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{{Short description|1986 film by Nicolas Roeg}}
{{For|the 2000 film starring [[Tom Hanks]]|Cast Away}}
{{For|the 2000 film starring [[Tom Hanks]]|Cast Away}}
⚫
{{short description|1986 film}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = Castaway
| name = Castaway
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| music = [[Stanley Myers]] and [[Hans Zimmer]]
| music = [[Stanley Myers]] and [[Hans Zimmer]]
| cinematography = Harvey Harrison
| cinematography = Harvey Harrison
| editing = [[Tony Lawson]]
| editing = Tony Lawson
| studio = {{ubl|[[The Cannon Group, Inc.|Cannon Screen Entertainment]]|United British Artists (UBA)|Castaway Films Ltd.}}
| studio = {{ubl|[[The Cannon Group, Inc.|Cannon Screen Entertainment]]|United British Artists|Castaway Films Ltd.}}
| distributor = [[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]]-Cannon-[[Warner Bros.|Warner Distributors]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Castaway (1986)|website=[[BBFC]]|access-date=11 February 2022|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/castaway-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yode1odi}}</ref>
| distributor = [[The Cannon Group, Inc.|Cannon Group]]
| released = {{film date|1986|2|20|df=y}}
| released = {{film date|1986|2|20|df=y}}
| runtime = 117 minutes
| runtime = 117 minutes
| country = United Kingdom
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| language = English
| gross = $483,460
| gross = $1 million (UK/US)
}}
}}
⚫
'''''Castaway''''' is a 1986 British [[biographical film|biographical]]-[[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] directed by [[Nicolas Roeg]] and starring [[Amanda Donohoe]] and [[Oliver Reed]].<ref name="BFIsearch">{{Cite web |title=Castaway |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150137797 |access-date=19 November 2023 |website=British Film Institute Collections Search}}</ref> The screenplay was by [[Allan Scott (Scottish screenwriter)|Allan Scott]], [[film adaptation|adapted]] from the eponymous [[Castaway (book)|1984 book]] by [[Lucy Irvine]], telling of her experiences of staying for a year with writer [[Gerald Kingsland]] on the isolated island of [[Barney Island, Queensland|Tuin]], between [[New Guinea]] and Australia.


⚫
== Real life inspiration ==
⚫
'''''Castaway''''' is a 1986 British [[biographical film|biographical]]-[[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] starring [[Amanda Donohoe]] and [[Oliver Reed]], and directed by [[Nicolas Roeg]]. It was [[film adaptation|adapted]] from the eponymous [[Castaway (book)|1984 book]] by [[Lucy Irvine]], telling of her experiences of staying for a year with writer [[Gerald Kingsland]] on the isolated island of [[Barney Island, Queensland|Tuin]], between [[New Guinea]] and [[Australia]].
⚫
In 1981, [[Lucy Irvine]] responded to an advertisement placed by writer [[Gerald Kingsland]], and they became self-imposed [[castaway]]s for a year on the isolated and uninhabited island of [[Barney Island, Queensland|Tuin]], in the [[Torres Strait Islands|Torres Strait]] between [[New Guinea]] and Australia. Chosen by Kingsland from over 50 applicants, Irvine agreed to marry him to satisfy immigration restrictions before they travelled to Tuin. She was 25 years old, and he was 49. After a year, they returned home, and in 1983, she published her account of the experience in ''[[Castaway (book)|Castaway]]'', which was later used as the basis for the film.


When Irvine met director [[Nicolas Roeg]], he felt her story was perfect material for telling a relationship between an older man and a younger woman. It never was intended to be exactly like her experience, as Roeg felt Irvine would be too personally involved then. Irvine was positive about the film, stating she was pleased with Donohoe, Reed and Roeg.<ref name="faq">
⚫
==Real life inspiration==
{{cite web |last=Irvine |first=Lucy |title=Lucy Irvine FAQ |url=http://www.lucyirvine.com/faq.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419130700/http://www.lucyirvine.com/faq.htm |archive-date=April 19, 2012 |access-date=2020-08-05}}</ref>
⚫
In 1980, [[Lucy Irvine]] responded to an advertisement placed by writer [[Gerald Kingsland]], and they became self-imposed [[castaway]]s for a year on the isolated and uninhabited island of [[Barney Island, Queensland|Tuin]], in the [[Torres Strait Islands|Torres Strait]] between [[New Guinea]] and Australia. Chosen by Kingsland from over 50 applicants, Irvine agreed to marry him to satisfy [[immigration]] restrictions before they travelled to Tuin. She was 25 years old, and he was 49. After a year, they returned home, and in 1983, she published her account of the experience in ''[[Castaway (book)|Castaway]]'', which was later used as the basis for the 1986 film.

⚫
In 2011, Donohoe recalled her experience working with Reed, stating: 'Well, naked on a desert island with Oliver Reed – it was a tabloid fantasy, wasn't it? He was an alcoholic and his behaviour was erratic, but he was always a courteous and good actor. His personal life wasn't working but he never crossed any lines professionally.'<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/theatre/donohoe-discusses-getting-naked-oliver-4812970|title=Donohoe discusses getting naked with Oliver Reed|last=GetSurrey|date=2011-11-16|work=getsurrey|access-date=2017-04-07}}</ref>

⚫
==Soundtrack==
⚫
The film opens with a song by [[England|English]] artist [[Kate Bush]], "Be Kind to My Mistakes". A slightly edited version later appeared on the 1997 re-release of her album ''[[Hounds of Love]]''. The soundtrack begins with a different version of the same song, which was also released as a 7-inch single. The rest of the soundtrack album is instrumental, and composed by Stanley Myers. The soundtrack received a limited CD release in 2013.<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.discogs.com/Michael-Kamen-Stanley-Myers-Hans-Zimmer-Mona-Lisa-Original-Soundtrack-From-The-Motion-Picture-Castaw/release/7862039
| title = Michael Kamen / Stanley Myers & Hans Zimmer ‎– Mona Lisa (Original Soundtrack From The Motion Picture) / Castaway (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
| website = discogs.com
| publisher = Zink Media, Inc.
| access-date = 2020-12-13
}}</ref>


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
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* [[Georgina Hale]] as Sister Saint Margaret
* [[Georgina Hale]] as Sister Saint Margaret
* [[Frances Barber]] as Sister Saint Winifred
* [[Frances Barber]] as Sister Saint Winifred
* Tony Rickards as Jason
* [[Tony Rickards]] as Jason
* Todd Rippon as Rod
* Todd Rippon as Rod
* [[Virginia Hey]] as Janice
}}
⚫
}}In 2011, Donohoe recalled her experience working with Reed, stating: 'Well, naked on a desert island with Oliver Reed – it was a tabloid fantasy, wasn't it? He was an alcoholic and his behaviour was erratic, but he was always a courteous and good actor. His personal life wasn't working but he never crossed any lines professionally.'<ref>{{Cite news |date=2011-11-16 |title=Donohoe discusses getting naked with Oliver Reed |website=GetSurrey |url=http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/theatre/donohoe-discusses-getting-naked-oliver-4812970 |access-date=2017-04-07}}</ref>

⚫
== Soundtrack ==
⚫
The film opens with a song by English artist [[Kate Bush]], "Be Kind to My Mistakes". A slightly edited version later appeared on the 1997 re-release of her album ''[[Hounds of Love]]''. The soundtrack begins with a different version of the same song, which was also released as a 7-inch single. The rest of the soundtrack album is instrumental and composed by Stanley Myers. It received a limited CD release in 2013.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

== Reception ==

===Box office===
The film grossed £440,281 in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|date=7 May 1988|page=334|title=Market profile: UK}}</ref> Including its gross from the United States, the film grossed over $1 million.

===Critical response===
The movie received a mixed reception from critics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1987-12-10-8702100879-story.html|title='CASTAWAY' PLOT LEAVES FILMGOERS SHIPWRECKED|first=Juan Carlos|last=Coto|website=The Sun-Sentinel|date=10 December 1987 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-09-04-ca-3797-story.html|title=MOVIE REVIEW : 'CASTAWAY' PUTS A ROMANTIC CLICHE INTO FOCUS|date=4 September 1987|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/07/movies/at-the-movies.html|title=AT THE MOVIES|first1=Aljean|last1=Harmetz|website=The New York Times|date=7 March 1986}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-08-17-ca-1130-story.html|title=SUDDENLY A FRENZY OF FALL FILMS|date=17 August 1987|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

[[Leslie Halliwell]] said: "Extended absurdity uncharacteristic of its director."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Halliwell |first=Leslie |title=Halliwell's Film Guide |publisher=Paladin |year=1989 |isbn=0586088946 |edition=7th |location=London |pages=180}}</ref>

''The [[Radio Times]] Guide to Films'' gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "Both Amanda Donohoe and Oliver Reed cope well with their roles as the castaway and the sex-mad, middle-aged man who is her companion, but in the end you can't help feeling the nudity is only there to spice up a tale of two selfish people who probably deserved each other."<ref>{{Cite book |title=Radio Times Guide to Films |publisher=[[Immediate Media Company]] |year=2017 |isbn=9780992936440 |edition=18th |location=London |pages=160}}</ref>

[[Variety (magazine)|''Variety'']] wrote: "Newcomer Amanda Donohoe spends most of the pic displaying the absence of bikini marks on her body (palm trees always seem to obscure the vital parts of Oliver Reed as Gerald Kingsland), and she copes well with a character whose motives and methods for going to the tiny desert island remain dubious. Reed gives the performance of his career as a sexually frustrated middle-aged man in search of sun and sex, and is admirably complemented by Amanda Donohoe as the determined but fickle object of his lust. Photography is excellent (especially underwater scenes) but though Castaway is a great ad for the tropical Seychelles, it won’t be remembered as a Nicolas Roeg classic."<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 December 1987 |title=Castaway |url=https://variety.com/1986/film/reviews/castaway-1200427298/ |access-date=19 November 2023 |website=Variety}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
* {{IMDb title|id=0092732|title=Castaway}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0092732|title=Castaway}}
* {{Amg movie|8563|Castaway}}
* {{AllMovie title|8563|Castaway}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=castaway|title=Castaway}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=castaway|title=Castaway}}


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[[Category:British biographical drama films]]
[[Category:British biographical drama films]]
[[Category:British erotic drama films]]
[[Category:British erotic drama films]]
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[[Category:British films]]
[[Category:Drama films based on actual events]]
[[Category:Drama films based on actual events]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:English-language biographical drama films]]
[[Category:Films about solitude]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films based on biographies]]
[[Category:Films based on biographies]]
[[Category:Films directed by Nicolas Roeg]]
[[Category:Films directed by Nicolas Roeg]]
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[[Category:Golan-Globus films]]
[[Category:Golan-Globus films]]
[[Category:1986 drama films]]
[[Category:1986 drama films]]
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[[Category:1980s British films]]

[[Category:English-language erotic drama films]]

[[Category:Films about castaways]]
{{1980s-UK-film-stub}}
{{erotic-film-stub}}

Latest revision as of 14:45, 9 October 2024

For the 2000 film starring Tom Hanks, see Cast Away.

Castaway
Theatrical release poster
Directed byNicolas Roeg
Screenplay byAllan Scott
Based onCastaway
by Lucy Irvine
Produced byRick McCallum
Starring
CinematographyHarvey Harrison
Edited byTony Lawson
Music byStanley Myers and Hans Zimmer
Production
companies
Distributed byColumbia-Cannon-Warner Distributors[1]
Release date
  • 20 February 1986 (1986-02-20)
Running time
117 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1 million (UK/US)

Castaway is a 1986 British biographical-drama film directed by Nicolas Roeg and starring Amanda Donohoe and Oliver Reed.[2] The screenplay was by Allan Scott, adapted from the eponymous 1984 book by Lucy Irvine, telling of her experiences of staying for a year with writer Gerald Kingsland on the isolated island of Tuin, between New Guinea and Australia.

Real life inspiration

[edit]

In 1981, Lucy Irvine responded to an advertisement placed by writer Gerald Kingsland, and they became self-imposed castaways for a year on the isolated and uninhabited island of Tuin, in the Torres Strait between New Guinea and Australia. Chosen by Kingsland from over 50 applicants, Irvine agreed to marry him to satisfy immigration restrictions before they travelled to Tuin. She was 25 years old, and he was 49. After a year, they returned home, and in 1983, she published her account of the experience in Castaway, which was later used as the basis for the film.

When Irvine met director Nicolas Roeg, he felt her story was perfect material for telling a relationship between an older man and a younger woman. It never was intended to be exactly like her experience, as Roeg felt Irvine would be too personally involved then. Irvine was positive about the film, stating she was pleased with Donohoe, Reed and Roeg.[3]

Cast

[edit]

In 2011, Donohoe recalled her experience working with Reed, stating: 'Well, naked on a desert island with Oliver Reed – it was a tabloid fantasy, wasn't it? He was an alcoholic and his behaviour was erratic, but he was always a courteous and good actor. His personal life wasn't working but he never crossed any lines professionally.'[4]

Soundtrack

[edit]

The film opens with a song by English artist Kate Bush, "Be Kind to My Mistakes". A slightly edited version later appeared on the 1997 re-release of her album Hounds of Love. The soundtrack begins with a different version of the same song, which was also released as a 7-inch single. The rest of the soundtrack album is instrumental and composed by Stanley Myers. It received a limited CD release in 2013.[citation needed]

Reception

[edit]

Box office

[edit]

The film grossed £440,281 in the United Kingdom.[5] Including its gross from the United States, the film grossed over $1 million.

Critical response

[edit]

The movie received a mixed reception from critics.[6][7][8][9]

Leslie Halliwell said: "Extended absurdity uncharacteristic of its director."[10]

The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "Both Amanda Donohoe and Oliver Reed cope well with their roles as the castaway and the sex-mad, middle-aged man who is her companion, but in the end you can't help feeling the nudity is only there to spice up a tale of two selfish people who probably deserved each other."[11]

Variety wrote: "Newcomer Amanda Donohoe spends most of the pic displaying the absence of bikini marks on her body (palm trees always seem to obscure the vital parts of Oliver Reed as Gerald Kingsland), and she copes well with a character whose motives and methods for going to the tiny desert island remain dubious. Reed gives the performance of his career as a sexually frustrated middle-aged man in search of sun and sex, and is admirably complemented by Amanda Donohoe as the determined but fickle object of his lust. Photography is excellent (especially underwater scenes) but though Castaway is a great ad for the tropical Seychelles, it won’t be remembered as a Nicolas Roeg classic."[12]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Castaway (1986)". BBFC. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Castaway". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  3. ^ Irvine, Lucy. "Lucy Irvine FAQ". Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  4. ^ "Donohoe discusses getting naked with Oliver Reed". GetSurrey. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  5. ^ "Market profile: UK". Screen International. 7 May 1988. p. 334.
  6. ^ Coto, Juan Carlos (10 December 1987). "'CASTAWAY' PLOT LEAVES FILMGOERS SHIPWRECKED". The Sun-Sentinel.
  7. ^ "MOVIE REVIEW : 'CASTAWAY' PUTS A ROMANTIC CLICHE INTO FOCUS". Los Angeles Times. 4 September 1987.
  8. ^ Harmetz, Aljean (7 March 1986). "AT THE MOVIES". The New York Times.
  9. ^ "SUDDENLY A FRENZY OF FALL FILMS". Los Angeles Times. 17 August 1987.
  10. ^ Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 180. ISBN 0586088946.
  11. ^ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 160. ISBN 9780992936440.
  12. ^ "Castaway". Variety. 31 December 1987. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
[edit]
  • Castaway at IMDb
  • ‹The template AllMovie title is being considered for deletion.› Castaway at AllMovie
  • Castaway at Rotten Tomatoes
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