The Blue Lagoon (1980 movie)

The Blue Lagoon is a 1980 American romantic adventure drama movie. It was directed by Randal Kleiser and filmed on Turtle Island Fiji.^[1] The screenplay by Douglas Day Stewart was based on the novel The Blue Lagoon by Henry De Vere Stacpoole. The film stars Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins. The movie is a remake of the 1949 movie of the same name.^[2] There was also a 1923 silent movie version of the Blue Lagoon directed by W. Bowden.^[2]

Yasawa Islands, Fiji were the setting for some scenes in The Blue Lagoon

It is about a boy and girl who are cousins. After escaping a fire at sea they are stranded on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. They are left to survive on their own. The two children learn to live off the island's natural resources. As they become teenagers, the two fall in love.

Roger Ebert called it the "dumbest movie of the year".^[3] The nude scenes by then 14-year-old Brooke Shields were artfully covered by gluing her hair to her chest and using body doubles.^[4] Rona Barrett, a gossip columnist, compared the movie to child pornography.^[4] Reviewers were more impressed by the scenery in Fiji than the movie's plot. Janet Maslin of the New York Times said neither Atkins or Shields did much acting.^[5] The movie was nominated for an Oscar for Best Cinematography.^[6] Christopher Atkins received a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year.^[6]

It was followed by Return to the Blue Lagoon.