Rise Dvd Review » Ben Jones's Review

The opening sequence of Lewis Arnold’s documentary settles into the pilgrimage of an unidentified surfer moving north, slowly the intro unravels to reveal voluptuous lines of seemingly unridden swell from the heights of a grassy hill: immediately Rise welcomes us to see core British surfing rearing its handsome head.

From the very start there is a distinct lack of location titles - none in fact - Rise is not going to be giving away any secrets: the only road signs we see are traffic signals hidden behind the mist of a raindrop covered windscreen, and the only wide shots featured reveal just the indistinct sight of green hillsides and occasionally an uncovered reef. Rise is not commercial nor does it try to be in any way; instead it lurks in the shadows cast by the big film producers, but manages to deliver an impact far, far more impressive.

The somewhat mellow soundtrack appears to have been written by one man and his guitar and manages to create a startlingly delicate contrast between what your ears hear and what your eyes see on the screen. It is not the kind of film aimed at stoking you up before an attack on your local spot. No. Instead, it proves to be a big-wave documentary that both Laird and the Attenborough would be proud of.

The added spice of some world-class power-surfing and more Laird-like charging of waves outside the UK from surfers on the international scene - makes Rise a must buy. To add, the brilliant cutout scene of a monkey sipping on a Fanta is worth 15 quid on its own.

In essence, Rise manages to portray beautifully the somewhat cold and murky soul of underground British surfing, away from the popping bulbs and the tourist-clad beaches: Rise up from the crowd and buy it.

Overall: In monetary terms almost 50p a minute. But definitely worth it if you are serious about British surfing.