While the film earned mixed reviews at the time, its legacy as a cultural touchstone has only grown. Let’s dive back into the turquoise waters of this unforgettable classic. The story begins in the Victorian era. Two young cousins, Richard (played as a child by Glenn Kohan) and Emmeline (Elva Josephson), survive a ship fire in the South Pacific. They wash ashore on a remote, idyllic tropical island with only a sailor’s survival guide and a baby named Paddy. When the sailor eventually sails off for help and never returns, the two children are left completely alone.
However, others defended the film as a non-exploitative study of natural human development. Director Randal Kleiser insisted that all nude scenes were shot on a closed set with a female producer present and that Shields used a body double for a few shots. The MPAA gave the film an R rating, and it became a massive box office hit, grossing over $58 million on a $4.5 million budget. Let’s be honest: many people watch The Blue Lagoon for the scenery. The film was shot on location in Fiji and on the Nanuku Islands (with additional studio work in Jamaica). The cinematography by Néstor Almendros (who won an Oscar for Days of Heaven ) is breathtaking. the blue lagoon 1980
At the time, the film was condemned by critics like Roger Ebert, who called it a “slick fantasy” but noted the troubling age gap and the voyeuristic nature of the camera. Some religious and conservative groups labeled it soft-core child pornography, while Shields herself later expressed discomfort with how her body was filmed. While the film earned mixed reviews at the
Just don’t forget the sunscreen. That tropical sun is brutal. ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5) – A flawed masterpiece of style over substance, but an unforgettable piece of cinema history. Two young cousins, Richard (played as a child
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