North Shore Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

North Shore Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 18, 2021

William Phelps' "North Shore" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include audio commentary with the director and executive producer Randal Kleiser; deleted scenes; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

North Shore cannot be taken seriously. If you grew up by the sea and spent the majority of your life riding its waves, you are going to get a very serious headache after you view it because it completely omits something that I believe separates surfers from the amateurs that call themselves surfers -- it is that very special bond the former develop with the sea. This bond is what surfers use to master all kinds of different skills that eventually allow them to do the spectacular things you see highlighted in beach commercials, and I am sorry, but if you live in Wisconsin, Nebraska, Idaho, or Arizona, you just can’t acquire them while practicing on artificial waves. The sea has a unique pulse and is often quite capricious, so when you live next to it you learn how to properly read it and anticipate its tricks. When you spend thousands of hours in the seawater with your surfboard, you develop a wide range of instincts that make you a special kind of athlete as well. You can’t do this in the Heartland. I live in the Heartland and there are plenty of places in my neck of the woods where ‘surfers’ have fun all year round, but they don’t know how to ride sea waves. It is the naked truth.

But North Shore wants you to believe the exact opposite. It tells the story of Rick (Matt Adler), a young surfer from Arizona, who is convinced that he is good enough to be a star amongst the surfers in Hawaii. What gives Rick the confidence that he has what it takes to make a living as a professional surfer? A string of big wins at a couple of popular local surfing contests, plus a burning desire to prove his pragmatic mother wrong. So, at the right time he uses his savings to purchase a plane ticket to Hawaii and shortly after lands in Honolulu ready to make history.

In a matter of hours, however, Rick’s idyllic image of Hawaii is unceremoniously shattered. First, a ‘friend’ refuses the help he had previously promised him, and then his money and personal belongings are stolen by a group of local troublemakers. Frustrated but unwilling to give up on his dream, Rick then bumps into a veteran surfboard shaper (Gregory Harrison) who takes him under his wing and begins teaching him how to ride the local waves, and while he is making progress, a beautiful girl (Nia Peeples) steals his heart.

William Phelps made his directorial debut with North Shore in 1987, but since then he has not worked on another feature film. There must be a good reason why, perhaps even multiple reasons. However, I think that this is rather unfortunate because his understanding and appreciation of cinematic beauty is actually rather impressive, so over time he most likely would have honed his craft quite well.

The main problem I see in North Shore is its desire to do more than simply impress with terrific visuals. This film wants to tell a realistic story about an outsider who connects with the sea in a way that is actually entirely unrealistic. The emotional aspect of this relationship is perfectly fine, but everything else that is supposed to transform the outsider into a legit star surfer is improbable. Could it be that the surfers in Hawaii simply aren’t that good and an outsider can actually beat them at their own game? Anyone that knows anything about surfing -- and not only in Hawaii -- will immediately tell you that the answer is a resounding No. Hawaii has its fair share of amateurs as well, but the pros that live there and visit from other coastal areas are the real deal.

What looks and feels authentic throughout the film is the silly fun young people have whenever they gather in big groups. It is noisy and chaotic, oozing energy of the type that is awfully difficult to prearrange.

North Shore Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, North Shore arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a very old master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. While it is free of the type of digital adjustments that other older masters that emerge from the major's vaults are known for, its key characteristics are very shaky. For example, delineation and depth are average at best, so on a larger screen certain parts of the film actually begin to look like upscaled material. Darker areas are typically the ones that reveal the most problematic footage because grain becomes very loose and noisy, but some quite obvious anomalies can be seen during daylight footage as well. Furthermore, the color scheme is unconvincing. There are noticeable stability issues -- you should expect to see quite a few color pulsations -- as well as balance issues that affect the primaries and the supporting nuances. There is even some minor image instability. So, the film has a dated appearance that occasionally could be rather distracting. My score is 2.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

North Shore Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is actually quite good. From time to time it does feel like it is not as nicely rounded as it needs to be, but I did not find it underwhelming. A fresh new remix will introduce some optimizations that could improve balance and dynamic intensity, but the overall difference in quality will not be significant. The dialog was clean and easy to follow. My score is 4.25/5.00.

North Shore Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - in this audio commentary, director William Phelps and executive producer Randal Kleiser discuss how North Shore was funded and the decision to use 16mm film, some of the casting choices (and specifically the booking of top surfers for the ocean footage), cinematographer Peter Smokler's lensing, the famous surfing spots that are seen in the film, the conflicts that are depicted in the film and how different areas have changed for the better, the use of music, the 'pigeon language' that the locals use, etc.

• North Shore Unscripted - in this archival program, William Phelps and various cast members discuss their involvement with North Shore as well as the surfing culture in Hawaii. In English, not subtitled. (29 min, 480/60i).

• Deleted Scenes - a couple of deleted scenes. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 480/60i).

• Alternated Ending - in English, not subtitled. (2 min, 480/60i).

• Trailer - in English, not subtitled. (2 min, 480/60i).

North Shore Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

North Shore could have been a much better film if it told only a simple story about a boy with a surfboard from the mainland that has a short romantic relationship with a girl from Hawaii. But this isn't the film director William Phelps and executive producer Randal Kleiser wanted. They aimed to deliver a much bigger film telling a 'serious' story that is simply too unrealistic, which is why a lot of what they shot looks problematic. Yes, there are plenty of spectacular visuals featuring professional surfers, but they feel like temporary distractions that ultimately make the flaws in the original story even more obvious. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an old and quite underwhelming master that was supplied by Universal Pictures.