"We are not surfers in the traditional sense," a gnarled Z-Boy informs us. "We are from Venice."

What's that about, then? Does it mean this rebellious posse of crystal voyagers goes head-to-head with the gondoliers or do they surf up the Grand Canal and under the Bridge of Sighs?

Unfortunately not. The Venice eulogised in this documentary is Venice, California. Currently a very hip piece of real estate but, back in the Seventies, described as "where the debris meets the sea".

More precisely, it's the touchingly named Dogtown, a rundown, urban beach neighbourhood where there was little to do but grab a surfboard and catch a Pacific breaker.

Out of the surfing culture, the local lads (and lasses) formed themselves into the Zephyr Skating Team and, documentary-maker Stacy Peralta insists, "inadvertently inspired an American pop culture phenomenon".

Well, maybe. What they did do was approach the humble skateboard a whole new way, terrifying the old-guard Sixties skaters with their aggressive style.

Strangely enough, it was the Californian drought that proved the catalyst - water rationing meant LA's hundreds of swimming pools were emptied, providing the Z-Boys with the perfect arena for their skills (if they could stay ahead of the cops).

Soon their punk approach to the sport was edging out the traditionalists (who meekly trailed around a flat surface) and the names of Jay Adams and Tony Alva were legendary. (Well, in the Los Angeles area anyway.)

There's some stunning footage of the Z-Boys' high-flying "vert" (ie vertical) style but another bonus is the hilariously high opinion they had of themselves, given voice in wonderfully inane California-speak.

The Z-Boys weren't content with making a neat turn... they had to perform an "aesthetic aerobatic manoeuvre", which really "set the tone for the type of performance ethic". And, according to one surfing sage, "everything is everything". Well, quite.

Another big plus is the excellent Seventies rock soundtrack, featuring some gnarly old classics from Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Alice Cooper and, er, Ted Nugent (no relation to Emily).

It's an amusing little film with a highly inflated sense of its own importance but the grace and skill of the Z-Boys really speaks for itself by virtue of the excellent footage.

Tim Evans