Henry De Vere Stacpoole’s 1908 romantic novel about two young children shipwrecked on a deserted island was brought to life with stunning cinematography in the film adaptation of The Blue Lagoon. Released in 1980, and starring Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins, it was perhaps surprisingly the third film adaptation of the book (the first two occurring in 1923 and 1949.) A beautiful and intriguing tale of young love, free from society’s constraints, The Blue Lagoon was a success at the box office and remains a fond favorite to this day.
A Victorian-era sailing vessel is traveling the South Pacific, and its passengers include Arthur Lestrange, his young son Richard and an orphaned girl of the same age, Emmeline. When a disastrous fire breaks out, flames quickly consume the boat and the kids barely escape with the ship’s burly cook Paddy Button on a lifeboat. Adrift in open waters, the trio eventually reaches a tropical island and sets up shelter. In the years that follow, Paddy takes on his new role as parent, instilling values upon the children and teaching them the skills they need to survive. Two such skills are to never eat the red berries that the children find, which he ominously refers to as “never-wake-up berries” and also to never go to the other side of the island, which Paddy fears is inhabited by cannibals.
Unfortunately, Paddy does enjoy getting liquored up on occasion, and one day, after a particularly strong binge, the kids wake to find that Paddy has consumed his final drink. Emmeline, as a result, is eager to change surroundings so she convinces Richard to find another location for their camp. They set sail on their small rowboat and settle on another beach, building shelter and getting accustomed to their new home. Over time, the two begin to mature physically into teenagers and, as one might expect, the hormones start kicking in alongside a strange new process that neither truly understand called puberty.
Although one of the first orders of business at the new camp was to build a signal fire, in the event a passing ship ever came close enough to spot it, the two teens begin to have differing opinions on whether it should be used, leading to the first conflict with each other they have ever really encountered. When a ship does come near one day, Richard is too far away to light the fire and Emmeline whose proximity is closer, refrains, deciding that she rather likes the carefree existence they have found. And when an accident later threatens Emmeline’s life, the couple begins to realize how deep their affection for each other runs. And with two very attractive teenagers in each others company, hormones at full steam, it doesn’t take much imagination as to what happens next – and again, and again. And eventually, much to her surprise, Emmeline is about to become a mommy.
Of course, neither have had any training whatsoever in how to handle these very adult responsibilities, but nature takes its course, leading to the birth of a baby boy who they name Paddy in honor of their fallen friend. As the child grows into a toddler, the new family realizes how much they love their life on this remote island, and when a ship comes around, this time with Richard’s father aboard, still frantically searching for his kids all these years, both teens decide it best to ignore the signal fire. Unfortunately, while they have spent a good deal of time teaching their son to swim and such, nobody ever thought to teach him about the never-wake-up berries and this idyllic existence may soon come to a harsh end.
Young audiences loved The Blue Lagoon, thanks in no small part to the eye candy provided by the two attractive stars. Some parents, however, were a little less enamored by the amount of nudity in the film, both of the teenagers and their younger counterparts. It still didn’t hurt the film at the box office, which boasted stunningly beautiful scenery, a lush and moving orchestral score, and a haunting, yet touching, exploration of human behavior in the midst of total isolation. Eleven years later, a sequel was produced, although without any of the former cast. And roundly panned by critics, it just couldn’t manage to capture the beauty of the original film, which still holds up today and remains one of those films that manages to touch just about everyone who watches it.
A Victorian-era sailing vessel is traveling the South Pacific, and its passengers include Arthur Lestrange, his young son Richard and an orphaned girl of the same age, Emmeline. When a disastrous fire breaks out, flames quickly consume the boat and the kids barely escape with the ship’s burly cook Paddy Button on a lifeboat. Adrift in open waters, the trio eventually reaches a tropical island and sets up shelter. In the years that follow, Paddy takes on his new role as parent, instilling values upon the children and teaching them the skills they need to survive. Two such skills are to never eat the red berries that the children find, which he ominously refers to as “never-wake-up berries” and also to never go to the other side of the island, which Paddy fears is inhabited by cannibals.
Unfortunately, Paddy does enjoy getting liquored up on occasion, and one day, after a particularly strong binge, the kids wake to find that Paddy has consumed his final drink. Emmeline, as a result, is eager to change surroundings so she convinces Richard to find another location for their camp. They set sail on their small rowboat and settle on another beach, building shelter and getting accustomed to their new home. Over time, the two begin to mature physically into teenagers and, as one might expect, the hormones start kicking in alongside a strange new process that neither truly understand called puberty.
Although one of the first orders of business at the new camp was to build a signal fire, in the event a passing ship ever came close enough to spot it, the two teens begin to have differing opinions on whether it should be used, leading to the first conflict with each other they have ever really encountered. When a ship does come near one day, Richard is too far away to light the fire and Emmeline whose proximity is closer, refrains, deciding that she rather likes the carefree existence they have found. And when an accident later threatens Emmeline’s life, the couple begins to realize how deep their affection for each other runs. And with two very attractive teenagers in each others company, hormones at full steam, it doesn’t take much imagination as to what happens next – and again, and again. And eventually, much to her surprise, Emmeline is about to become a mommy.
Of course, neither have had any training whatsoever in how to handle these very adult responsibilities, but nature takes its course, leading to the birth of a baby boy who they name Paddy in honor of their fallen friend. As the child grows into a toddler, the new family realizes how much they love their life on this remote island, and when a ship comes around, this time with Richard’s father aboard, still frantically searching for his kids all these years, both teens decide it best to ignore the signal fire. Unfortunately, while they have spent a good deal of time teaching their son to swim and such, nobody ever thought to teach him about the never-wake-up berries and this idyllic existence may soon come to a harsh end.
Young audiences loved The Blue Lagoon, thanks in no small part to the eye candy provided by the two attractive stars. Some parents, however, were a little less enamored by the amount of nudity in the film, both of the teenagers and their younger counterparts. It still didn’t hurt the film at the box office, which boasted stunningly beautiful scenery, a lush and moving orchestral score, and a haunting, yet touching, exploration of human behavior in the midst of total isolation. Eleven years later, a sequel was produced, although without any of the former cast. And roundly panned by critics, it just couldn’t manage to capture the beauty of the original film, which still holds up today and remains one of those films that manages to touch just about everyone who watches it.
