A swashbuckling adventure which takes place in the mid-1800's on the South Pacific islands where bloody raids and battles were once the rule of the day.
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Title: Savage Islands (1983)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Tommy Lee Jones | ... | Captain Bully Hayes | |
| Michael O'Keefe | ... | Nathaniel Williamson | |
| Max Phipps | ... | Ben Pease | |
| Jenny Seagrove | ... | Sophie | |
 |
Grant Tilly | ... | Count Von Rittenberg |
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Peter Rowley | ... | Louis Beck |
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William Johnson | ... | Reverend Williamson (as Bill Johnson) |
| Kate Harcourt | ... | Mrs. Williamson | |
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Reg Ruka | ... | Moaka |
| Roy Billing | ... | Auctioneer | |
| Bruce Allpress | ... | Mr. Blake | |
| David Letch | ... | Ratbag | |
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Prince Tui Teka | ... | King of Ponape |
|
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Pudji Waseso | ... | Fong |
| Peter Vere-Jones | ... | Gunboat Captain | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
It's the late nineteenth century in the South Pacific. Bully Hayes considers himself a pirate with morals and standards, and while he has never flown the skull and crossbones, he has dealt in illegal trade, albeit never having swindled or killed anyone who didn't deserve it. It is after one of those trading missions with a native tribe gone wrong that he is arrested "by an old friend" under Spanish law for attempting to sell arms to the enemy, a crime punishable by hanging. Awaiting his fate in a dank prison cell, he tells his lawyer how he came to this situation. What Bully specifically tells him is the last escapades aboard his former beloved ship, the Rona, the long voyage transporting New Englander Nathaniel Williamson and his British fiancée Sophie to their South Pacific mission where they were to be married before bringing the word of God to the natives. Earnest Nathaniel disliked him from the beginning due to the harmless or not so harmless flirtation between him and Sophie. ... Written by Huggo
Plot Keywords:
snakeskin | character names as title | nickname in title | surname in title | three word title |Taglines:
He's a scoundrel... A hero... A lover of danger and the last of the adventurers... This is the story of Bully Hayes! See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
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Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
18 November 1983 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Savage Islands See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$12,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend USA:
$815,160, 20 November 1983Gross USA:
$1,963,756Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$1,963,756Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
DolbyColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Ben Pease: King Oatopi of Ponape never signed a treaty with nobody. He's an evil bastard. Practices incest on his own offspring, eats human flesh, sacrifices his enemies. You ever show your pink, little behind around there, he'll have you screwed, tattooed and served up with an apple in your mouth.
Count Von Rittenberg: Mr Pease, I have the whole of the German Empire at my support.
Ben Pease: He'll eat them too.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
This picture was part of a cycle of films in the Indiana Jones mold which were made after the box-office success of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Others included Sky Pirates (1986), King Solomon's Mines (1985), Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986), River of Death (1989), and High Road to China (1983). See more »Goofs
When Pegleg shoots one of Pease's henchmen in the alley, the gun is pointed slightly to the right of the camera, but the henchman is standing just to the left of the camera. See more »Quotes
Count Von Rittenberg: We intend to sign and honor a treaty.Ben Pease: King Oatopi of Ponape never signed a treaty with nobody. He's an evil bastard. Practices incest on his own offspring, eats human flesh, sacrifices his enemies. You ever show your pink, little behind around there, he'll have you screwed, tattooed and served up with an apple in your mouth.
Count Von Rittenberg: Mr Pease, I have the whole of the German Empire at my support.
Ben Pease: He'll eat them too.
See more »
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I was lucky enough to go to the European premiere of this film in London ( although strangely enough i seem to remember that it ended up on a double bill with TOP SECRET in some cinemas). Made before Tommy Lee Jones became a big star it was quite obviously the inspiration for Pirates of the Caribbean. It was released in the UK under the title SAVAGE ISLANDS but in some places it was called NATE & HAYES. However, shame on Paramount for not exploiting it better. I know they had a lot riding on the not dissimilar Indiana Jones films but this is a cracking adventure and deserves better treatment (and why oh why has it not been seen on UK television for about 15 years?).
Good news though. The film is finally getting a DVD release (on region 1 only) on June 20th 2006 so keep an eye out for it.