Verdict
Summary
I prefer Paradise to The Blue Lagoon simply because I grew up watching this one over the other film, and I remember it being on cable on rotation throughout the early 1980s. What it doesn’t have is a superior score by Basil Poledouris, but its composer Paul Hoffert did a commendable job anyway. Cates herself sings the title song at the end, and the movie, despite its horndog and leery gaze, somehow managed to feel genteel and innocent, but that was just the ’80s.
Plot:
Two young people find themselves alone in Bagdad after their parents and guardians are slaughtered by a lustful sheik.
Review:
A missionary’s teen son named David (Willie Aames) and a rich man’s teen daughter, named Sarah (Phoebe Cates) are on the road to Damascus when their caravan is besieged by a lust-filled sheik who wants to add Sarah to his harem. Everyone is killed, but David and Sarah escape with an elderly ward, who is just able-bodied enough to get them to safety on a camel, but after a short while they are dying of thirst, with little hope of survival. Lucky for them: They find an oasis with some water, and they are able to survive for a short spell until the sheik and his posse pass through, forcing David and Sarah to move on, while they leave their ward (who is doomed anyway) behind to die. The two youths traverse the dunes some more, and luck is with them again: They find another oasis, one in which they can actually live indefinitely if need be, with water, plenty of game, and materials with which to build shelter, and in the process of their learning to survive, David and Sarah become lovers, exploring their burgeoning sexuality with each other. They also gain a chimpanzee sidekick who basically shows them the ropes of how to “do it.” But their time in paradise isn’t meant to last, as the intrepid sheik finds them and forces them to fight back.
Inspired as much by Henry De Vere Stacpoole’s novel The Blue Lagoon as much by the 1980 film of the same name, Paradise is very much a sex-positive coming of age historical adventure with gorgeous Israeli filming locations and a stunning 17 year-old Cates, who engages in a bunch of nude and sex scenes with her co-star. I prefer Paradise to The Blue Lagoon simply because I grew up watching this one over the other film, and I remember it being on cable on rotation throughout the early 1980s. What it doesn’t have is a superior score by Basil Poledouris, but its composer Paul Hoffert did a commendable job anyway. Cates herself sings the title song at the end, and the movie, despite its horndog and leery gaze, somehow managed to feel genteel and innocent, but that was just the ’80s. Stuart Gillard wrote and directed.
After more than 25 years of being unavailable on home video other than on VHS (which I can finally retire or keep as a relic), Paradise finds its way to a permium Blu-ray release from Fun City Editions. The film has never looked better in a nicely restored transfer, and the special features are appreciated for fans of the film. My particular favorite feature included is the insert booklet, which resembles an old cable TV guide. High marks all around for this release.
Bonus Materials
• English subtitles
• Booklet with new essays by Margaret Barton-Fumo and Amanda Reyes (first pressing only)
• Audio commentary by Nathaniel Thompson
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery
• Double-sided wrap with legacy artwork
• Radio spots
• TV spots
• Isolated score track
• Pre-release sound mix
• Theatrical sound mix
