Movie Review: "Of Wind And Waves" The Life of Woody Brown

Woody Brown's story on DVD

It has been awhile since I reviewed a movie.  Back in the spring I saw Tom Shadyac's documentary, "I AM" and posted about it. It's not that I haven't seen a bundle of movies since then but none that made me feel compelled to tell the world about them. Ironically, both of these films are documentaries so perhaps purely entertaining films are not grabbing me quite like true life stories. I also found a few similarities in Woody Brown's spirt and Tom Shadyac's message of everything in the universe being related.

Woody Brown was born into a wealthy New York family in 1912 but rejected both the city life and high society to chase his passion of flying and surfing. He lived in airport hangars just to be around the likes of Charles Lindberg and learn how to fly. Gliding was actually his biggest thrill and in those days the gliders were towed by cars to the edge of cliffs for launching. He moved to San Deigo and set a world record for altitude, distance and time in the air by flying his glider, Thunderbird, from Texas to Kansas a total of 263 miles.

Surfing was another passion which attracted Woody because of the thrill, danger and freedom. He moved to Hawaii and was a standout among the few original big wave riders. Today's generation of big wave riders like Laird Hamilton and David Kalama talk with Woody in the film and are in awe of him for pioneering this sport without spotters, jet ski towing and the advantages of modern equipment.

Once he mastered surfing Woody chased another passion of sailing and invented the catamaran. In 1947 he built the Manu Kai (Sea Bird) out of plywood and it became the fastest sailboat in the world. It was copied by Hobie Alter who made a fortune bringing the catamaran design to the mainstream. In the film they are both interviewed. Hobie credits Woody with his design. Woody had absolutely no problem with Hobie making a fortune on the sport of sailing instead of him.

If you are scratching your head at this point it is because you have yet to know the real Woody Brown. Woody is the quintessential dreamer who not only talks the talk, walks the walk but also lives the life. Every decision he made was based upon feeling. He simply could not be motivated by money or any other external factors in which he did not believe.

This story is sheer inspiration. The footage of Woody still surfing at 90 years old is amazing. His spirit and optimism are contagious. Do any of your complaints really amount to anything once you've gone for a ride on a Woody Brown wave? About my only complaint with this movie is its underexposure. I want everyone to see this flim. It is jam packed with many great life lessons.

My good friend since junior high school days, Peter Chacona, turned me onto the Woody Brown story. Like many documentaries it ran on PBS but now is much harder to find. It is available for purchase by Woody's son, David Brown or on Amazon. For more information visit David's website at: www.ofwindandwaves.com.

So in the meantime my plan will be to just continue inviting friends over for dinner but then insist they watch my DVD. So far this sneaky little scheme has been wildly successful as everybody LOVES this story. It is only 63 minutes in length but one of the best hours you can invest for inspiration and a real life feel good story. And yes, this is an invitation for anyone who wants to come over to my house to see it.

Movie Review: "I AM" – An Appropriate Film For Earth Day, Every Day & Everyone

Tom Shadyac has some very impressive credentials. His acting and comedic work dates back to being the youngest writer to ever work for the legendary Bob Hope. As a director his biggest commercial film successes include many of Jim Carry's blockbusters like, "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective", "Liar Liar", and "Bruce Almighty." He also directed Eddie Murphy in "The Nutty Professor" and Robin Williams in "Patch Adams."

Tom was not only talking the talk but walking the walk of a successful Hollywood director including buying 17,000 square foot mansions and private jetting around the world on buying sprees to fill them up with stuff. Really expensive stuff.

Then something happened along the way. While standing in the vast cavernous foyer of his castle he came to the realization that all his property and stuff was not making him any happier. This lavish lifestyle was actually causing a disconnect instead. It was time to reduce and simplify so he sold it all and moved into a mobile home community. Then a near death experience from a cycling accident handed him an epiphany and he felt compelled to tell a much bigger story. The story he calls I AM.

I am not known to run to the theater to see documentaries but normally just wait for them to roll on PBS. However, when my friend and industry colleague, Stacie Tamaki, called to rave about seeing Tom Shadyac on Oprah I knew the film would be well worth the price of admission.

This movie asks two profound questions, What's wrong with our world and what can we do about it? Shadyac plays the role of interviewer and presents some really remarkable minds from the worlds of science, philosophy, academia and faith. Here's the line up of A-List Luminaries:

1. Archbishop Desmond Tutu – South African activist and Christian Cleric.
2. David Suzuki – Environmental activist and Science Brodcaster
3. Norm Chomsky – Linguist, Philosopher, Cognitive Scientist and Activist
4. Howard Zinn – Historian, Author, Social Activist, Playwright, Professor
5. Lynne McTaggart – Journalist, Author, Publisher and Spokesperson
6. Ray Anderson – Founder & Chairman of Interface
7. John Francis – Environmentalist
8. Coleman Barks – Poet
9. Marc Ian Barasch – Author, Film & TV Producer, Editor and Activist

Shadyac digs deep into the world's problems aiming to find the root of all of them. His efforts turn up some startling discoveries like how the heart, not the brain might be man's primary organ of intelligence. He also turns conventional wisdom upside down showing that cooperation, not competition thrives among most other species.

Shadyac is no doubt a great storyteller. He is warm, enthusiastic and really optimistic in spite of the graveness of the situation. His curiosity is contagious and constantly engages you into the story. His humor keeps the conversations with all those super intellectual minds from getting too heavy.

Finally, what's not to love about someone who carries a torch for moderation? Tom Shadyac is not asking us to cut off our right arms or sacrifice our first borns but rather just consider the consequences of living in excess. He quotes St. Augustine, "Determine what God has given you, and take from it what you need; the remainder is needed by others." He also defers to Gandhi, "Live simply, so others my simply live."

It's a sensitive subject and one that is as old as some of the civilizations he exemplifies. But his personal story of abandoning excess for higher ground is uplifting, entertaining and really chalks one up in the plus column for celebrities.