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.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Teenage Boy | Spanking | Teenage Girl | Barechested | Young Boy

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. July 31

8:15 AM

AMC

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

Directed by
Randal Kleiser

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Henry De Vere Stacpoole		novel
Douglas Day Stewart		writer

Produced by
Richard Franklin	....	co-producer
Randal Kleiser	....	producer

Original Music by
Basil Poledouris

Cinematography by
Néstor Almendros

Film Editing by
Robert Gordon

Casting by
Vic Ramos

Art Direction by
Jon Dowding

Costume Design by
Jean-Pierre Dorléac

Makeup Department
Irene Walls	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Peter Bogart	....	production manager
Barbi Taylor	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Peter Bogart	....	assistant director
Mark Piper	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Allen Brown	....	art department staff
Ken Hazelwood	....	construction manager
Nick Hepworth	....	property master
Clive Jones	....	art department staff
Gregg O'Connell	....	constructor
Gerry Powderly	....	constructor
John Taylor	....	art department staff
Nicolaas Van Roosendael	....	property buyer

Sound Department
Wayne Artman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Tom Beckert	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paul Clark	....	production sound mixer
John Duffy	....	sound editor
Chris Goldsmith	....	boom operator
William Hooper	....	assistant sound editor
Michael Jiron	....	sound re-recording mixer
Emile Razpopov	....	sound effects supervisor

Special Effects by
Chuck E. Stewart	....	special effects assistant

Visual Effects by
Jeffrey Kleiser	....	special optical effects

Stunts
Wally Crowder	....	stunt coordinator
Kathy Troutt	....	stunt double (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
David Brostoff	....	assistant camera
Ray Brown	....	key grip
Peter Lyons Collister	....	director of photography: second unit
Peter Lyons Collister	....	insert photography
Ian Dewhurst	....	electrician
Jack Endacott	....	assistant camera
Tony Holtham	....	electrician
Roger G. Jans	....	still photographer
Vincent Monton	....	additional photographer
Ron Taylor	....	underwater photographer
Valerie Taylor	....	underwater photographer
Paul Thompson	....	second grip
Hal Trussell	....	gaffer

Casting Department
Rosalie Joseph	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Aphrodite Kondos	....	wardrober

Editorial Department
Lorenzo DeStefano	....	apprentice editor
Dolly Gordon	....	assistant editor (as Dolly Fendel)

Music Department
Sam E. Levin	....	music editor
Brian May	....	music coordinator
Greig McRitchie	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Chi Chung Fu	....	graphic artist: titles
Bernadette Franklin	....	production assistant
Marilyn Giardino	....	script supervisor
Fred Harding	....	auditor
Rosalie Winkler Karalekas	....	production coordinator (as Rosalie Winkler Trencher)
Dessie Markovsky	....	dialogue supervisor
Gary Moore	....	seaplane pilot
Warwick Ross	....	production assistant
Martin Simpson	....	unit doctor
Helen Watts	....	production secretary
Philip Worth	....	location manager

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1982) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (2000) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (Brazil) (VHS)
• Hoyts Distribution (1981) (Australia) (theatrical)
• LK-TEL (198?) (Argentina) (VHS)
• LK-TEL (2000) (Argentina) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2000) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-edited)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Warner-Columbia Filmverleih (West Germany)

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Blue Lagoon, Port Antonio, Jamaica

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Brooke's original body double broke her back, the replacement body double for Brooke Shields was originally hired to catch or train dolphins, she was the right body-type, so she was used as a nude double.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: There are both macaws and cockatoos on the island. Macaws are from South America and Cockatoos are from Australia.

Quotes:

Richard: [while eating fruit] Kiss me.
Emmeline: You're all sticky!
Richard: So what? Kiss me!
Emmeline: [kisses Richard, but Richard won't let her go] Stop! I can't breathe!
Richard: But I don't wanna stop.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Surf School (2006)

Timeless Classic

I have never liked the 70s and the 80s, I think these are the eras of mistakes. BUT "The Blue Lagoon" is not a mistake. It is one of the best ever movies that came out of that era, and probably the few good things that ever did survive.

It is simple, nothing fancy, the plot is convincing (Probably because of the direct adaptation from the highly successful book), and the acting of the two teenage actors are superb.

I wonder why they never make movies as simple as this one anymore? Survival, love, dependency, courage, fear, and growing up, the themes of this movie is universal, and yet woven together in a nicely paced movie without the complications of the modern world. But even in that primitive land, is it without complications?

Watch this movie, save for the dated hairstyles, you can watch this 30 years later and still it would be beautiful and easily understandable. What am I saying, it is almost 30 years later!