The Blue Lagoon
1980 · Directed by Randal Kleiser
Original language: English
- adventure
- drama
- romance
The story
Two small children and a ship's cook survive a shipwreck and find safety on an idyllic tropical island. Soon, however, the cook dies and the young boy and girl are left on their own. Days become years and Emmeline and Richard make a home for themselves surrounded by exotic creatures and nature's beauty. But will they ever see civilization again?
What it’s like
Saturated tropical color and sun-bleached sand, with the turquoise lagoon and lush green jungle shot in wide, bright landscapes that give way to close, sun-warmed frames of two young people wading, diving and lounging on the beach. The camera lingers on water, skin and light, and the tone is dreamy and slow, with long stretches of quiet broken by the sounds of surf, birds and wind, and a soft, lilting score. Its mood is languid and wistful, a sun-drenched idyll with an undertow of loneliness and loss. It suits a lazy summer afternoon or a long-haul flight when you want to drift. The pace is unhurried and the emotional register is romantic and melancholy, following two isolated children who grow into adolescence and a tender, awkward closeness. Intensity is low on violence, with a shipwreck and a death early on, but there is considerable nudity and sensual imagery, and the adolescent sexuality is handled as central rather than incidental. It is for viewers who enjoy tropical escapism and slow, atmospheric romance, and who are comfortable with its frank treatment of youth and desire.
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