The Blue Lagoon (1980)

Director:

Randal Kleiser

Writers:

Henry De Vere Stacpoole (novel)
Douglas Day Stewart (writer)

Release Date:

5 July 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A story of natural love. Two children shipwrecked alone on a tropical island. Nature is kind. They thrive on the bounty of jungle and lagoon. The boy grows tall. The girl beautiful. They swim naked over coral reefs. They run in a cathedral of trees. And the warm winds, the tropic moon, the silk sand conspire to enchant them. When their love happens, it is natural as the sea, and as powerful. Love as nature intended to be.

Plot:

On a Journey to San Fransico Richard, his father and cousin Em find them selves on a ship about to explode...

Plot Keywords:

Island | Boat | Tropical Island | Nature | Ship

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Brooke Shields	...	Emmeline
Christopher Atkins	...	Richard
Leo McKern	...	Paddy Button
William Daniels	...	Arthur Lestrange
Elva Josephson	...	Young Emmeline
Glenn Kohan	...	Young Richard
Alan Hopgood	...	Captain
Gus Mercurio	...	Officer
Jeffrey Kleiser	...	Lookout (as Jeffrey Means)
Bradley Pryce	...	Little Paddy
Chad Timmerman	...	Infant Paddy
Gert Jacoby	...	Sailor
Alex Hamilton	...	Sailor
Richard Evanson	...	Sailor

Also Known As:

A Lagoa Azul (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Le lagon bleu (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
A kék laguna (Hungary) [hu]
Blekitna laguna (Poland) [pl]
De blauwe lagune (Netherlands) [nl]
Den blå lagune (Denmark) [da]
Den blå lagune (Norway) [no]
Den blå lagunen (Sweden) [sv]
Die blaue Lagune (West Germany) [de]
El lago azul (Spain) [es]
I galazia limni (Greece) [el]
La laguna azul (Argentina) (poster title) [es]
Laguna blu (Italy) [it]
Mavi göl (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Modrá laguna (Czechoslovakia) [cs]
Sininen laguuni (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) (re-rating) (2005) | Brazil:14 | Spain:13 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:13 | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Nanuya Levu Island, Fiji

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Carrie Fisher turned down the role of Emmeline due to her commitment with Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Richard goes fishing from the boat and his catch is attacked by sharks, tearing the line from his hands, a rope can clearly be seen dragging the first (presumably dead/fake) shark through the water

Quotes:

Emmeline: [imitating Richard] It doesn't scare them off unless I can spear them!
[throws an umbrella that acted as the spear]
Richard: Aw, spear you!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Angels' Revenge (#7.22)" (1995)

good movie, some moments of greatness

i have not seen this film in many years, and saw it unedited last week on TCM. when i was a boy, the film's main appeal was in its edenic milieu, its charged moments of wonder and terror, and brooke shields' extraordinary beauty and gamine charm. those qualities are all still there. But the film tells another story that i missed before: two children ripped from civilization struggle to make sense of the world and themselves. this is no rousseau inspired romp. the pulse and power of natures' force wrecks them, engulfs them, confines them and finally asserts itself through em and dick. the question is begged: where does human will and intellect figure in chaos of pubescence, sexuality and love? how helpless or powerful are we to control the furies of love or sex? more helpless than not, the filmaker seems to be saying. kleiser interposes the stereopticon pictures of the staid victorian couple with similar scenes of em and dick to highlight this point. naked or clothed, in a drawing room or on a beach, we all experience the torrent of love in very much the same way. instinct races ahead, sense chases behind in confusion. "blue lagoon" tells a timeless human story in a very simple style. this movie is better for talking to kids about growing up than any 10 sex education pamphlets. and if an adult cannot remember how this felt when they were young, a little part of them has already died. a good movie