The Blue Lagoon (1980)

Calvin Klein Jeans

The Blue Lagoon DVD


In 1980, when this film was released, there was quite a bit of controversy, most of it ill-founded. There were complaints about incest, but the two children are not brother and sister: Emmeline clearly addresses Arthur Lestrange as Uncle, while Richard calls him Father, so the closest they could be is cousins, and the use of Uncle may have been conventional (indicating guardianship) rather than literal. There were complaints about showing a 14-year-old actress nude, but they used body doubles for all of the nude scenes (Brooke Shields spends some of the commentary pointing which body double was used for which scene).

The plot is fairly straightforward. A man, Arthur Lestrange (William Daniels), is taking two children, Emmeline (Elva Josephson) and Richard (Glenn Kohan), from Boston to San Francisco by sailing ship around the turn of the century (the date is not specified). Because the Panama Canal doesn't exist yet, they must travel right down to the bottom of South America to get around. After rounding the bottom, there's a fire aboard - something that is a serious concern, but in this case it is worse, because it is in a hold containing blasting powder, so the passengers are rowed away from the ship. In the confusion, the children are separated from Arthur Lestrange; they end up in a boat with Paddy, the ship's cook (Leo McKern). To make things worse, a heavy fog rolls in, the ship blows up, and they are adrift by themselves.

Luck (and the scriptwriter) is with them, and they awaken within sight of an island. They are very fortunate to discover that this island has fresh water, ample fruit (bananas, papayas, and coconuts, amongst others), and is generally a tropical paradise. Paddy shows them various useful skills, including the construction of a hut, and collection of food, before dying. Now two fairly young children (I'm guessing they are under ten years) are alone. Years pass, and Richard (now Christopher Atkins) and Emmeline (now Brooke Shields) are coping fairly well with the basics of feeding themselves, but they are going through a variety of traumas as their bodies change. Matters like Emmeline's first period are not glossed over - it's easy to see how terrifying that could be for a young girl with no idea of what is happening to her. Emotionally, the pair are still children, and they squabble and tease one another just as children do. There are a series of events (nope, I'm not saying what) that split them apart, then bring them back together. Yes, they do learn about sex, and that is also handled sensitively - it could have come across as pornographic, but it doesn't, it comes across as tender and caring. The consequences are handled well, too. Bear in mind that these children, back on the ship, were still at the "cabbage patch" stage of sex education...

Providing you have a broad enough mind not to be scandalized by the nudity (which is utterly appropriate to the setting), this is a sweet love story set in a tropical paradise, a study of innocence, with enough drama to add seasoning.

Recommended For fans OF Brooke Shields(of Calvin Klein blue jeans fame) and love stories.

Gunner January, 2008


January 30, 2008

Amazing Product

The Blue Lagoon (Special Edition)
Amazon gives me the best quality product for the DVD i had ordered. January 20, 2008

What about Chris

I didn't read all the reviews but noticed on the ones I read everyone talks about the nudity ( I know, they're doubles ) of Brooke.

What about Chris? That's why I originally saw this movie and enjoyed watching. Very few films show male frontal nudity and it got more sterile as the years have gone on. Treated as complete taboo.
Maybe I'm alone in this?

Cheers to Chris! He fueled many a fantasy for me and was sorry his career didn't take off. January 12, 2008

The Blue Lagoon

I am pleased with this purchase and the timely manner in which it was received. January 7, 2008

Sappy chick flick

The only reason I'm buying this movie is so that girls will put out when they come over to my place and watch it November 29, 2007

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