I have always liked this film, and don't like it when it is criticized so much. Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins did a wonderful job, they were excellent. Brooke is a beautiful, talented actress. The scenery was just gorgeous, it makes you want to fly off to Fiji where they filmed most of the movie to see what it is really like. The music is also very good. The story starts out with a ship which catches fire, and everyone is forced to abandon ship. Two young children, Richard and Emmeline, as well as a drunken cook named Paddy, get on a lifeboat together and drift on the sea for many days, until they discover land, a bunch of little remote tropical islands. They build a home there. Time passes, and Paddy passes away, but Richard and Emmeline continue growing up together. They get older, and new feelings come over them. They discover many things about adolescence and sex. This is a great love story, sweet and lovable. Brooke and Chris make a great onscreen couple. The sex/nudity scenes are not really that bad at all, they're rather mild. There is more nudity in the underwater swimming sequences, but mostly all of that was done by Brooke's stand-in, a professional diver. I really like this movie, and even though there are a few logic loopholes, it is still enjoyable. My only complaint: I think this film could've gone on for about 5 more mins. or so and explained things a little bit better.
208 Reviews
Oddly Captivating
Calicodreamin9 September 2021
The Blue Lagoon is one of those strangely captivating movies. A unique storyline, and well cast characters. For two young actors they manage to portray compelling chemistry and honesty. Though of course the two people growing up on a semi deserted island would just happen to be absolutely gorgeous.
Realistic Island Stranding Story
iquine8 July 2022
Imagine being stranded on an island with one other person as a junior high age kid. This happens to a boy and a girl when they are with a crew sailing on a smaller vessel and it wrecks. The boy and girl along with an old jolly fellow make it to shore. Stranded, they learn to live on an island as he takes care of them. The old timer dies when the kids are pre-teen age. All alone on the island, the boy and girl survive and grow up without any guidance while navigating puberty together. That makes for some interesting and awkward situations as they have no knowledge of what to expect as they grow older. Almost like living as a cave man/woman without parents.
Beautiful
QueenMakeda8428 February 2003
I received this movie for Christmas back in 8th grade by my best friend at the time. I had seen it first on tv and fell in love with it regardless of the major chopping on tv's part with editing. The movie was and still is my favorite movie. The ending's a little too ambiguous for my tastes, but the music....oh gosh! Basil Poledouris (pardon the bad spelling) made this film shine. The concept is great of two people alone growing up without civilization to guide them. Most people's issue with this movie is the dialogue. Come on! They were left alone at like 8. Your body matures people, but not so your mind. Would it have made any sense if they were speaking like intelligent teenagers without benefit of education? No. The movie was realistic with the constant nudity and the childlike innocence of the two characters. Brooke Shields is awesome. I loved her in this movie. This was when she was at her best. Atkins did a great job as well. I know if I was on that island, I'd be naked a lot as well. It was just really put together nicely. The scenes with the water and the aquatic life was really gorgeous. Love this movie!
Just imagine how they would handle it today?
mik-1918 April 2005
Often while watching this movie I asked myself, How would filmmakers tackle this or that scene today, 25 years later? And while I am certainly not going to applaud 'The Blue Lagoon' as an overlooked masterpiece, CERTAINLY not!, it is still a far cry better than the standard teenage soft-porn that is on offer today.
Basically, 'The Blue Lagoon' is about two horny teenagers finding their own path towards sexual fulfillment and adulthood, and it strives to point the way for its multitudes of teenage audiences with some dignity and even fearlessness. Today footage of completely naked infants as well as pre-teens and teens would simply never be realized or even permitted in mainstream OR art cinema, God forbid! Brooke Shields' frank alluding to Christopher Atkins' masturbatory habits could, in a movie today, only be filmed amidst a sea of giggles, whereas in 1980 they did it very deadpan and honestly.
The film is full of quite touching scenes and gently, if not exactly marvelously acted. I liked Atkins' prayer that the sick Shields be saved, and he doesn't remember how a prayer goes: "Our Father who art in Heaven ... Kingdom come ... Liberty and justice for all. Amen". They don't lead terribly eventful lives on that desert island, but their everyday rituals are beautifully filmed, and the underwater sequences are memorable.
Basically, 'The Blue Lagoon' is about two horny teenagers finding their own path towards sexual fulfillment and adulthood, and it strives to point the way for its multitudes of teenage audiences with some dignity and even fearlessness. Today footage of completely naked infants as well as pre-teens and teens would simply never be realized or even permitted in mainstream OR art cinema, God forbid! Brooke Shields' frank alluding to Christopher Atkins' masturbatory habits could, in a movie today, only be filmed amidst a sea of giggles, whereas in 1980 they did it very deadpan and honestly.
The film is full of quite touching scenes and gently, if not exactly marvelously acted. I liked Atkins' prayer that the sick Shields be saved, and he doesn't remember how a prayer goes: "Our Father who art in Heaven ... Kingdom come ... Liberty and justice for all. Amen". They don't lead terribly eventful lives on that desert island, but their everyday rituals are beautifully filmed, and the underwater sequences are memorable.
One of my teenage guilty pleasures
labng6 November 2018
Robinson Crusoe for adolescents
Leofwine_draca21 July 2013
THE BLUE LAGOON enjoys something of a cult reputation these days after proving an enormous success on first release and recuperating its own budget many times over. It's a simple enough story about a young boy and girl who are stranded on a tropical island, but instead of the usual survival elements of the story the focus is on their developing sexual relationship.
I admit it's not particularly the type of film I find interesting but the stunning Fijian locations were enough to keep me watching. Unfortunately the acting from the clearly inexperienced leads is less than impressive and wooden in places and seasoned performers such as the ever delightful Leo McKern have all too little screen time. Sure, Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins may be superficially beautiful but they're able to reveal little below the surface.
Instead of getting more gripping as the story progresses, I found that this film actually got less interesting as it focuses more deeply on the relationship between the characters. The so-called sexual tension is handled in a rather twee and dated fashion and the ending feels tacked-on instead of a natural development of the plot - you think they're either incredibly lucky or wonder why they didn't try it long before.
After directing the hugely successful GREASE Randal Kleiser saw his star gradually waning with the final inevitability of making TV movies and straight-to-DVD releases. THE BLUE LAGOON reveals him to be a workmanlike character rather than a real auteur with a love of his material so it's no surprise that he faded into obscurity after one brief blast of fame.
I admit it's not particularly the type of film I find interesting but the stunning Fijian locations were enough to keep me watching. Unfortunately the acting from the clearly inexperienced leads is less than impressive and wooden in places and seasoned performers such as the ever delightful Leo McKern have all too little screen time. Sure, Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins may be superficially beautiful but they're able to reveal little below the surface.
Instead of getting more gripping as the story progresses, I found that this film actually got less interesting as it focuses more deeply on the relationship between the characters. The so-called sexual tension is handled in a rather twee and dated fashion and the ending feels tacked-on instead of a natural development of the plot - you think they're either incredibly lucky or wonder why they didn't try it long before.
After directing the hugely successful GREASE Randal Kleiser saw his star gradually waning with the final inevitability of making TV movies and straight-to-DVD releases. THE BLUE LAGOON reveals him to be a workmanlike character rather than a real auteur with a love of his material so it's no surprise that he faded into obscurity after one brief blast of fame.
Classic teenage film
davispittman24 November 2015
The Blue Lagoon (1980) starring Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins is a classic teenage movie. The acting by both of the lead actors certainly isn't Oscar winning by any means, in fact at some moments it's really bad. They were young actors at the time and weren't all that experienced, so I'll take it easy on them. At least they were attractive, as many audience members commented. I know all the ladies and gay guys really enjoyed seeing Christopher Atkins shirtless and seeing his bare backside. And I'm sure the straight guys enjoyed Brooke Shields. A lot of teens in 1980 said that it was the sexiest thing they had ever seen, which is hard for our generation to understand I'm sure. But yes, it's true, the blue lagoon is sexy. So if you want a movie with eye candy actors, mild sexual scenes that aren't graphic in nature, this might be for you. The film's plot is pretty good, but the script lacks intelligence. The movie just really suffers when it comes to the dialogue and the acting by the leads. Yes, the scenery is beautiful and yes, it's sexy. Although, other than its sexiness and pretty scenery, it's just not all that much to see. I'm giving The Blue Lagoon 6/10 stars for its sexiness, pretty scenery, and it's interesting plot.
The only film to have made a greater contribution to herpetology than than to culture
JamesHitchcock19 October 2012
Ever since at least the eighteenth century, the "desert island", the uninhabited tropical island with golden beaches fringed with palm trees, has frequently been depicted in Western culture as the nearest one can get to paradise on earth, in literature, the cinema and even in advertising campaigns. (The makers of the "Bounty" chocolate bar have for decades centred their entire marketing strategy around this concept). In the twentieth century writers, such as William Golding in "Lord of the Flies", Alex Garland in "The Beach" and J G Ballard in "Rushing to Paradise", started to subvert this idea, but "The Blue Lagoon", based on a novel from 1908, is a film which takes it largely at face value.
The film is set in the late Victorian period. Two young children, Richard and Emmeline, survive a shipwreck in the South Pacific and are stranded on a lush tropical island along with a seaman named Paddy Button. Paddy dies not long afterwards, but not before he has taught the children the skills they need to survive on the island. Richard and Emmeline grow up and turn into beautiful teenagers, fall in love, and have a child of their own. At which point Well, you'll have to watch the film to find out what happens at this point.
An earlier version of the story was filmed in 1949. It is a long time since I last saw that film, but I recall that (as one might expect of a film from the forties) it contains far less nudity and sexual activity than does the 1980 version. The 1980 film was, in fact, quite controversial, largely because the actress playing Emmeline, Brooke Shields, was only 14 years old at the time of filming. (Two years earlier, Shields had starred in the even more controversial "Pretty Baby" about a child prostitute). It was later revealed that body doubles were used in the sex scenes, but even so many people were shocked by the film's sexual frankness and especially by nude scenes which appeared to feature a girl so young. (One thing which aroused surprisingly little comment is the fact that Richard and Emmeline are first cousins, even though cousin marriage is illegal in many American states).
The film was a success at the box office, probably because of its sexual explicitness and the good looks of its two young stars, but today it has a very dated feel. Much of the problem lies in the fact that its stars appear to have been cast on the basis of their looks alone, without regard to acting activity. Shields, in fact, had the dubious honour of winning the first ever "Worst Actress" Razzie. It may have been cruel to give such an award to a teenage girl (Farrah Fawcett-Majors probably deserved it more for "Saturn Three"), but it has to be admitted that Shields is not very good here. She had given a good performance in "Pretty Baby", but the transition from child star to teenage star can be a difficult one, and here she seems horribly embarrassed and self- conscious and, moreover, does not always speak her lines clearly. It might have been better if an older actress aged about 18 or 19 had been cast in the role. Richard and Emmeline are supposed to be around the same age, but Shields is in fact four years younger than her co-star Christopher Atkins, and it shows. Casting an actress in her late teens would also have removed any controversy about underage nudity.
As for Atkins, this was his first film. He has, apparently, gone on to enjoy a long acting career, although I do not recall seeing any of his later films; the only subsequent part I remember him in was as Sue- Ellen's toyboy in "Dallas". His career has been much longer, I suspect, than many would have predicted for him on the basis of "The Blue Lagoon", where he is very stiff and wooden, with little chemistry between him and Shields. The best acting performance comes from the veteran Leo McKern as Paddy, playing him as a mixture of kindly father- figure and drunken old reprobate; the film loses a lot of interest after his death relatively early on.
There are a few holes in the plot. It appears that the island is inhabited by, or at least regularly visited by, a tribe of people (portrayed here, in the best politically incorrect fashion, as bloodthirsty cannibals), but it is never explained how these inhabitants manage to go at least ten years without discovering two strangers living on their island. It might have been more plausible if Paddy had remained alive for longer; the small children we see in the early scenes seem too young to be capable of surviving on their own. And how does Richard manage to stay so clean-shaven throughout? (Presumably the film-makers felt that a bearded Atkins would have seemed much less cute to the teenage girls who made up a large part of the film's intended audience).
Visually, the film is an attractive one, with some striking photography of the island and its wildlife. The cinematographer Néstor Almendros was nominated for a "Best Cinematography" Oscar, the only nomination the film achieved. Overall, however, "The Blue Lagoon" is really no more than yet another sentimental teenage romance movie with an exotic setting and two miscast stars. Its only distinction lies in being possibly the only feature film to have made a greater contribution to science than to the arts. Some scenes were shot on a small island in Fiji, and a herpetologist watching the film realised that the iguanas featured were a species hitherto unknown to science. Today it is classified as the Fiji Crested Iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis); they should have called it Brachylophus bluelagoonii. 4/10
The film is set in the late Victorian period. Two young children, Richard and Emmeline, survive a shipwreck in the South Pacific and are stranded on a lush tropical island along with a seaman named Paddy Button. Paddy dies not long afterwards, but not before he has taught the children the skills they need to survive on the island. Richard and Emmeline grow up and turn into beautiful teenagers, fall in love, and have a child of their own. At which point Well, you'll have to watch the film to find out what happens at this point.
An earlier version of the story was filmed in 1949. It is a long time since I last saw that film, but I recall that (as one might expect of a film from the forties) it contains far less nudity and sexual activity than does the 1980 version. The 1980 film was, in fact, quite controversial, largely because the actress playing Emmeline, Brooke Shields, was only 14 years old at the time of filming. (Two years earlier, Shields had starred in the even more controversial "Pretty Baby" about a child prostitute). It was later revealed that body doubles were used in the sex scenes, but even so many people were shocked by the film's sexual frankness and especially by nude scenes which appeared to feature a girl so young. (One thing which aroused surprisingly little comment is the fact that Richard and Emmeline are first cousins, even though cousin marriage is illegal in many American states).
The film was a success at the box office, probably because of its sexual explicitness and the good looks of its two young stars, but today it has a very dated feel. Much of the problem lies in the fact that its stars appear to have been cast on the basis of their looks alone, without regard to acting activity. Shields, in fact, had the dubious honour of winning the first ever "Worst Actress" Razzie. It may have been cruel to give such an award to a teenage girl (Farrah Fawcett-Majors probably deserved it more for "Saturn Three"), but it has to be admitted that Shields is not very good here. She had given a good performance in "Pretty Baby", but the transition from child star to teenage star can be a difficult one, and here she seems horribly embarrassed and self- conscious and, moreover, does not always speak her lines clearly. It might have been better if an older actress aged about 18 or 19 had been cast in the role. Richard and Emmeline are supposed to be around the same age, but Shields is in fact four years younger than her co-star Christopher Atkins, and it shows. Casting an actress in her late teens would also have removed any controversy about underage nudity.
As for Atkins, this was his first film. He has, apparently, gone on to enjoy a long acting career, although I do not recall seeing any of his later films; the only subsequent part I remember him in was as Sue- Ellen's toyboy in "Dallas". His career has been much longer, I suspect, than many would have predicted for him on the basis of "The Blue Lagoon", where he is very stiff and wooden, with little chemistry between him and Shields. The best acting performance comes from the veteran Leo McKern as Paddy, playing him as a mixture of kindly father- figure and drunken old reprobate; the film loses a lot of interest after his death relatively early on.
There are a few holes in the plot. It appears that the island is inhabited by, or at least regularly visited by, a tribe of people (portrayed here, in the best politically incorrect fashion, as bloodthirsty cannibals), but it is never explained how these inhabitants manage to go at least ten years without discovering two strangers living on their island. It might have been more plausible if Paddy had remained alive for longer; the small children we see in the early scenes seem too young to be capable of surviving on their own. And how does Richard manage to stay so clean-shaven throughout? (Presumably the film-makers felt that a bearded Atkins would have seemed much less cute to the teenage girls who made up a large part of the film's intended audience).
Visually, the film is an attractive one, with some striking photography of the island and its wildlife. The cinematographer Néstor Almendros was nominated for a "Best Cinematography" Oscar, the only nomination the film achieved. Overall, however, "The Blue Lagoon" is really no more than yet another sentimental teenage romance movie with an exotic setting and two miscast stars. Its only distinction lies in being possibly the only feature film to have made a greater contribution to science than to the arts. Some scenes were shot on a small island in Fiji, and a herpetologist watching the film realised that the iguanas featured were a species hitherto unknown to science. Today it is classified as the Fiji Crested Iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis); they should have called it Brachylophus bluelagoonii. 4/10
It's not bad for two people stuck on an island
Smells_Like_Cheese3 December 2003
Oh, come on. I know more than a few people who enjoyed "The Blue Lagoon". This is actually a wonderful story and yes, there a more than a few questions. I mean, how do two children survive on a deserted island? I'm not sure, but the story worked well.
This is a true love story, because it comes from natural love. This isn't like "You're the only girl/boy on this island, so...". This was more of "I'm falling in love with this woman/man." Their love for each other was so unique and wonderful that it makes you want to be on a deserted island with someone. Plus having Christopher Atkins or Brooke Sheilds as your partner helps somewhat too. :D It's a great movie that I feel is a bit under rated. Give it a chance.
7/10
This is a true love story, because it comes from natural love. This isn't like "You're the only girl/boy on this island, so...". This was more of "I'm falling in love with this woman/man." Their love for each other was so unique and wonderful that it makes you want to be on a deserted island with someone. Plus having Christopher Atkins or Brooke Sheilds as your partner helps somewhat too. :D It's a great movie that I feel is a bit under rated. Give it a chance.
7/10
"It ain't proper to be running 'round naked all the time!"
utgard1431 August 2015
Two kids (cousins!) become stranded on an island with a fat old drunk who yells a lot. Eventually the drunk dies and they're left to fend for themselves. As the kids become teenagers, they turn into Christopher Atkins and Brooke Shields. It's at this point that the movie becomes what it's famous for being: two attractive teens discovering sex in the wild. Most people are either going to think this is a story of innocent love unhindered by societal conventions or they'll see it as a cheap piece of exploitation. I'm trying my best to view it as the former but the cynic in me finds it hard to deny that the latter is probably the only reason this was green-lit in the first place. For the record, if you haven't seen it, the nudity does not only come from Atkins and Shields (or her adult body double in some scenes) but from the pre-teen children playing the younger versions of their characters as well.
Judging the movie on its technical merits, it's pretty hard to deny that the gorgeous island scenery and the nice score are big pluses. But the story is paper thin and the acting is atrocious. There is potential for a good movie here, if it were treated as a realistic story of two kids struggling to survive while also dealing with growing into puberty with no adults around to guide them. But director Randal Kleiser is more focused on flesh peddling and the single most insipid romance to ever hit the screen. As it is, we're left with a curiosity that isn't a good film at all but will hold a salacious appeal for some viewers.
Judging the movie on its technical merits, it's pretty hard to deny that the gorgeous island scenery and the nice score are big pluses. But the story is paper thin and the acting is atrocious. There is potential for a good movie here, if it were treated as a realistic story of two kids struggling to survive while also dealing with growing into puberty with no adults around to guide them. But director Randal Kleiser is more focused on flesh peddling and the single most insipid romance to ever hit the screen. As it is, we're left with a curiosity that isn't a good film at all but will hold a salacious appeal for some viewers.
NOT A CHILDREN'S MOVIE - FOR YOUNG ADULTS AND OLDER
larrysmile15 February 2002
Warning: Spoilers
The Blue Lagoon (1980) is so very close to the book, Blue Lagoon: A Romance, written in 1907 by H. de Vere Stacpoole and published in January 1908. The actual book is on the Internet and the dialog in the movie is faithful to the book.
Some dismiss the movie as trivial. However, consider this. Brooke Christa Shields was 14 years old (born 1966) when she played Emmeline LeStrange. She had already appeared in 12 prior films. Christopher Atkins was making his movie debut at the age of 18 years (born 1962) playing Emmeline's cousin, Richard LeStrange (referred in the book by the diminutive name, Dicky LeStrange). In the book, Emmeline is 8 years old and Dicky is 8 years "and a bit" when the story starts.
Emmeline's father died before she was born. Two years later her mother died. Her uncle and father's brother, Arthur LeStrange, (veteran actor William Daniels) took guardianship of Emmeline in Boston. Mr. LeStrange purchased a small estate in Los Angeles and was in route by clipper ship to San Francisco around South America. The ship, named Northcumberland, had departed from New Orleans bound for San Francisco. Having rounded the Cape of South America and going off course during a calm, a fire breaks out in the hull of the ship.
The cook, Paddy Button, played expertly by veteran Australian actor Leo McKern took Emmeline and Dicky aboard a dinghy launch and attempted to row a safe distance away from the ship before it exploded from gunpowder stored on board. Mr. LeStrange and ships' compliment were separated in the fog from Paddy, Emmeline, and Dicky after the ship blew up. Mr. Button and the children drifted in the South Pacific Ocean for about three days and nights until they were brought by the tide to an island named in the book as Palm Tree Island somewhere in the ocean southeast of the Marquesas Islands. In the movie we see a Boston newspaper with a date that appears to be 1893 floating in the water.
The children and Paddy Button are saved and set up housekeeping as shipwrecked survivors. For the first 45 minutes of the movie, child actors Elva Josephson and Glenn Kohan play Emmeline and Dicky. Elva only acted in three movies and two TV appearances while Glenn appeared in this film only and acted no more. However, they did a good job playing themselves as eight-year-olds. On the island Paddy tries to be father and mother to the children. He teaches them the basics of survival, gathering fresh water, harvesting bananas from trees, catching fresh ocean fish, capturing small rabbits, knot tying, hut building, making a signal fire, making a tree calendar to mark the days, and exploring the flora and fauna and caves of the island. They had rescued a trunk of clothes that the children use as dress up and play items. Also, there were three-dimension view photos of the day of adults in social activities. These photos would be useful to educate Emmeline and Dicky in some social graces of civilized people.
Emmeline had found a keg of rum and a skeleton of another shipwrecked sailor when they first arrived on the island. After two years on the island, Paddy, drinks himself to death. It is curious that this small keg would have lasted for two years being the rummy that Paddy was as he tells the children that he has many children in ports around the world. However, the children discover Paddy's dead body and conduct a burial ceremony as best as they could. Don't look for this on the TBS "edited for content" version, as it's not there. TBS spoils the movie by cutting out what they feel are "sensitive" parts of the movie, albeit, necessary for continuity of the story to retain its TV 14 rating.
(This is not a children's movie. This is a young adult's movie. The rudimentary scenes are necessary to be faithful to the book! If the rating ends up being "R", so be it. Also, this is far from being a "soft porn" movie as some reviewers suggest. This is a story about how people can survive in the late 1800s on a deserted South Pacific Island without the niceties of the then civilized western world.)
Enter teens Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins at about the age of 14 years. The story picks up as the children have entered into puberty. Brooke (Emmeline) begins to become aware of her changing body turning her into a woman and she experiences these changes alone and confused without another woman to help educate her. Likewise, Chris (Dicky) is becoming a man and Brooke, although the same age in the story is more mature than Chris and is becoming sexually attracted to Chris' emerging manhood. What was once child's play and tickle-touch between children, is now, sexually sensitive to young emerging teens. Critics -- this is Nature at work! The moviemakers did a wonderful job of portraying this on film.
Of course, they discover sex. But, they do not know that it produces children. Emmeline and Dicky marry each other in a ceremony they devise to show that they are "civilized." They begin to live together as husband and wife. Ultimately, Emmeline becomes pregnant and finally is aware that there is something growing within her.
Fast forward to the "Bogeymen" on the other side of the island. A tribe of natives had, from time to time, come by boat to the other side of the island. Here they had a stone idol and sacrificial alter. At least six times during the film, even when Paddy was still alive, the survivors heard distant drumbeats. Paddy knew the danger and passed a "law" warning the children never to go to the other side of the island. After Paddy's death, Emmeline and Dicky do go to the other side and discover the idol. Emmeline thinks it is God. The edited version leaves out the night spying and confrontation of Dicky with a native. Get the full version for this "humane" meeting of East meets West. Oh, these are not African peoples. This is a South Pacific movie. The natives are supposed to be "Polynesians."
In the book, Emmeline has her child all alone on the floor of the forest while Dicky is returning from spying on the Natives. In the movie, Dicky returns, "in the nick of time," to witness the child's birth. No matter. That's Hollywood's movie license.
Of course, Uncle Richard has continued to pursue finding his son and niece. The book explains how he comes to know where the children might be. He hires a ship to search the area of the Palm Tree Island. Ultimately, Emmeline, Dicky, and baby Paddy (now about 2 years old -- in the book she names the boy child a girls name, Hannah because she likes the name) put out to sea in the dinghy that is still seaworthy after being shipwrecked for eight years and five months. After losing their oars during a shark attack, the survivors, without food or water, drift in the ocean for three days before Uncle Richard discovers them. The movie ends as faithful to the book ending. The trio is rescued. When the rescue boat rows out to intercept the dinghy, Mr. LeStrange asks, "Are they dead?" The ship's crewman replies, "No, they're asleep."
Beautiful Brooke and handsome Chris are not to be made fun of. They acted remarkably well portraying children with limited education and vocabulary. The island scenery is beautifully photographed. There is a wonderful special effect when Brooke baths in the ocean. Get the video as TBS took a hatchet to these frames. If you were living in that era and shipwrecked and survived, you would want your eight plus years on the island to be like Brooke and Chris spent in this film. Get the video and enjoy. It's an adult film for mature teens and older adults.
Some dismiss the movie as trivial. However, consider this. Brooke Christa Shields was 14 years old (born 1966) when she played Emmeline LeStrange. She had already appeared in 12 prior films. Christopher Atkins was making his movie debut at the age of 18 years (born 1962) playing Emmeline's cousin, Richard LeStrange (referred in the book by the diminutive name, Dicky LeStrange). In the book, Emmeline is 8 years old and Dicky is 8 years "and a bit" when the story starts.
Emmeline's father died before she was born. Two years later her mother died. Her uncle and father's brother, Arthur LeStrange, (veteran actor William Daniels) took guardianship of Emmeline in Boston. Mr. LeStrange purchased a small estate in Los Angeles and was in route by clipper ship to San Francisco around South America. The ship, named Northcumberland, had departed from New Orleans bound for San Francisco. Having rounded the Cape of South America and going off course during a calm, a fire breaks out in the hull of the ship.
The cook, Paddy Button, played expertly by veteran Australian actor Leo McKern took Emmeline and Dicky aboard a dinghy launch and attempted to row a safe distance away from the ship before it exploded from gunpowder stored on board. Mr. LeStrange and ships' compliment were separated in the fog from Paddy, Emmeline, and Dicky after the ship blew up. Mr. Button and the children drifted in the South Pacific Ocean for about three days and nights until they were brought by the tide to an island named in the book as Palm Tree Island somewhere in the ocean southeast of the Marquesas Islands. In the movie we see a Boston newspaper with a date that appears to be 1893 floating in the water.
The children and Paddy Button are saved and set up housekeeping as shipwrecked survivors. For the first 45 minutes of the movie, child actors Elva Josephson and Glenn Kohan play Emmeline and Dicky. Elva only acted in three movies and two TV appearances while Glenn appeared in this film only and acted no more. However, they did a good job playing themselves as eight-year-olds. On the island Paddy tries to be father and mother to the children. He teaches them the basics of survival, gathering fresh water, harvesting bananas from trees, catching fresh ocean fish, capturing small rabbits, knot tying, hut building, making a signal fire, making a tree calendar to mark the days, and exploring the flora and fauna and caves of the island. They had rescued a trunk of clothes that the children use as dress up and play items. Also, there were three-dimension view photos of the day of adults in social activities. These photos would be useful to educate Emmeline and Dicky in some social graces of civilized people.
Emmeline had found a keg of rum and a skeleton of another shipwrecked sailor when they first arrived on the island. After two years on the island, Paddy, drinks himself to death. It is curious that this small keg would have lasted for two years being the rummy that Paddy was as he tells the children that he has many children in ports around the world. However, the children discover Paddy's dead body and conduct a burial ceremony as best as they could. Don't look for this on the TBS "edited for content" version, as it's not there. TBS spoils the movie by cutting out what they feel are "sensitive" parts of the movie, albeit, necessary for continuity of the story to retain its TV 14 rating.
(This is not a children's movie. This is a young adult's movie. The rudimentary scenes are necessary to be faithful to the book! If the rating ends up being "R", so be it. Also, this is far from being a "soft porn" movie as some reviewers suggest. This is a story about how people can survive in the late 1800s on a deserted South Pacific Island without the niceties of the then civilized western world.)
Enter teens Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins at about the age of 14 years. The story picks up as the children have entered into puberty. Brooke (Emmeline) begins to become aware of her changing body turning her into a woman and she experiences these changes alone and confused without another woman to help educate her. Likewise, Chris (Dicky) is becoming a man and Brooke, although the same age in the story is more mature than Chris and is becoming sexually attracted to Chris' emerging manhood. What was once child's play and tickle-touch between children, is now, sexually sensitive to young emerging teens. Critics -- this is Nature at work! The moviemakers did a wonderful job of portraying this on film.
Of course, they discover sex. But, they do not know that it produces children. Emmeline and Dicky marry each other in a ceremony they devise to show that they are "civilized." They begin to live together as husband and wife. Ultimately, Emmeline becomes pregnant and finally is aware that there is something growing within her.
Fast forward to the "Bogeymen" on the other side of the island. A tribe of natives had, from time to time, come by boat to the other side of the island. Here they had a stone idol and sacrificial alter. At least six times during the film, even when Paddy was still alive, the survivors heard distant drumbeats. Paddy knew the danger and passed a "law" warning the children never to go to the other side of the island. After Paddy's death, Emmeline and Dicky do go to the other side and discover the idol. Emmeline thinks it is God. The edited version leaves out the night spying and confrontation of Dicky with a native. Get the full version for this "humane" meeting of East meets West. Oh, these are not African peoples. This is a South Pacific movie. The natives are supposed to be "Polynesians."
In the book, Emmeline has her child all alone on the floor of the forest while Dicky is returning from spying on the Natives. In the movie, Dicky returns, "in the nick of time," to witness the child's birth. No matter. That's Hollywood's movie license.
Of course, Uncle Richard has continued to pursue finding his son and niece. The book explains how he comes to know where the children might be. He hires a ship to search the area of the Palm Tree Island. Ultimately, Emmeline, Dicky, and baby Paddy (now about 2 years old -- in the book she names the boy child a girls name, Hannah because she likes the name) put out to sea in the dinghy that is still seaworthy after being shipwrecked for eight years and five months. After losing their oars during a shark attack, the survivors, without food or water, drift in the ocean for three days before Uncle Richard discovers them. The movie ends as faithful to the book ending. The trio is rescued. When the rescue boat rows out to intercept the dinghy, Mr. LeStrange asks, "Are they dead?" The ship's crewman replies, "No, they're asleep."
Beautiful Brooke and handsome Chris are not to be made fun of. They acted remarkably well portraying children with limited education and vocabulary. The island scenery is beautifully photographed. There is a wonderful special effect when Brooke baths in the ocean. Get the video as TBS took a hatchet to these frames. If you were living in that era and shipwrecked and survived, you would want your eight plus years on the island to be like Brooke and Chris spent in this film. Get the video and enjoy. It's an adult film for mature teens and older adults.
hormone cinema
SnoopyStyle17 January 2016
It's late 19th century. Young Richard Lestrange, his widowed father and orphaned cousin Emmeline Lestrange are on a clipper to San Francisco. Fire engulfs the ship and the cook Paddy Button (Leo McKern) takes the kids into a lifeboat. They get separated from the other lifeboat by the fog and land on a tropic island in the Pacific. They find skulls, signs of natives, and a cast of rum. Paddy drowns after a drunken binge. Richard (Christopher Atkins) and Emmeline (Brooke Shields) move to an isolated beach building a new home.
This is hormone cinema wrapped in a Swiss Family Robinson adventure. The hormone cinema is cringe-worthy. This is not a subtle movie. It is deliberately pushing out the young flesh for public consumption. However as a young boy, this was a guilty pleasure. I can't complain about the sincerity of the young actors. This is generally a bad movie but everybody can like a few of those.
This is hormone cinema wrapped in a Swiss Family Robinson adventure. The hormone cinema is cringe-worthy. This is not a subtle movie. It is deliberately pushing out the young flesh for public consumption. However as a young boy, this was a guilty pleasure. I can't complain about the sincerity of the young actors. This is generally a bad movie but everybody can like a few of those.
One of the worst films ever made
PudgyPandaMan31 July 2008
This movie is a waste of time - I shouldn't even waste my time reviewing it. But I will, to warn others not to waste their time. This is a shameless picture, marketed to young teens, in spite of the "R" rating. Who else would find Shields and Atkins parading around half-naked appealing? The script stinks, with way too much time spent on them discovering their bodily maturations. And the acting... UGH! Yes, I know they are developmentally and intellectually stunted by growing up on an island by themselves - so, no I wasn't expecting earth shattering dialogue. But what dialog was there, I expected to be delivered with some semblance of true feeling and genuine emotion. Instead, you have 2 stiffs acting ridiculous.
And who let's their 14 year old daughter act in a movie with the themes and nudity in here. Utterly disgusting. I know they used a body double for Shields nude scenes, but this still borders on child pornography to me.
And who let's their 14 year old daughter act in a movie with the themes and nudity in here. Utterly disgusting. I know they used a body double for Shields nude scenes, but this still borders on child pornography to me.
A boy and a girl grow up on a deserted island
Verona15 February 1999
Although panned by most critics, this film represents something we all want: love and beauty. Beauty, on more levels than just Brooke Shields' tan, in being true love, without the "corruption" of western culture, feelings of guilt or shame. Though being called unrealistic- is it really? If we all went back to a simpler way of life, cut through the complicated nature of everyday life, could we not be more stable, and find true love? I enjoyed this film, it was witty, innocent, and beautiful.
" From the Sea world springs life and love eternal "
thinker169125 April 2010
There are many stories about the sea and shipwrecks. Here is one of the more controversial, due in part because of censors, not the beautiful drama. It is the story of two children who experience a violent storm and ship disaster which culminates in their being stranded, shipwrecked and given up for dead. However their luck is not all bad, they happen to be fortunate enough to have an experienced seaman named Paddy Button (Leo McKern) who deems it necessary to teach the two kids, Richard (Christopher Atkins) and Emmeline (Brooke Shields) how to survive on a deserted island. When their teacher is no longer able to continue their education, the two children grow up alone. The story is honest and allows much lea-way into what might happen as they learn to exist without adult guidance. Safe to say, director Randal Kleiser creates a wonderful and idea world for them allowing them to self-discover who and what they are. Writer Henry Stacpoole's dialog is simple and uncomplicated and together they created a stirring memory in the hearts and minds of anyone who longs to be stranded on an equally Blue island location. ****
A Garden of Eden just built for two with nothing to mar their joy
bkoganbing28 March 2020
This third version of The Blue Lagoon is beautifully shot in the South Seas where the story actually takes place and that adds a lot to the telling of the
story. A couple of young beauties of the time Brooke Shields and Christopher
Atkins complete the picture.
Brooke Shields was well into her career when Blue Lagoon came out, but for Christopher Atkins this was his debut film. In a novel Hollywood success story picked from a group of unknowns to star in this film. I well remember Atkins as the great Hollywood 'it' boy of the early 80s. He had a great following with both women and gay men at the time.
Both Brooke and Chris carry the innocence look off very well. The story is that while bound for San Francisco on a schooner the ship catches fire and the children are herded into a lifeboat by gruff sailor Leo McKern. They make it to the island and soon enough McKern is killed off.
The kids are left to their own devices and grow up to be Brooke and Chris. And like in the Irving Berlin song soon are doing what comes naturally. Well maybe not that soon.
The film holds up well for 40 years at this point. Stays just this side of soft core porn as well. Not exactly G or PG rated though.
Brooke Shields was well into her career when Blue Lagoon came out, but for Christopher Atkins this was his debut film. In a novel Hollywood success story picked from a group of unknowns to star in this film. I well remember Atkins as the great Hollywood 'it' boy of the early 80s. He had a great following with both women and gay men at the time.
Both Brooke and Chris carry the innocence look off very well. The story is that while bound for San Francisco on a schooner the ship catches fire and the children are herded into a lifeboat by gruff sailor Leo McKern. They make it to the island and soon enough McKern is killed off.
The kids are left to their own devices and grow up to be Brooke and Chris. And like in the Irving Berlin song soon are doing what comes naturally. Well maybe not that soon.
The film holds up well for 40 years at this point. Stays just this side of soft core porn as well. Not exactly G or PG rated though.
Too simple
AngelHonesty24 October 2020
The movie is very slow with almost no plot. A love story? A boy and girl are left on a an island alone to grow up together. As hormones fall into place when they reach that special age, they follow their teenage wants and needs . The movie is very simple, drawn out and full of unnecessary nudity. It has it's beauty to it and the idea of living on an island is always a fun one to explore, but I feel this movie could have been much better.
Disney meets 9 and a half weeks
tim-764-2918561 February 2011
OK - I've not actually seen 9 1/2 weeks. But I wanted a suitable summary title.
When I first saw this romantic fantasy, aged 16 and I was 'undecided' and, frankly fancied both the grown-up girl and boy castaways as they naturally, but reluctantly fell into love. Natural, unforced nudity is clean and pure and to witness these two heavenly creatures being human mermaids was - and frankly is, still a joy. I strongly felt at the time that Brooke Shields was the most perfect creature on God's Earth, because of her part in this film.
The storyline to this oft derided tale of Castaway romance is straight out of a Disney feature. All it needs is a shaggy dog (or is that the story itself?) to complete it.
You know, shipwrecked as a couple of young kids, an Ooh-arghh of a pirate like uncle to raise them and somehow they grow up in perfect health and when the old man snuffs it they still have perfect health and an idyllic life together. An ever-present mysterious enemy never really causes more than the odd bad dream. And no one ever gets sunburned.
Viewing again after a decade, I find the trite dialogue painful, the ridiculousness of the scenarios gaping and obvious. In mid-winter Britain, now, however, this tropical paradise fable is a perfect antidote to real life.
Nostalgically, The Blue Lagoon will always have a special, but seldom spoken of place in my heart. Those of who "do", will and those who "don't" will never. And I totally understand why. Whichever camp someone is in.
When I first saw this romantic fantasy, aged 16 and I was 'undecided' and, frankly fancied both the grown-up girl and boy castaways as they naturally, but reluctantly fell into love. Natural, unforced nudity is clean and pure and to witness these two heavenly creatures being human mermaids was - and frankly is, still a joy. I strongly felt at the time that Brooke Shields was the most perfect creature on God's Earth, because of her part in this film.
The storyline to this oft derided tale of Castaway romance is straight out of a Disney feature. All it needs is a shaggy dog (or is that the story itself?) to complete it.
You know, shipwrecked as a couple of young kids, an Ooh-arghh of a pirate like uncle to raise them and somehow they grow up in perfect health and when the old man snuffs it they still have perfect health and an idyllic life together. An ever-present mysterious enemy never really causes more than the odd bad dream. And no one ever gets sunburned.
Viewing again after a decade, I find the trite dialogue painful, the ridiculousness of the scenarios gaping and obvious. In mid-winter Britain, now, however, this tropical paradise fable is a perfect antidote to real life.
Nostalgically, The Blue Lagoon will always have a special, but seldom spoken of place in my heart. Those of who "do", will and those who "don't" will never. And I totally understand why. Whichever camp someone is in.
For Teen Girls Only
ccthemovieman-13 October 2007
If you are anything other than a 11-16-year-old girl, you are advised to skip this film. Chances are, it won't do much for you. This is strictly a teen girls movie, pure and simple.
Brooke Shields {"Emmeline") and Christopher Atkins ("Richard") swim half naked in the beautiful waters of some South Pacific Island and both are young, "beautiful people." The girls will swoon at Atkins and admire Shields, wishing they were her.
It's kind of an early two-person "Survivor" show before there was a hit TV series as the kids, er, young adults, learn to cook and do other things after being shipwrecked on this island and then having the ship's cook die. In the meantime, they learn about sex and other exciting topics.
If you're a guy and you think you might be titillated by watching a pretty teen girl naked, forget it. Brooke's chest, which isn't much to start with, is covered up with her long hair and she's replaced by doubles on other scenes, so go elsewhere for your soft porn. It's not that kind of movie.
Overall, I found it fairly boring, empty story with only the beautiful island scenery appealing. The two stars are lackluster. The fact that neither one, particularly Atkins, ever became a star in the business tells you something about their acting ability. Once the young looks were gone, so was their brief and over-inflated "career" from this movie. If you think I'm being a little too rough on them, check out their film resumes - there isn't much there in the way of impressive films or anything you've even heard about.
Brooke Shields {"Emmeline") and Christopher Atkins ("Richard") swim half naked in the beautiful waters of some South Pacific Island and both are young, "beautiful people." The girls will swoon at Atkins and admire Shields, wishing they were her.
It's kind of an early two-person "Survivor" show before there was a hit TV series as the kids, er, young adults, learn to cook and do other things after being shipwrecked on this island and then having the ship's cook die. In the meantime, they learn about sex and other exciting topics.
If you're a guy and you think you might be titillated by watching a pretty teen girl naked, forget it. Brooke's chest, which isn't much to start with, is covered up with her long hair and she's replaced by doubles on other scenes, so go elsewhere for your soft porn. It's not that kind of movie.
Overall, I found it fairly boring, empty story with only the beautiful island scenery appealing. The two stars are lackluster. The fact that neither one, particularly Atkins, ever became a star in the business tells you something about their acting ability. Once the young looks were gone, so was their brief and over-inflated "career" from this movie. If you think I'm being a little too rough on them, check out their film resumes - there isn't much there in the way of impressive films or anything you've even heard about.
One of the best novels ever.
afonsobritofalves13 September 2018
I do not understand why nobody practically liked this movie. As it is possible classics like this will be classed with 9% while horrible movies like Sharknado has 85% in Rotten Tomatoes. The Blue Lagoon is one of the best classics of the 80's, and one of the best rumors ever. Of course it's far from the best movie ever, but still pretty good. Gathering too much. I just did not like the ending.
nothing comes from nothing
johnno-172 February 2009
it's too bad this uses a lot of beautiful photography of a very beautiful island. If only it used shoddy backdrops for scenery, then it would stand as the masterwork of the "so bad it's funny!" genre (if we can call it that).
Unfortunately, with all this lush scenery, our eyes, pained with having to look at these teen-age twerps trying to act, drift repeatedly to the background, where the breeze gently teasing the palm leaves reminds us that time is passing, and we feel morbidly paralyzed by boredom, horrifyingly reminded that, for the lurid expectation of a voyeuristic glimpse of teen-age lust (however briefly - very briefly), we are letting our lives just waste away as we try to find some image or line of dialog of any meaning or importance - but this never arrives. So we flow grudgingly along a slow current of sludge into the lagoon where we are so buried under poor writing and atrocious acting, we are forced to confront the eternal question of human life: "Is this it?! Is this all there is?!" and hope - longingly, lovingly - for a painless death....
Or we switch the channel to the Cartoon Network and find some reason for being alive. "SPAAACE GHOOOST!"
Unfortunately, with all this lush scenery, our eyes, pained with having to look at these teen-age twerps trying to act, drift repeatedly to the background, where the breeze gently teasing the palm leaves reminds us that time is passing, and we feel morbidly paralyzed by boredom, horrifyingly reminded that, for the lurid expectation of a voyeuristic glimpse of teen-age lust (however briefly - very briefly), we are letting our lives just waste away as we try to find some image or line of dialog of any meaning or importance - but this never arrives. So we flow grudgingly along a slow current of sludge into the lagoon where we are so buried under poor writing and atrocious acting, we are forced to confront the eternal question of human life: "Is this it?! Is this all there is?!" and hope - longingly, lovingly - for a painless death....
Or we switch the channel to the Cartoon Network and find some reason for being alive. "SPAAACE GHOOOST!"
Critically underrated film that resonates with global audience
Red6618 February 2001
I've never understood the critical slam this film has received. Then I saw the widescreen dvd version and understood; everyone has been watching it in pan and scan! The film is a visual poem. So much of the story telling is done through visual information. The impact of this is lost when the cinematography is altered. Remember that Nestor Almendros received an Academy Award nomination for his work on this film. The film has resonated with global audiences for so long for this very reason. I suggest people watch the dvd commentary with Randal Kleiser and Brooke Shields to get a better understanding of why this film is still such a popular one.
People attack the acting, but these are children left alone with no one to guide them into adult sophistication. Their interaction and reactions to situations are very consistent with this scenario. Yes, the birth scene is a little rushed, but do we really need to see the umbilical cord? Not all films need to be about gritty reality, ala "Taxi Driver." No one asks to see the bloody guts of the smashed witch in "The Wizard of Oz."
It is a beautiful, romantic film that speaks to millions of people. It seems that only the most skeptical cynics cannot embrace this film.
People attack the acting, but these are children left alone with no one to guide them into adult sophistication. Their interaction and reactions to situations are very consistent with this scenario. Yes, the birth scene is a little rushed, but do we really need to see the umbilical cord? Not all films need to be about gritty reality, ala "Taxi Driver." No one asks to see the bloody guts of the smashed witch in "The Wizard of Oz."
It is a beautiful, romantic film that speaks to millions of people. It seems that only the most skeptical cynics cannot embrace this film.
Nature will always have it's way.
aura7725 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
The story of Richard and Emeline is really amazing, the way they express nature's course is very touching. The way a girl and a boy mentally grow away from humanity and civilization is really what intrigues the very plot of the story. It's fascinating to watch how they think, what they believe, how they survive...
As well, is important, if you think how somebody actually may grow in jungle, developing their muscles and having a near-perfect body shape. The purity of their thoughts and the nature of their love reflected into a very decent movie, impossible to hate, possible to watch 437659815694875610 times and impossible to forget...
As well, is important, if you think how somebody actually may grow in jungle, developing their muscles and having a near-perfect body shape. The purity of their thoughts and the nature of their love reflected into a very decent movie, impossible to hate, possible to watch 437659815694875610 times and impossible to forget...
"Only God knows everything." .. "He can't find us any better than Santa Claus."
moonspinner5522 January 2005
Despite gleaming Oscar-nominated cinematography by no less an auteur than Nestor Almendros and an epic-sized music score from Basil Poledouris that seems ready to sound a romantic Second Coming, this screen-adaptation of Henry De Vere Stacpoole's novel (following a 1949 version starring Jean Simmons) became a preposterous success. To whom is it intended to appeal: budding teenage romanticists or prurient grown-up voyeurs? Two Victorian-age youngsters, prepubescent cousins on a high seas voyage, abandon ship after a fire and seek refuge on a tropical island with their elderly guardian, who soon dies. Marooned and alone (save for some drum beats in the distance), the two quickly mature and become curious about their own bodies and each other's. Muscles! Menstruation! Director Randal Kleiser makes an attempt early on to keep the mood light; however, this version seems even more naïve than the original (ridiculous as well, with two plot threads--a hostile tribe on the other side of the island and a threat of poisonous red berries--left dangling). Brooke Shields (or, rather, her body double) and Christopher Atkins show us lots of skin, but barely a trace of acting talent. Infuriating movie has water on the brain. Followed by a sequel/remake in 1991, in which we're told the characters from this film didn't simply "fall asleep" after eating those ominous berries, but perished in their boat on the water. At least the turtles made out all right. ** from ****
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