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When The
Blue Lagoon opened theatrically in 1980, there seemed to be
three types of people. There were older folks who really couldn't
care much about it at all, people lucky enough to be just
old enough to see it, and those who were a little too young
and only knew of it through older siblings and friends. I
fell into the last category. For me, the movie had a legendary,
almost mythic, quality to it from all the second-hand hype.
Finally seeing it after all the ensuing years, I'm not sure
what all the fuss was about.
Based on
the novel by Henry DeVere, The Blue Lagoon asks questions
of instinct versus education and how they help form us as
human beings. When a pair of young children, Richard and Emmeline,
are shipwrecked on a deserted island, they are left alone
to determine their own paths. Without any adult supervision
or guidance as they grow into their teenage years, nature
takes over and starts to overwhelm the youths with endless
questions about their bodies and what to do with certain parts
of them. What follows is a sensitive film about the discovery
of human sexuality and the instincts that help us along the
way. Yeah, right.
I liken
this to more of a "Porky's Go To Gilligan's Island"
than serious drama. As I heard stories in my youth about this
film from first-hand viewers, the film was constantly about
one thing: hard-core nudity. I know the intention was straightforward,
it's the final result I find questionable. The chance to oogle
at anked people is what teens walked away with in 1980, and
it's hard to argue with it now. (Editor: Hey, what's wrong
with that!?)
Brooke Shields
and Christopher Atkins each give their best high-school play
performances here. Shields is almost alright, but that
might only be because she's always acting next to Atkins.
Your average porn star could receive rave reviews for a reading
of Glengarry Glen Ross if paired with him. Leo McKern(Help!)
turns in a fine, albeit quick, performance as the other survivor
on the island and the closest thing to a parent our young
lovers have.
But, by
far, the real star of this film is the wonderful cinematography
by Nestor Almendros, who previously gave Terrance Malick's
Days of Heaven its amazing look. He performs the same magic
here with the sea and teh breathtaking landscapes. Let's face
it, if you're entire movie takes place on a deserted island,
that's about all you have to exploit to make up for the campiness
of the film.
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Luckily,
Almendros' fabulous photography is wonderfully translated
to the small screen by this new anamorphic widescreen DVD.
Columbia continues their marvelous work by mastering The Blue
Lagoon in high-definition and then downconverting for this
disc (a full-frame version is contained on the other side).
Colors are strong and nicely rendered with the obvious predomination
of blue in the film, though the greens of the jungle are equally
impressive. Fleshtones appear accurate for the most part,
but do tend to sway a bit more orange from time to time. Black
level and shadow detail was strong, much better than I had
prepared myself for.
If I have
a complaint for the disc, it's that the print used was not
as pristine as I would have expected. There is quite a bit
of dirt apparent especially at the beginning and lessening
toward the end. You'll also find some bits of compression
pixelization and film grain from shot to shot. None of these
things is ever very extensive and overall didn't generally
bother or distract me. The disc definitely shows signs pointing
to the film's age. But I was, on the whole, very impressed
with the film-like quality that Blue Lagoon exhibits in its
latest video incarnation.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
Produced
in 1980, stereo theatrical soundtracks were still in a bit
of an experimentation period. The Blue Lagoon exhibits much
of what I term trial and error. The English 2-channel stereo
presentation is primarily used for the bombastic score by
Basil Poledouris, which sounds smooth and lush. There are
some nice directional effects, but the overwhelming priority
is limited frequency mono.
Another
element that I wasn't entirely nuts over is the dialog. This
film is extremely dependent on ADR voiceovers and none of
it is very well integrated into the movie itself. Instead,
it often sounds weirdly detached and uncommonly harsh. A Spanish
mono track is also included, as are English, Spanish, Portuguese,
Chinese, Korean, and Thai Subtitles (Did Columbia TriStar
lose a bet with those countries?).
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? OK, add
this to the list of things I never thought I would see...The
Blue Lagoon has been deluxe special edition treatment. We're
provided with not one, but two audio commentaries. The first
one, by director Randal Kleiser, writer Douglas Day Stewart,
and Brooke Shields, is actually quite informative and entertaining.
All of the participants have fond memories of their experiences
and are enthusiastic about sharing them for all to hear. The
second, with director Kleiser and Christopher Atkins, suffers
from much of the topic discussed already covered in the first
commentary. There are new things to be sure, but I actually
for a moment thought that one of the commentaries has been
edited together using pieces from the other. This is not the
case and there is new info to be heard in the second, just
be ready to relive some of the experiences shared in the first.
Columbia
has also included Brooke Shields photo album from her stay
on the island. There are fifty-one pictures included, but
to be honest, many of them were much to dark to see anything
and there are no captions to tell you what exactly you are
looking at. Still, Columbia has gone the extra step and presented
them in the form of a virtual album. When you select next
on your remote, the whole page turns revealing the next. A
nice touch to be sure and a subtle bit of care that I wanted
to make sure to mention.
The last
bit of extras are the original theatrical trailer (full frame
and mono), which I can't believe actually got people to go
see this movie in theaters. There are also cast and crew bios,
brief production notes in the booklet, and a nine-minute featurette.
This brief behind-the-scenes glimpse, produced at the time
of the film's creation, is leagues ahead of the fluff shorties
offered by other studios. Sure, it's total PR for the film's
release, but it actually offers insights into some of the
creative decisions and even has snippets of Atkins' screen
test for the role.
Parting Thoughts
People who
have fond memories of this film will definitely get a kick
out of this new DVD. Columbia has done a commendable job with
The Blue Lagoon's presentation on DVD. Other people are probably
going to have a hard time keeping a straight face at the idea
of this "classic" being given special edition treatment. But
either side of the fence your on, there's no denying that
Columbia TriStar has done yet another favor for DVD fans
by proving how deeply their commitment to the format runs.
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