Castaway (1987)

Castaway movies are always a treat, but this is one is a little different. It's essentially about two ordinary Londoners who are able to make this ultimate fantasy a reality, but then face the problem of things not going as they thought it would.A few words of advice (gleaned from this movie) to anyone wishing to live out this fantasy. Pick your island mate with great care. Find someone your own age. Only go with someone you're sexually attracted to, and make sure he or she feels the same way. If you go with someone you're not attracted to, be prepared to put out. For god's sake, go on a few holidays together first. And not just for a week. Try to find someone who is self-reliant and handy, a natural explorer and a hard worker. Avoid picking a user or a loser. Go into therapy for a few months beforehand to make sure you understand your relationship and psychological issues, because they will all arise to bite you in the ass once your diversions are gone. Try to find out what you are really looking for. Take survival and first aid courses first. Study the ecosystem. Bring lots of medicine. Don't do anything that will get you injured.If you're very lucky, you'll find someone who looks like Amanda Donohue when she was 24. The nudity in the film wasn't gratuitous though because it was essential for understanding Gerald's frustration. However, I can see why some might think it overdone.And if you're very lucky, you'll end up with an island like Tuin (filmed in the Seychelles). The director does his best to show us how this island was perfect for Lucy.The problem for Gerald is that the island is not what Gerald really wanted. In a nutshell, Lucy is into the island, Gerald is into Lucy. It's essentially a "Huis Clos" drama. Like a paradise island, a sexy young lover is what many older men want as the door is gently closing. It's a powerful fantasy that even in fruition proves fruitless.This movie is under-rated here on IMDb.com. I can think of several reasons for that. I didn't like the complicated Oliver Reed character at all. Oliver Reed was the right casting choice, because I can imagine Oliver Reed being a little like Gerald Kingsley.This movie worked for me. It felt realistic, including the strange dream sequences. I agree with the other reviewers about the jarring body double scenes. That didn't work for me either, although I assume it was the director's way of showing us their bodies through their own eyes and objectively.The movie is interesting and has a few profound things to say. It's worth about 7.5. Also, be sure to read the review here by David_Frames. It hits the nail on the head.

The is one thing I remember this film for more than the story or even the two lead stars (which I knew too), and that is the nudity! Basically Gerald Kingsland (Oliver Reed) advertises in a London newspaper for a female companion to spend a year with him on a desert island, and he gets Lucy Irvine (Amanda Donohoe). A couple of meetings later, they are on their way, and most of the time, as I said, roaming around naked as they indulge in what the island has to offer, which is not much. It soon becomes clear it is not as idyllic as they would have thought, with both the island and their arguments creating tension, but they have to bare with it the full year. Also starring Georgina Hale as Sister Saint Margaret, Frances Barber as Sister Saint Winifred, Tony Rickards as Jason, Len Peihopa as Ronald, Todd Rippon as Rod, Virginia Hey as Janice, John Sessions as Man in Pub, Stephen Jenn as Shop Manager, Sorrell Johnson as Lara, Paul Reynolds as Mike Kingsland and Sean Hamilton as Geoffrey Kingsland. This is a very odd film for director Nicholas Roeg (Walkabout, Don't Look Now, The Witched) to choose, and both Reed and Donohoe aren't very suitable, there isn't much to say about this film to persuade you to watch it, well, maybe seeing Donohoe naked, but that's it. Oliver Reed was number 78 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, and he was number 26 on The 50 Greatest British Actors. Adequate!

This is in response to a previous reviewer, David Frames, who called this movie "misogynistic" and implied Oliver Reed's character was a letch. That is a totally incorrect interpretation of the film. Anytime I hear the word "misogynist", I know I'm dealing with some pathetic, man-hating, feminist, left-wing nut. This reviewer didn't need to get their panties in a knot. Just because Oliver Reed's character wants to spend time with a beautiful, naked woman does not mean he hates women. It's called being heterosexual and loving the female form. It seems that some people nowadays are such cowardly little lickspittles that they have capitulated to the man-hating feminist definition of "political correctness" to the point that they are afraid to enjoy the female body anymore for fear that somebody might accuse them of being sexist.Merely because a man enjoys frolicking nude with a beautiful woman does NOT make him a misogynist; it makes him a normal red-blooded male. So don't let the review of David Frames, who is probably a homosexual, turn you off from this film. I saw it when I was 15 and I loved it. Amanda Donahoe's nudity was in line with the story; they were on a warm, deserted island---why would they need to wear clothes? Naturism is as natural as a sunset, there is nothing wrong with appreciating the female body, and don't let these hateful feminists on the political left make you feel guilty about it. This movie is harmless. It shows how a man hopes to enjoy the simple fantasy of a care-free, idyllic life romping in the sun, and how the reality of what he gets doesn't live up to his expectations. This is a meditation on life and love; in the end we never really get what we had hoped for, and the sizzle is always better than the steak. Oliver Reed had hoped for an island paradise, and he finds that the problems of life cannot be avoided by merely changing locations. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the film for what it is.

After Walkabout this is Nic Roeg's most beautiful film. Stunning photography by Harvey Harrison complements the story of two loners who set out to live on a deserted Pacific island for a whole year. Oliver Reed and Amanda Donohoe are both excellent as the two frustrated Britons who don't exactly enjoy their year together.