Paradise is a 1982 English language romance and adventure film starring Phoebe Cates and Willie Aames, written and directed by Stuart Gillard. The original music score was composed by Paul Hoffert with the theme song sung by Phoebe Cates.[2] Location filming for the title was in Israel.[3]
It was critiqued at the time as a "knockoff" of the more-famous The Blue Lagoon (1980). The film was marketed with "If Only It Could Have Been Forever...Paradise...No Two People Have Ever Come So Close."[4]
The films' themes were similar: Two young people find themselves abandoned in a world with no adult supervision, in fact no other people anywhere. Thus they have total freedom, inevitably learning all about love and reproduction, as well as basic survival techniques.
Leonard Maltin's annual Movie Guide book describes it this way: "Rating: star and a half. Silly Blue Lagoon ripoff, with Aames and Cates discovering sex while stranded in the desert. Both, however, do look good sans clothes."[5] Upon its release, when reviewed on the show Sneak Previews, Roger Ebert selected it as his Dog of the Week, the worst film he saw that week and heavily berated it.[6]
Plot summary
In the Victorian period, David (Aames) and Sarah (Cates), two teenagers, travel with a caravan from Baghdad to Damascus. At an oasis, the white slave agent 'Jackal' raids them, mainly to add the beautiful young Sarah to his harem of mistresses. David and Sarah and her manservant, Geoffrey narrowly escape, but all the others are slain in the massacre including David's American missionary parents. However, Geoffrey doesn't survive long, as he accidentally runs into and is killed by the Jackal as the trio takes a rest on their westerly direction toward civilization.[7]
Sarah and David's flight leads them to a beautiful oasis—their peaceful place in paradise—where they discover natural love and their sexuality. However, the Jackal has not given up on Sarah yet, and David must lure him to his death, or be killed by him.
In the film's ending, David confronts the Jackal and is able to kill him. Sarah reveals to David that she is pregnant and the two young lovers have finally reached civilization, the city of Damascus.
Phoebe Cates & Willie Aames in
Paradise (1982).
Main cast
- Phoebe Cates - Sarah
- Willie Aames - David
- Tuvia Tavi - The Jackal
- Richard Curnock - Geoffrey
- Neil Vipond - Reverend
- Aviva Marks - Rachel
- Joseph Shiloach - Ahmed
- Jerry Rosen - Jackals Bodyguard
- Riki Halfon - Belly Dancer
- Shoshana Duer - Bedouin Woman
Nominations
Golden Raspberry Awards
- Nominated: Worst Actor (Willie Aames)
References
- ^ Paradise (1982) Box Office stats
- ^ Closing credits of Paradise (1982) (VHS), (DVD -released outside the US)
- ^ Paradise (1982) An Awakening in the Desert, New York Times, By Vincent Canby, Published May 10, 1982 Retrieved 7/5/08
- ^ Paradise (1982) Promotional poster
- ^ Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide, Publisher: Signet ISBN 9780451221865
- ^ Sneak Previews review of Paradise
- ^ Paradise (1982) An Awakening in the Desert, New York Times, By Vincent Canby, Published May 10, 1982 Retrieved 7/5/08
See also
External links
