Downhill Motion
by Greg Weaver and Spyder Wills
Produced by Gene Walper, Jr
Running time: 45 minutes c.1998
Downhill Motion documents the spirit and soul of skateboarding like not other film in history. This underground classic takes you back to Huntington Beach California in 1975 with the founders of the world of skateboarding. Watch Greg Weaver, Bob Neishi, Ty Page, Bud Lamas, brothers Skitch and Garrison Hitchcock, and many others bring life to the skdewalks of Southern California with 55 mph barefoot speed runs, solid 360s, and a soulful downhill motion. Downhill Motion
Downhill motion is a great skateboarding movie. Taking film footage from 1975 and adding naration from 1998, filmakers Greg Weaver and Spyder Wills have created a classic skateboard film. This video is a collection of footage from their extensive library and covers one of the great periods in the sport.
I think this video is unique because of the style of the naration. Unlike most modern skateboard videos, Downhill Motion is narated. This makes the video a bit more interesting, because of the humor and interesting tid bits that the viewer learns. I mean, watching clips set to music is only cool for a while until it gets old. The naration is the same style that was used so successfully in the surf videos of the sixties, a la Bruce Brown. The cool thing is that the story is being told in 1998, remembering back to what it was like in 1975.
The video starts out with some freestyle moves at the old HB pier. Ed Nadlin and Russ Howell are dointg some tricks. Then the video goes to some early pool rideing. It is crazy to watch these guys bit it with no pads on. There is some downhill at La Costa that is cool. The film crew visits Mt Baldy for some half pipe runs. It ends up at the Signal Hill speed course.
This video has lots of soul skateing. Even though there is no longboarding in the whole video, the style and technique that the skaters of the 70's have is great for longboarding. I would highly recomend this video to any skater that wants to learn soul. Also to any skater that wants to see where it all started, pools, downhill, luge and freestyle.
I give it a 10 out of 10.
You can get Downhill Motion here, or at surfnomad.com