Movies we view as children often have different meanings once we mature. Our young minds latch onto what we can comprehend, often missing deeper, sometimes disturbing, layers. One such movie that has recently been reassessed is “The Blue Lagoon”. Highly popular in its time, this film, if watched in childhood, likely presented merely as an idyllic life adventure. However, as an adult, the film’s darker nuances become quite evident for several reasons:
Richard and Emmeline are cousins!
The main characters, Richard and Emmeline, are cousins who become marooned on an island following a shipwreck. Isolated from a young age and without any adult guidance, they traverse puberty alone, leading them to eventually fall in love and have a child together. This scenario is troubling because they are unaware of the social taboos concerning their relationship and its ramifications.
So much to fear in The Blue Lagoon!
On the surface, The Blue Lagoon may seem like a dream for adventurous kids, but it is fraught with peril. The island is not merely a tropical paradise; it harbors dangers that both Richard and Emmeline confront daily. They face threats from potentially poisonous food, injuries, and illnesses. A particularly frightening moment occurs when Emmeline steps on a stone fish and nearly dies.
Moreover, their fears are compounded by the hostile natives on the island, whose drum sounds they grow up dreading. A grim scene reveals that these natives may even engage in human sacrifices.
Brooke Shields was very young!
In The Blue Lagoon, Brooke Shields plays the older Emmeline. At the time of filming, Brooke was only 14, still in early adolescence. This wasn’t her first mature-themed role, as she also starred in “Pretty Baby” as a child sex worker. To avoid the backlash that “Pretty Baby” received, the filmmakers took steps to preserve her modesty.
Brooke donned a long, thick wig, and to manage the topless scenes, the production team ingeniously glued the wig to pasties on her chest to maintain constant coverage.
They would rather not be rescued
Throughout most of The Blue Lagoon, Richard tends to a beacon he built to signal passing ships. At one point, Emmeline refrains from lighting it, angering Richard. Eventually, both agree not to light the beacon when another ship passes by. This choice reflects their preference for a life of peaceful isolation over the unknown of the external world.