is still gliding, surfing, swimming, making new friends and -- memorably -- climbing trees for fresh fruit.

"Woody was one of 10 surfers in 'Surfing for Life,' but his life was so full and interesting we just had to do a full feature film on him," said Brown the filmmaker, long-distance in his California office. "Many of the fans said Woody was their favorite character in 'Life,' and that was the catalyst. It took six years."

One source of archival surfing footage came from, naturally, filmmaker Bud Brown (documentarians Bruce Brown and DeSoto Brown also figure in). "It's a common name, but there seem to be a lot of Browns involved in surfing," said David Brown.

"We think it will be popular in Hawaii, naturally, but we think there will be broad interest internationally and should be shown, say, on PBS. It's a pretty rich and resonant story for surfers and nonsurfers alike. It embodies a lot of themes, such as the concept of following your bliss, about fractured families and reconciliation -- and redemption, to a certain extent."

Some Hawaii educational and charitable interests, such as the Cooke Foundation, helped underwrite the film.

"The usual route for a documentary," said Brown. "Private foundations, private individuals, media-fund sources and your own credit card. It's been challenging. We discovered that the corporate finding world has a deep-seated lack of respect for surfers and surfing. There is a prejudice and a stereotyping against surfers, except in Hawaii and Southern California.

"We were able to use some of the footage from 'Surfing for Life' when we had interviews with Woody in 1995, when he had all of his teeth, which isn't the case any more. We have a full dental history of Woody Brown on film!"

What is it about surfing that attracts a certain type of individual?

"Unparalleled closeness to nature. Even surfers who aren't religious talk about the spirituality of it. To be so close to the ocean, the life in it and around it, the place where water, land and air all intersect -- and it's a heck of a lot of fun!"

Most surf movies, said Brown, suffer from a lack of simple storytelling. "It's just hard bodies ripping. For every excellent surf film like 'Riding Giants,' there are 5 million lousy surf films, wave after wave after wave."

Will it be shown like classic surf films, in a high-school cafeteria on a clickety-clack projector with termites swarming the screen?

"Uh, that was in the early days of surf movies," said Brown, trying to keep the horrors out of his voice. "We want to appeal to surfers, but there's a wider audience this will appeal to. I hope it follows in the footsteps of 'Surfing for Life,' which aired on more than 200 PBS stations and has been shown in more than 10 countries, plus film festivals all over the world.

"The goal is to reach the nonsurfer, nonsailor audience! With his unique spirituality, Woody's is a life that transcends categories."