The Blue Lagoon (1980)

In the Victorian period, two children are shipwrecked on a tropical island in the South Pacific. With no adults to guide them, the two make a simple life together, unaware that sexual maturity will eventually intervene.

Director:

Randal Kleiser

Writers:

Henry De Vere Stacpoole (based on the novel by), Douglas Day Stewart (screenplay by)

Stars:

Brooke Shields, Christopher Atkins, Leo McKern

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Brooke Shields	...	Emmeline Lestrange
Christopher Atkins	...	Richard Lestrange
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 (as Chad Timmermans)
Gert Jacoby	...	Sailor
Alex Hamilton	...	Sailor
Richard Evanson	...	Sailor

Storyline

On a journey to San Francisco, Richard, his father and cousin Emmeline find themselves on a ship about to explode. Rushed to a lifeboat with Paddy Button, the two children escape while their father (and uncle) are on another lifeboat. In the chaos following, the lifeboats are separated. Paddy, Richard and Emmeline find themselves with no food and no water stuck in the middle of nowhere. After some time, the three come across an uncharted paradise, where Paddy quickly teaches the children fishing, hunting and building. After maybe a month or two, Paddy gets very drunk off a barrel of rum found on the island when they first arrive, and drowns in the middle of the night. Emmeline and Richard, now alone and very scared, move location and rebuild their island home. Many years later, the two young teenagers have developed a very real home, but hormones and feelings between the two strain their friendship, until Richard, who is still very determined to reach San Francisco, is let down by ...

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Plot Keywords:

nudity | island | cousin cousin relationship | coming of age | teenage girl | 

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Taglines:

A story of natural love.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Sony movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 July 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

La laguna azul

Filming Locations:

Fiji

Box Office

Budget:

$4,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$58,853,106

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Adapted from the French classic novel, "Paul et Virginie" (1788), by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre.

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Goofs

Richard is right handed as a child but left handed as an adult.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Young Emmeline: Richard, don't go out too far.
Young Richard: Em's a fraidy cat!
Arthur Lestrange: Richard! Emmeline! Come back here! This minute! And be careful!

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Alternate Versions

The version aired on TBS cuts out the shot of Paddy's nude photographs, the blood spurting onto the native after the execution, as well as all nude scenes.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Desert Island Movies (2015)

User Reviews

My all time favourite.

When I watch a movie and it ends leaving me to wish it had gone on for another hour or so, I am happy and I regard the movie as having fulfilled it's purpose. For me that is a yardstick of enjoyable entertainment. In this movie that did actually happen twice, first when the children grow up and again at the conclusion. Whatever one wants of a movie is very personal I quess, as for me, I want to be transported away, and this movie did that. I like to see beautiful people and beautiful scenery, and this movie suplied May be that is lack of discernment and escapism on my side, but I think it is OK for the movie industry to keep people like myself in mind too.