The Blue Lagoon
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Directed by	Frank Launder
Produced by	Sydney Gilliat Frank Launder
Written by	John Baines Michael Hogan Frank Launder (screenplay) Based on the novel The Blue Lagoon by Henry De Vere Stacpoole
Starring	Jean Simmons Donald Houston Noel Purcell James Hayter Cyril Cusack
Music by	Clifton Parker
Cinematography	Geoffrey Unsworth
Editing by	Thelma Connell
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	October 1, 1949 (USA)
Running time	101 min.
Country	UK
Language	English
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Blue Lagoon is a 1949 romance and adventure film produced and directed by Frank Launder, starring Jean Simmons and Donald Houston. The screenplay was adapted by John Baines, Michael Hogan and Frank Launder from the novel The Blue Lagoon by Henry De Vere Stacpoole. The original music score was composed by Clifton Parker and the cinematography was by Geoffrey Unsworth. Image File history File links Bluelagoonlc8. ... Frank Launder (January 28, 1906—February 23, 1997) was a British writer, director and producer, who made more than 40 films, usually in collaboration with Sidney Gilliat. ... Frank Launder (January 28, 1906—February 23, 1997) was a British writer, director and producer, who made more than 40 films, usually in collaboration with Sidney Gilliat. ... Frank Launder (January 28, 1906—February 23, 1997) was a British writer, director and producer, who made more than 40 films, usually in collaboration with Sidney Gilliat. ... The Blue Lagoon is a romance novel by Henry De Vere Stacpoole, first published in 1908. ... Henry De Vere Stacpoole (April 9, 1863–April 12, 1951) was a Victorian period author. ... Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons in Angel Face Jean Merilyn Simmons (born January 31, 1929 in Crouch Hill, London, England, United Kingdom) is a British actress. ... Donald Houston (November 6, 1923 — October 13, 1991) was an impassive, hardworking Welsh actor whose first two films - The Blue Lagoon (1949) with Jean Simmons, and A Run for Your Money (1949) with Sir Alec Guinness - were highly successful. ... Noel Purcell (born 23 December 1900 — March 3, 1985) was an Irish film and television actor. ... James Hayter, born April 23, 1907 at Lonuvla, India (although raised in Scotland) and died March 27, 1983 in Spain, was a British actor. ... Cyril Cusack (November 26, 1910 — October 7, 1993) was an Irish actor. ... Clifton Parker (1905 - 1989) was a 20th Century English composer, particularly noted for his film scores. ... Geoffrey Unsworth (1914-1978) was a British cinematographer who enjoyed a long and varied career in the British film industry, working on nearly 90 feature films spanning more than 40 years. ... Universal Pictures is the main motion picture production/distribution arm of Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... See also: 1948 in film 1949 1950 in film 1940s in film 1950s in film years in film film Events Top grossing films North America Adams Rib Jolson Sings Again Pinky I Was a Male War Bride, The Snake Pit, Joan of Arc Academy Awards Best Picture: All the... The romance film has as its central plot the beginning, obstruction and eventual, though often tragic, fruition of a romance. ... The quintessential adventure film. ... Frank Launder (January 28, 1906—February 23, 1997) was a British writer, director and producer, who made more than 40 films, usually in collaboration with Sidney Gilliat. ... Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons in Angel Face Jean Merilyn Simmons (born January 31, 1929 in Crouch Hill, London, England, United Kingdom) is a British actress. ... Donald Houston (November 6, 1923 — October 13, 1991) was an impassive, hardworking Welsh actor whose first two films - The Blue Lagoon (1949) with Jean Simmons, and A Run for Your Money (1949) with Sir Alec Guinness - were highly successful. ... Frank Launder (January 28, 1906—February 23, 1997) was a British writer, director and producer, who made more than 40 films, usually in collaboration with Sidney Gilliat. ... The Blue Lagoon is a romance novel by Henry De Vere Stacpoole, first published in 1908. ... Henry De Vere Stacpoole (April 9, 1863–April 12, 1951) was a Victorian period author. ... Clifton Parker (1905 - 1989) was a 20th Century English composer, particularly noted for his film scores. ... Geoffrey Unsworth (1914-1978) was a British cinematographer who enjoyed a long and varied career in the British film industry, working on nearly 90 feature films spanning more than 40 years. ...

The film tells the story of two young children shipwrecked on a tropical island in the South Pacific. Emotional feelings and physical changes arise as they grow to maturity and fall in love. An example of a desert island A desert island is simply any uninhabited island: the word desert is a reference to the islands deserted status, and does not necessarily imply arid desert weather. ... For the fictional superstate in George Orwells novel, see Oceania (Nineteen Eighty-Four). ... Sexual maturity is the stage at which an organism can reproduce. ...

Background and production

• The film was a remake of a black and white silent film shot in the UK in 1923, not long after the publication of the Henry De Vere Stacpoole novel on which it was based. The 1923 version was directed by W. Bowden and Dick Cruickshanks, starring Molly Adair and Dick Cruickshanks.
• The evil traders were invented for this film and were not part of the novel.
• The film was shot on location and at Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England.

In film, a remake is a newer version of a previously released film or a newer version of the source (play, novel, story, etc. ... See also: 1922 in film 1923 1924 in film 1920s in film years in film film // Events April 15 - Lee De Forest demonstrates the Phonofilm sound-on-film system at the Rivoli Theater in New York with a series of short musical films featuring vaudeville performers. ... The entrance to Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated approximately 20 miles west of London among the pine trees on what was the estate of Heatherden Hall, near the village of Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire. ... Iver is located in the south-east corner of the county of Buckinghamshire and it forms one of the largest parishes in the South Bucks district. ... Buckinghamshire (abbreviated Bucks) is one of the home counties in South East England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ...

Plot summary

In the Victorian period, Emmeline Foster (Susan Stranks) and Michael Reynolds (Peter Rudolph Jones), two British children, are shipwrecked on a lush tropical island. They are marooned and cared for in the company of kindly old sailor Paddy Button (Noel Purcell). Eventually Paddy dies, leaving Emmeline (Jean Simmons) and Michael (Donald Houston), now attractively grown up, all alone with each other. Together, they survive solely on their resourcefulness, and the bounty of their remote paradise. Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Ascension to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian Era of Great Britain marked the height of the British industrial revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... A shipwreck is the remains of a ship after it has sunk or been beached as a result of a crisis at sea. ... Marooning is the act of leaving someone behind intentionally in an uninhabited area. ...

Years pass and both Emmeline and Michael become nubile young adults, tanned to a flawless bronze, and fitter than Olympic gymnasts. Eventually their raging hormones lead the two young castaways into each other's arms. Their relationship, more along the lines of brother and sister in their youth, blossoms into love, and then passion. Emmeline and Michael have their baby boy, and they live together as common-law husband and wife, content in their solitude. But Emmeline and Michael's union is threatened by the arrival of two evil traders, who force the boy to dive for pearls at gunpoint before killing each other off. Romantic love is a form of love that is often regarded as different from mere needs driven by sexual desire, or lust. ... An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship with a great deal of physical and/or emotional intimacy. ... A pregnant woman near the end of her term Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more embryos or fetuses by female mammals, including humans, inside their bodies. ... The human infant An infant or baby is an extremely young person. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Strand of akoya pearls from China A pearl is a hard, rounded object produced by certain animals, primarily mollusks such as oysters. ...

Cast

Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons in Angel Face Jean Merilyn Simmons (born January 31, 1929 in Crouch Hill, London, England, United Kingdom) is a British actress. ... Donald Houston (November 6, 1923 — October 13, 1991) was an impassive, hardworking Welsh actor whose first two films - The Blue Lagoon (1949) with Jean Simmons, and A Run for Your Money (1949) with Sir Alec Guinness - were highly successful. ... Peter Jones in an episode of Rumpole of the Bailey Peter Jones (June 12, 1920 – April 10, 2000) was an English actor, born at Wem in Shropshire. ... Noel Purcell (born 23 December 1900 — March 3, 1985) was an Irish film and television actor. ... James Hayter, born April 23, 1907 at Lonuvla, India (although raised in Scotland) and died March 27, 1983 in Spain, was a British actor. ... Cyril Cusack (November 26, 1910 — October 7, 1993) was an Irish actor. ... Maurice Denham (born as William Maurice Denham on December 23, 1909 at Beckenham, Kent; died July 24, 2002) was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 television programmes and films throughout his long career. ... Patrick Barr (born February 13, 1908—August 29, 1985) was a British actor born in India. ... Russell Waters (born June 10, 1908 — 1982) was a Scottish film actor. ...

Other versions and sequel

• The film was remade in 1980 starring Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins. The updated version of The Blue Lagoon, directed by Randal Kleiser, was much closer to DeVere Stacpoole's original novel, including nudity and sexual content appropriate to the story but not found in this original version.
• The updated version was followed in 1991 by the sequel Return to the Blue Lagoon, starring Milla Jovovich and Brian Krause. The sequel bears a strong similarity to the 1980 film, also directed by Randal Kleiser. It bears very little resemblance to Stacpoole's sequel, The Garden of God. The pearl-greedy traders do not appear in Stacpoole's original novel. However, in the second sequel, The Gates of Morning, a pair of sailors attack the people of a nearby island because they know its waters are rich with pearls, and it is possible the filmmakers used this.

// Events April 30 - The Roger Daltrey film, McVicar, opens in London. ... Brooke Christa Camille Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress and former fashion model. ... Christopher Atkins on the cover of Playgirl Magazine, 1983 Christopher Atkins smiling Christopher Atkins (born Christopher Bowman on February 21, 1961 in Rye, New York) is an American actor and was a popular teen idol. ... The Blue Lagoon is a 1980 American romance and adventure film starring Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins, produced and directed by Randal Kleiser. ... Randal Kleiser (born July 20, 1946 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American film director and producer. ... This is a list of film-related events in 1991. ... Return to the Blue Lagoon is a 1991 English language romance and adventure film starring Milla Jovovich and Brian Krause, produced and directed by William A. Graham. ... Milla (Militza) Jovovich (Serbian Милица Јововић/Milica Jovović, Ukrainian Cyrillic: Мілла Йовович/; born December 17, 1975) is a Ukrainian-born American supermodel, actress, musician, singer, and fashion designer. ... Brian Krause as Leo Wyatt in Charmed Brian Thomas Krause (born February 1, 1969) is an American actor who grew up in El Toro, California. ... The Garden of God is a 1923 novel written by Henry De Vere Stacpoole. ... The Gates of Morning is a 1925 novel by Henry De Vere Stacpoole. ...

External links

• The Blue Lagoon (1949) at the Internet Movie Database
• The Blue Lagoon (1949) at All Movie Guide