Cast Away is a 2000 film directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks. Hanks portrays a FedEx employee who is stranded on an uninhabited island after his plane crashes on a flight over the South Pacific. The film depicts his attempts to survive on the island using remnants of his plane's cargo, as well as his eventual escape and return to society. Hanks was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the 73rd Academy Awards for his critically acclaimed performance.
Plot
Chuck Noland is a time-obsessed FedEx systems analyst, who travels worldwide resolving productivity problems at FedEx depots. He is in a long-term relationship with Kelly Frears, with whom he lives in Memphis. Although the couple want to get married, Chuck's busy schedule causes problems. A Christmas with relatives is interrupted by Chuck being summoned to resolve a problem overseas. At the airport, the couple exchange Christmas gifts. Kelly gives Chuck her grandfather's pocket watch with her picture in it, and Chuck gives her what appears to be a ring, which he tells her to open on New Years, after he returns.
While flying through a violent thunderstorm somewhere over the southern Pacific Ocean, apparently having flown off course, the plane is struck by lightning, which results in it crashing into the ocean. Chuck is able to swim out of the sinking plane and saved by an inflatable life-raft, floats for some time in the storm before being washed up on an island.
It soon becomes clear that the island is uninhabited, and Chuck's early attempts to make visual signals for any searching aircraft, and to escape the island in the remnants of his life raft are fruitless.
After several FedEx packages from the crashed plane wash up on the island, Chuck begins to open them, looking for items to use for his survival. He finds a number of potentially useful items but leaves one package, painted with a pair of wings, unopened.
During a failed attempt to make fire, Chuck receives a deep wound to his hand. In anger he throws several objects, including a Wilson volleyball from one of the FedEx packages. A short time later he draws a face in the bloody hand print on the ball, naming it "Wilson" and talking to it as if it were a person.
When, after concerted attempts, Chuck finally succeeds in making fire, the film shifts forward by four years to show Chuck, now dramatically thinner and bearded, expertly spearing a fish and eating it raw. It becomes clear that in the intervening time Chuck has not only become proficient at surviving in the island environment, but has also developed a deep attachment to Wilson, regularly having "conversations" with him and becoming distressed when he is seemingly lost.
After a large sheet of plastic from a portable toilet washes up on the island, Chuck decides to use it as a sail in the construction of a raft. After spending some time building and stocking the raft (including food, fishing equipment, oars and the unopened package) and deciding when the weather conditions will be optimal, Chuck launches the raft and finally escapes the island. After some time on the ocean, the raft is virtually destroyed by a storm which ultimately results in Wilson being lost.
Distraught, Chuck resigns himself to his fate and abandons his attempt to find rescue. Half-dead and sunburned, he is found drifting a short time later by a passing New Zealand cargo ship. Upon returning home Chuck discovers that he has long been given up for dead by everyone he knows; his family and friends held a funeral, and Kelly has since married and had a daughter. After meeting Kelly the pair profess their love for each other but realize a future together would be impossible; they part, Kelly giving Chuck their Jeep Cherokee which she had kept. Chuck remarks to a friend that he has now "lost her all over again," having previously resigned himself to being stranded on the island for the rest of his life.
Chuck then travels to the address on his unopened package to deliver it. The house is empty so he leaves the package at the door and departs, stopping at a remote crossroads. A woman passing by in a truck explains where each road leads. As she drives away, Chuck stands at the crossroads, apparently trying to decide which direction to go. He then notices a pair of wings painted on the back of the woman's truck: the same as those on the unopened parcel he had just delivered. The film ends with Chuck watching the departing truck with a faint smile.
Cast
Production
Cast Away was filmed on Monuriki, a member of the Mamanuca Islands.[1] It is in a subgroup of the Mamanuca archipelago, which is sited off the coast of Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island. The island became a tourist attraction following the film's release. Although it is identified by Kelly after Chuck's return as being "about 600 miles south of the Cook Islands," there is actually no land between Antarctica and the southern-most Cook Islands of Mangaia.
The producers made up a list of seemingly useless items that would be in the packages that Noland recovered: party dress, ice skates, divorce papers, video tapes, and sundry others. They turned this over to a group of survival experts who decided how the protagonist might be able to use them. In a panel discussing the movie, director Robert Zemeckis joked that the unopened package contained a waterproof, solar-powered satellite phone. This led to a Super Bowl commercial that parodied the movie, which shows Chuck (though not played by Hanks) delivering the unopened package; as he does so, he asks the recipient "by the way, what's in the package?" and she replies "nothing much, just a satellite phone, GPS locator, fishing rod, water purifier, and some seeds."
Product placement
Cast Away includes prominent product placement marketing that is worked into the story. Wilson and FedEx were the two major brands advertised in this film.
At the time of the movie's release, Wilson Sporting Goods launched its own joint promotion centered around the fact that one of its products was "co-starring" with Tom Hanks. Wilson manufactured a volleyball with a parody of the hand print face on one side. It was sold for a limited time during the movie's initial release and continues to be offered on the company's website.[2]
FedEx reportedly paid nothing for product placement in the movie; [3] however FedEx CEO Fred Smith did make an appearance as himself for the scene where Chuck is welcomed back, which was filmed on location at FedEx's home facilities in Memphis, Tennessee. Although the idea of a story based on a FedEx plane crashing gave the company "a heart attack at first," the overall story was seen as positive and the company saw an increase in brand awareness in Asia and Europe following the movie's release.[4]
Wilson the volleyball
| Wilson |
 |
| First appearance |
Cast Away |
| Created by |
William Broyles Jr. |
| Information |
| Nickname(s) |
Wilson the Volleyball |
| Species |
Anthropomorphized volleyball |
| Date of death |
c. April 2000 |
| Occupation |
Sidekick |
| Fate |
Lost at sea |
In the film, Wilson the volleyball serves as Chuck Noland's anthropomorphized friend and only companion during the four years that Noland spends alone on a deserted island.[5][6][7]
Wilson has been a subject of humor in literature, film and television. The character has been parodied in Mad magazine and in such films and television shows as Scary Movie 2, Family Guy, Saturday Night Live and Madagascar.
Character development
The character was created by screenwriter William Broyles Jr. While researching for the film Cast Away, he consulted with professional survival experts, and then chose to deliberately strand himself for one week on an isolated beach in the Sea of Cortes, to force himself to search for water and food, and obtain his own shelter. During this time, a volleyball washed up on shore. This was the inspiration for the film's inanimate companion. From a theatrical view, Wilson also serves to realistically imply dialogue in a one-person-only situation.[8]
Storyline
After being castaway on a desert island, Chuck Noland finds a Wilson Sporting Goods volleyball in one of the FedEx boxes that he salvages from the plane crash. When he tries to make a fire, he cuts his hand and angrily palms the volleyball and throws it, leaving a hand-shaped blood mark on the ball. He then bandages his hands and wipes away some of the blood, which results in a vaguely recognizable "face" on the ball. Because of the company's name stamped on the ball, he names it after the company, "Wilson", and places the ball in various locations on the island as though it is a companion.[7][9] Wilson plays the role of a mute, infinitely patient, non-living listener in the movie, providing Chuck with a companion for the 1,500 days he spends on the island.[7][10][11]
Chuck is frequently seen talking to Wilson in the movie, and responds as though Wilson is talking back. At first, Chuck only jokingly talks to Wilson. When Chuck is attempting to build a fire, he turns to Wilson and asks, "You wouldn't happen to have a match, would you?" After years of isolation, Chuck begins to see Wilson as an actual being, and not an inanimate object.[7][10][12] In one scene, Chuck gets into an argument with Wilson and ends up kicking him. He also reveals that it was Wilson who "suggested" Chuck test his rope before attempting suicide, an act which later proved to save him from severe injury, as the log which held the rope could not have supported the weight of a dummy or, therefore, a person.[10][12] After four years on the island, a weathered Wilson is shown which has been further modified by Chuck, with a section of the volleyball above the face removed and a bunch of leaves inserted, to be seen as hair.
Chuck loses Wilson after the volleyball washes off his escape raft and drifts too far out to sea for Chuck to be able to retrieve it. He weeps after failing to save Wilson and throws away his oars, seemingly losing the will to live after losing his friend. Chuck is eventually rescued, but Wilson is lost forever. However toward the film's end, Chuck is seen driving a car, with a brand new volleyball sitting in the passenger seat.[7][12]
Cultural impact
The specific instance of this theatrical device has itself become the subject of humor, parody, imitation and direct reference in other literary, film and television projects.[10][12][13]
In the DreamWorks Animation 2004 film Madagascar, Alex yells "Shut up, Spalding!" to a Spalding basketball, imitating the way Chuck yells at Wilson in Cast Away.[14] At legendary jam band Phish's comeback show on New Year's Eve, 2002, they opened their decade-older track "Wilson" with footage played over the jumbotron of Hanks yelling at Wilson (The song typically begins with double-notes dividing the audience chanting the song's name, which occurred here regardless).[15] "Tom Hanks" also seemed to appear to sing part of the song's ending, although it was simply keyboardist Page McConnell's brother in disguise.[15] In Family Guy episode "A Fish Out of Water," a flashback shows Peter stranded on a raft, talking to a volleyball.[16] Peter yells at the ball saying, "Wilson! Wilson! What are we gonna' do now!?", to which the volleyball shouts back, "My name is Voit, dumbass!", as a reference to the sporting goods company Voit.[16] The Stargate Atlantis episode "Epiphany" makes a reference to Wilson when Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, stranded in a cave, says into his radio, "This is Sheppard. I'm pretty sure you can't hear me, but I don't have a volleyball to talk to, so what the hell."[17]
The original film's director also chose to spoof his own film. In Monster House, which was produced by Cast Away director Robert Zemeckis, the haunted house, after having "eaten" one character's Wilson basketball, spits it out, but this time the ball has a drawing of a demonic face on it.[18] Shortly after the film's release in 2001, the World Wrestling Federation parodied the Wilson Volleyball character in "Moppy," Perry Saturn's inanimate mop whom he falls in love with after receiving (kayfabe, or non-reality wrestling storyline) head trauma in a match.[19] Moppy even had a somewhat similar face to the Wilson Volleyball.[19]
After the movie's release, NASCAR stock car driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. drove several races with a volleyball in his car, whom he called "Wilson".[20][21]
Alton Brown made a spoof of Wilson on an episode of Good Eats when he befriends a coconut named Coco who he says "didn't like him very much," however, he ends up ditching him in the oven for complaining about the food.[22] On the Canadian animated series Total Drama Island, Owen, before meeting up with the rest of the cast during the castaway challenge, made himself an imaginary friend out of a coconut he found on the island, naming him "Mr. Coconut," but Mr. Coconut is later voted off in the same episode.[23] Imitation continuing online, in the MMORPG Dark Age of Camelot, a player who runs away in 8v8 combat once he realizes his group has lost is considered to be Wilsoning. In the MMORPG Kingdom of Loathing, a player can create a blood-faced volleyball using the bloody hand effect.[24] To promote a bit of creativity, it is not allowed to be named "Wilson."[24]
In the Kids Learning MMORPG "Poptropica", Wilson can be seen sitting on a Crate on the Deserted Island on the Level Shark Tooth. The only difference is that his "Face" is Orange, not red, probably due to the fact that his "Face" is really Blood in the movie.[25][26] Wilson is also the team mascot for the Panthers volleyball team.[27]
In the last episode of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series) (so7ep21) when she, Roxy and Morgan are marooned on an island in the Bermuda Triangle Sabrina says "I wish I had a volleyball."
Fate of the prop
One of the original volleyball props was sold at auction after release of the film for $18,400 and now rests in a display cabinet in FedEx Kinko's CEO Ken May's office in Dallas, Texas.[28] In addition, many near identical replicas of Wilson are available for sale,[9][29][30] and the Wilson company manufactures a volleyball with the handprint face on one side.[31]
Reception
Cast Away was acclaimed by critics, with particular praise for Tom Hanks' role as Chuck Noland. The film currently holds a score of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was a success at the box office, earning over $429,632,142 worldwide in ticket receipts.
The film received several award nominations.
Lost
Media executive Lloyd Braun of ABC Studios first suggested the idea of a "Cast Away" type series at a dinner party in 2003.[32] Thom Shermann later pitched the idea for Cast Away-The Series but never developed the idea.[32] The basic concept was later developed and pitched with the title Nowhere; which later evolved into the hit ABC show Lost.[32]
Soundtrack
The film's minimal score was composed by Alan Silvestri for which he won a Grammy in 2002. The film's soundtrack is most notable for its lack of score and creature sound effects (such as bird song or insect sounds) while Chuck is on the island, which is intended to reinforce the feeling of isolation.[33] Cast Away contains no musical score until Chuck escapes the island. The tracks for the score are as follows:
- "Cast Away" - 3.44
- "Wilson, I'm Sorry" - 1.39
- "Drive to Kelly's" - 3.54
- "Love of My Life" - 1.47
- "What the Tide Could Bring" - 3.39
- "Crossroads" - 2.08
- "End Credits" - 7.29
The official soundtrack CD contains an anthology of musical pieces from all movies directed by Zemeckis and scored by Silvestri. The only track from Cast Away itself is the theme from the end credits. [34]
References
- ^ Fiji. Korina Miller, Robyn Jones, Leonardo Pinheiro. Lonely Planet. 2003. p. 54. ISBN 1740591348.
- ^ "Wilson Volleyball". http://www.wilson.com/wilson/volleyball/all_volleyballs.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198674001899&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302759592.
- ^ "Stranded: Behind-the-Scenes of Cast Away, A comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at Cast Away". Stumped Magazine. 2004. http://stumpedmagazine.com/Articles/stranded.html. Retrieved on 2009-12-27.
- ^ "A look at some of the biggest hits in film and TV product placement". The Hollywood Reporter. April 28, 2005. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/film/feature_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000901395. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
- ^ "Cast Away lets Hanks fend for himself". Detroit News. December 22, 2000. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DTNB&s_site=detnews&f_site=detnews&f_sitename=Detroit+News%2C+The+%28MI%29&p_multi=DTNB&p_theme=gannett&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F7502916F603973&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ "Cast Away proves great films still exist". Daily Gazette. January 7, 2001. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SDGB&p_theme=sdgb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=1110F27098BA70F3&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ a b c d e "The Volleyball in the Void". Alan Vanneman. Bright Lights Film Journal. http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/62/62castaway.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ Beverly Gray (March 7, 2001). "William Boyles, Jr.". All Business. The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.allbusiness.com/services/motion-pictures/4846110-1.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-02.
- ^ a b "Cast Away's "Wilson" Scores for Parent; Retail: Volleyball in Tom Hanks' film has bounced the spotlight onto recovering sporting goods firm". Los Angeles Times. January 8, 2001. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/66310967.html?dids=66310967:66310967&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jan+08%2C+2001&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&esc='Cast+Away's'+'Wilson'+Scores+for+Parent%3B+Retail%3A+Volleyball+in+Tom+Hanks'+film+has+bounced+the+spotlight+onto+recovering+sporting+goods+firm.&pqatl=google. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ a b c d "Wilson the Volleyball, Reconsidered". Slate.com. March 23, 2001. http://www.slate.com/id/103194/. Retrieved on 2008-11-28.
- ^ "Volleyball's fans rooting for Oscar \ Cast Away's Wilson an unlikely candidate, but it's already won "Inanimate Object" Award". Akron Beacon Journal. January 19, 2001. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AK&s_site=ohio&p_multi=AK&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB6D6E6ED7660AD&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ a b c d "Science Explains Wilson the Volleyball". Tierney Lab. January 23, 2008. http://divisive.info/?p=1053. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ ""Wilson" Star of Castaway Rescued and is to be Reunited with Actor Tom Hanks". The Spoof. February 7, 2008. http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s4i30072. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ "Madagascar review by John J.Puccio". DVD Town. September 22, 2008. http://www.dvdtown.com/reviews/madagascar/6311. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ a b "Hanks hoax, indoor blizzards and snow faeries welcome 2003". Scott Medvin. The McGill Tribune. January 14, 2003. http://media.www.mcgilltribune.com/media/storage/paper234/news/2003/01/14/AE/Phish.At.Madison.Square.Garden.i.Saw.You.With.A.Ticket.Stub.In.Your.Hand-344887.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ a b "The movie was spoofed in Family Guy". Solar Navigator. http://www.solarnavigator.net/films_movies_actors/cast_away.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ "STARGATE ATLANTIS, 2X12 - EPIPHANY script". TwizTV. http://www.twiztv.com/scripts/atlantis/season2/atlantis-212.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ "Monster House". Plugged In Online. http://www.pluggedinonline.com/movies/movies/a0002771.cfm. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ a b "Last call: Where is Perry Saturn?". Los Angeles Times. November 10, 2008. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/wwe/. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ "Dale Earnhardt's Lucky Charm". Anecdotage. http://www.anecdotage.com/index.php?aid=14552. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ "...was also the first race where Dale Jr. carried a volleyball - AKA "Wilson" - in the cockpit...". Paddock Talk. https://www.paddocktalk.com/news/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=66815. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ "Thank Alton it's: Down & Out in Paradise". Watching FoodTV. January 5, 2008. http://www.watchingfoodtv.com/category/alton-brown/. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ "Cartoon Network EXCLUSIVE! - Mr. Coconut & Eva". TV Guide. November 11, 2008. http://video.tvguide.com/ID/1429828. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ a b "Kingdom of Loathing Spoilers 2004 Service Pack 3, section 3, familiars: "The Blood Faced Volleyball"". Shack Space. http://suqur.shackspace.com/kol.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ "Shark Tooth Island cheats". Cheatbook. http://www.cheatbook.de/files/poptropica.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ "Shark Tooth Island". Poptropica. http://www.poptropica.com/shark_island.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ "Castaway volleyball serves as Panthers' mascots". The Daily Reflector. January 4, 2006. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=GVRB&p_theme=gvrb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=1120B41C4DFC1BD0&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ "Cast Away's "Wilson" a Smash Hit on Fox Auction". Business Wire. January 3, 2001. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-68718270.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ "Cast Away Wilson Volleyball". Indyprops. http://www.indyprops.com/pp-wilson.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ "The Wilson Cast Away "Mr. Wilson" Outdoor Volleyball". Sports Unlimited Inc. http://www.sportsunlimitedinc.com/wilson-mr-wilson-volleyball.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ "Wilson Castaway Volleyball". Wilson Sporting Goods Company's. Wilson Sporting Goods Company website. http://www.wilson.com/wilson/volleyball/volleyballs.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198674002269&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302759269&bmUID=1215726399732. Retrieved on 2008-11-26.
- ^ a b c "Cast Away". The Chicago Magazine. August 2007. http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/August-2007/Cast-Away/index.php?cp=2&si=1. Retrieved on 2008-12-27.
- ^ Cast Away DVD director's commentary
- ^ "Cast Away: The Films of Robert Zemeckis and the Music of Alan Silvestri". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:a9fexqe0ldfe. Retrieved on 2009-06-02.
External links
