Castles In The Sky: Much More Than A Surf Documentary
- Author: Min-Q Kim
- Posted on: Friday August 6, 2010 at 4:00 PM
- Filed under: sports, surfing, movies, castles in the sky, taylor steele, dane reynolds in iceland, rob machado, peru, dave rastovich, india, jordy smith, africa, exclusive
"There was once a man who became unstuck in the world..." So begins Castles In The Sky, a surf documentary by renowned surf filmmaker Taylor Steele. Throughout the film, we learn more about this proverbial 'unstuck man,' who bequeaths the secular world to pursue the deep spirituality found only in dialogue with the raging sea. His car, his phone, his desk, his shoes... Cut like an anchor, the wind serving as his map, the sea his sustenance, and his mind the only way to capture all he's seen.
You'll see surfers with their boards wandering the white desert, and riding waves with a snow-covered mountain range as a backrop... It's a visual wonderland, tied all together by a deep spiritual connection to the natural ebbs and flows of the ocean.
It took three years of scouring the globe for new, never-before documented coastlines, but Steele puts together a film filled with surf footage that expresses a reverence for not only the body of water they inhabit, but the culture that lays claim to it. Each nation is designated a surfer: Dane Reynolds in Iceland, Rob Machado in Peru, Dave Rastovich in India, Jordy Smith in Africa... And Steele splices his 16mm surf footage of these legendary riders with images of local children at play, indigenous animals, and land- and seascape -- displaying an unprecedented reverence for the cultures they visit. He makes it loud and clear: it's not just about surfing, this film.
Other surfers include Dan Malloy, Kalani Robb, Mike Losness, Tim Curran, Craig Anderson, Pete Mendia, Dion Agius, Kai Barger, Gabriel Villaran, and Mitch Coleborn.
"There was once a man who became unstuck in the world. And each person he met became a little less stuck themselves. He traveled only with himself. And he was never alone." Castles In The Sky spreads the gospel of surf by displaying the true spiritual power of the ocean and its riders.
Set to some of the most tranquil, life-affirming songs you're likely to hear in a film -- the songs are untouched, save for the accompanying visual footage. Which is to say, there is no dialogue, save for the aforementioned reflections on the wandering man, to introduce each new chapter in Steele's travels. It is movie making in its purest form. It's as if the film is meant as a meditation in itself, to allow the viewer a quiet hour to look at the sea within our own selves.
For more info on Castles in The Sky, visit: www.castlesinthesky.tv
(photos courtesy Castles In The Sky)
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“ nice song... ”
