L'île des passions

This film by Nicolas Roeg builds on the unusual titles of his past career (Don't Look Now; Walkabout; Performance) and adapts Lucy Irvine's book of her real-life experiences as a Girl Friday on a desert island.

Amanda Donohoe reaches career-grabbing perfection as Irvine, the girl who answers an ad from lonely middle-aged businessman Gerald (a multi-faceted role for Oliver Reed) and goes to live with him in the tropical sun for a year. Roeg's film requires Donohoe to appear nude or semi-nude much of the time but it doesn't seem gratuitous. Not surprisingly it helped her gain other roles in the remainder of the decade as a ballsy, sexy siren.

As a two-hander for most of its running time, 'Castaway' depends on the performances of its two leads - they have to be convincing, they have to be compelling, and they have to have chemistry. It isn't a match made in heaven - but as Gerald and Lucy learn to live with each other despite the obvious problems, the viewer is drawn in with them.

Oliver Reed is excellent as Gerald, a complex character who goes from bluster and rage to sweetness and sensitivity. It was something of a comeback role as the first part of the 1980s hadn't given him roles of any great depth to work with (neither did many films after this one), and he does well within the confines of Lucy Irvine's reminiscences.

I particularly like the ending. Fact or fantasy? But it rounds off this atmospheric film beautifully.

Don't be misled by other comments posted here. The original uncensored version of this film shows Amanda Donohoe full frontal completely nude (yes, pubic hair and all). In fact she is fully nude in many, many scenes and with long lingering shots (almost voyeuristic).

She is a very beautiful woman and her nudity made the film far more realistic for 2 reasons. One is that people do often go about nude when there is nobody around, her nudity helped to convincingly portray a sense of isolation. Secondly, as a man I can get a sense of the frustration that Reed has when he sees her walking about and he can't touch.

I feel bad for the people who have seen this movie censored because there is very frequent high level nudity in this film, which means that the censored version would have been cut to ribbons. This may also explain the experience some people had with "short scenes" or "scenes that ended abruptly".

A very good film worth while watching (uncensored).

This is yet another one of those movies that tries to study complex or unusual male-female relationships and thus what any particular viewer will get out of it depends upon that viewer's own life experience. Another reviewer here characterized the relationship in this film as being between "two selfish morons" and that is about the way I took it as well. If you have ever been in a long-term relationship with a selfish partner you will see a lot that looks familiar here, and as a tool to help sort out your own feelings and make sense of your own experiences you might find watching this useful. Otherwise, I'm not sure what purpose the film or the underlying literary treatment it was based on would serve. Basically this movie is about two not-especially likable people who don't really like each other all that much, either, trying to have a relationship together, and the entertainment value you get from that exists right at that level.

Yes, there is a good deal of nudity here involving the heroine, but it is usually not especially erotic; it is presented so matter-of-factly and almost entirely in non-sexual situations (in fact, most often while she is entirely alone) to the point that I got the impression that she was more of a sensualist than anything else, and certainly she was no party girl or anyone else with anything more than an ordinary female interest in sex, if that. Moreover, I never got the impression that she was conspicuously teasing the male lead as some other reviewers seem to have indicated, beyond the mere fact that she was there with him on this same island with nothing or nobody else around, and granting that such circumstances alone might make for some of the subtlest and most provoking kind of erotic torment possible. Certainly there are women in real life capable of the same.

The male main figure is no less selfish in his own way, and the mere fact that at his age he can't think of any way to bed this woman other to demand sex like a love-sick college freshman shows it as well as anything else. For a man of his maturity to behave the way he does certainly justifies the description of "lecher" given him by some other reviewers. Whatever complaints might be assessed against his would-be mate, he certainly didn't make much effort to treat her very well. If the dummy had done just a few simple things to make her feel good about herself for having made the decision to shack up with him on this island for a year, they both would likely have had a much better time. But he was too selfish or at least too self-absorbed to see that, something that is shown in the film to be just as true of his life before the island (and which, indeed, would explain his reason for wanting to be there in the first place).

What some of the movie reviewers more talented than I have said on here about the cinematography and so forth is true; those aspects of the film as as good as any, and make me wonder if this film wouldn't be better watched over a glass of wine or two and the right music on your stereo while the sound on the TV is turned OFF.

Castaway is based on the novel by Lucy Irvine about a young woman answering an ad in the paper placed by a man seeking a wife, to live with him on an island. Oliver Reed is perfectly cast as the gruff, thickly bearded 50yrs+ man who places the ad. And for once in a brilliant casting decision, an actress was chosen who shares much chemistry with him onscreen! Amanda Donohue is the much younger blonde and an aura of sensuality about her chosen to play his reluctant love interest in the film, Lucy. His young bride is only interested in learning island life, and the frustrated Gerald broods and seethes as young Lucy parades either naked, or wearing the tiniest of loin cloths. She is ever the tease and as she becomes more accustomed to island life, Gerald silently broods in his own lust. She has no interest in this man old enough to be her father, other than basic companionship. Gerald has other ideas. The movie is full of powerful scenes of the struggle of the sexes, and beautifully shot on a gorgeous island. Gerald and Lucy heat up the screen, and it is the contrast in their ages, and physical make-up that only add to the film. The story deals with their trials and tribulations, and contains many interesting twists. It builds up to a fantastic climax that shows the viewer the fate of both characters. Very powerful film, and beautifully cast, Castaway is highly recommended. More films of this nature should be made.

Two people who barely know each other, spend a year on an island together. They suffer malnutrition, stormy weather, and just plain I'm-sick-of-you-itis. I managed to catch this movie a while back on cable. I love watching movies from England, Australia or New Zealand because they're so different from what I'm used to. This movie didn't disappoint there. There was only one thing missing from this movie to make it totally realistic. Amanda Donohoe played a young, presumably fertile woman on an island for 12 months and never so much as had PMS, if you catch my drift. Forgive me, but as a woman, this is something I think of *whenever* I think about being stranded *anywhere* for months at a time. All in all, though, a very entertaining movie.