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

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)
• Warner-Columbia Filmverleih (1980) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Hoyts Distribution (1981) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (2000) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD) (special edition)
• Columbia TriStar (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (Brazil) (VHS)
• LK-TEL (198?) (Argentina) (VHS)
• LK-TEL (2000) (Argentina) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2000) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-edited)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1982) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures International Video (1989) (Germany) (video) (laserdisc)

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:

Lori Loughlin was offered the lead role but turned it down.

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: That's not true, you're always staring at my buppies.
Richard: Only because they look so funny!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Indie Sex: Teens (2007) (TV)

Not half bad...

'The Blue Lagoon' has long been considered a cult classic. However, the film is much more than that. Shields and Atkins, two gorgeous lead actors, are partially nude throughout the film, pulling the attention away from the beautiful story. Look beyond the skin displayed on screen...'The Blue Lagoon' is a great coming-of-age film. It is a film that I personally have enjoyed viewing time and time again. See it for what it is, and you will not be dissapointed. You may even decide to add this one to your collection, it is definately WORTHY!

This film should be remembered for displaying the best performances to date for Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins. Shields is still in the limelight, for starring in a few cheap direct-to-video flicks and the surprise-hit show 'Suddenly Susan' from a few years back...and Christopher Atkins has appeared in a few films as well, most notably his role in the '96 film "It's My Party." However, Atkins career took a steep downfall and he lost much of his popularity from 'Lagoon' after he won the Razzie Award for Worst Actor for the movie 'A Night in Heaven' back in '83. Be sure to check out 'The Blue Lagoon.' I give it a good 8/10.