North Shore (1987 Film)

Overview

• Genre: Action Drama Surf Film
• Director: William Phelps
• Release Date: August 14, 1987
• Running Time: 96 minutes
• Language: English
• Box Office: $3,832,228

Plot Summary

• Main Character: Rick Kane (played by Matt Adler)
  • A young surfer from Arizona
  • Uses winnings from a wave tank contest to fly to Hawaii
  • Aims to become a professional surfer before starting college
• Setting: North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii
• Journey:
  • Plans to stay with a friend in Honolulu
  • Realizes ocean surfing is different from wave tank surfing
  • Encounters local group "The Hui"
  • Falls in love with a local girl, Kiani
  • Learns about soul surfing from Chandler, a surfboard shaper
  • Competes in a surf contest at Banzai Pipeline against Lance Burkhart
  • Learns life lessons about going the distance rather than just winning

Key Characters

• Rick Kane: Protagonist, aspiring professional surfer
• Chandler: Surfboard shaper, teaches Rick soul surfing
• Kiani: Rick’s love interest and local guide
• Turtle: Rick’s local friend
• Vince Moaloka: Leader of "The Hui"
• Lance Burkhart: Antagonist, top-ranked competitive surfer

Themes

• The contrast between competitive and soulful approaches to surfing
• Personal growth and self-discovery
• The influence of mentorship and friendship

Cast

• Matt Adler as Rick Kane
• Gregory Harrison as Chandler
• Nia Peeples as Kiani
• John Philbin as Turtle
• Gerry Lopez as Vince Moaloka
• Laird Hamilton as Lance Burkhart
• Robbie Page as Alex Rogers
• Mark Occhilupo as Occy
• Other notable surfers appear as themselves

Production Details

• Cinematography: Peter Smokler
• Edited by: Robert Gordon
• Music by: Richard Stone
• Production Company: Finnegan/Pinchuk Productions
• Distributed by: Universal Pictures

Legacy

• Features professional surfers like Shaun Tomson, Mark Foo, and Ken Bradshaw
• Character Rick Kane inspired by real-life surfer Benjamin "Barney" Partyka
• Corky Carroll, a pioneering professional surfer, appears as a competition announcer
• The film Surf's Up (2007) parodies elements of North Shore

Additional Resources

• Available on IMDb, TCM Movie Database, Letterboxd, Box Office Mojo, and Rotten Tomatoes.