Crusoe (1988)

Robinson Crusoe is shipwrecked and he finds himself all alone on a tropical island. With a few tools he manages to rescue from the wreck he has to learn to support himself until help arrives.

Director:

Caleb Deschanel

Writers:

Daniel Defoe (book), Walon Green (screenplay)

Stars:

Aidan Quinn, Elvis Payne, Richard D. Sharp

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aidan Quinn	...	Crusoe
Elvis Payne	...	Runaway Slave
Richard D. Sharp	...	Colcol (as Richard Sharp)
Colin Bruce	...	Clerk
William Hootkins	...	Auctioneer
Shane Rimmer	...	Mr. Mather
Jimmy Nail	...	Tatik
Patrick Monckton	...	Cook (as Patrick Monkton)
Chris Pitt	...	Kitchen Lad
James Kennedy	...	Captain Harding
Timothy Spall	...	Reverend Milne (as Tim Spall)
Ade Sapara	...	The Warrior
Hepburn Graham	...	Lucky
Raymond Johnson	...	1st Victim
Ricco Ross	...	2nd Victim

Storyline

Robinson Crusoe is shipwrecked and he finds himself all alone on a tropical island. With a few tools he manages to rescue from the wreck he has to learn to support himself until help arrives.

---

Plot Keywords:

island | desert island | ship wreck | dog | independent film | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 March 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Crusoe - Etelämeren seikkailija

Filming Locations:

Avala Studios, Belgrade, Serbia

Box Office

Gross:

$315,421 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Island Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of Man Friday (1975)

User Reviews

the classic story, with a new spin

This 1988 revision of Daniel Dafoe's popular desert island survival adventure has enough of a modern conscience to suggest a tropical variation of 'The Defiant Ones', with Virginia gentleman slave trader Crusoe (no first name is given: could it be Robinson?) shipwrecked off the African coast and chained by circumstance to a native tribesman. Director Caleb Deschanel brings to his own film some of the same meticulous attention to visual detail from his work elsewhere as an ace cinematographer, in this instance hiding the shortcomings of an underdeveloped screenplay behind lots of glorious surf-and-sand imagery. The story itself, perhaps because of its familiarity in outline, unfolds with a surprising lack of emotion for such a compelling scenario. Little information is offered about its protagonist except that he's a bigot with a lesson to learn, so what little character he has isn't very sympathetic. But the idea alone still carries a lingering fascination, making the film a consistently interesting if not always very involving experience.