The Blue Lagoon | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Randal Kleiser |
Screenplay by | Douglas Day Stewart |
Based on | The Blue Lagoon by Henry De Vere Stacpoole |
Produced by | Randal Kleiser |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Néstor Almendros |
Edited by | Robert Gordon |
Music by | Basil Poledouris |
Color process | Metrocolor |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 105 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $4.5 million |
Box office | $58.8 million (North America) |
The Blue Lagoon is a 1980 American dramatic coming-of-age romantic survival film directed by Randal Kleiser from a screenplay written by Douglas Day Stewart based on the 1908 novel of the same name by Henry De Vere Stacpoole. The film stars Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins. The music score was composed by Basil Poledouris, and the cinematography was by Néstor Almendros.
The film tells the story of two young children marooned on a tropical island paradise in the South Pacific. But without either the guidance or the restrictions of society, emotional and physical changes arise as they reach puberty, go skinny dipping in the ocean, fall in love, and end up having a child.
The Blue Lagoon was theatrically released on June 20, 1980, by Columbia Pictures. The film was panned by critics, who disparaged its screenplay, execution, and Shields' performance, but Almendros' cinematography received praise. In spite of the criticism, the film was a commercial success, grossing $58.8 million on a $4.5 million budget and becoming the ninth-highest-grossing film of 1980 in North America. The film was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film, the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Almendros, and the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor for Atkins. Shields won the inaugural Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for her work in the film.