The Island (1980 film)
Encyclopedia
The Island is a 1980 American thriller film, directed by Michael Ritchie
and starring Michael Caine
and David Warner
. The film was based on a novel of the same name by Peter Benchley
who also wrote the screenplay. It was about a brutal and savage ancient race of Spanish pirates, made up of outcasts, thieves, and murderers, who are hidden from the outside world by an uncharted Caribbean island, who raid boats to sustain themselves.
pirates, thought to have died out long ago, have survived by living on an uncharted Caribbean
island. The group, largely inbred and illiterate, sustain themselves by raiding pleasure boats. Michael Caine
plays a New York
journalist
named Blair Maynard who comes to the area with his son to investigate why so many boats disappear. He and his son are captured, but they are both kept alive due to a false assumption regarding their lineage and a need to offset the negative effects of inbreeding. Blair is used to impregnate a female (Angela Punch Mcgregor) and act as a scribe
for the group, while his son is brainwashed to become a surrogate heir to the pirate leader (David Warner).
The pirates are confronted by a US Coast Guard
ship, but manage to overpower the crew and take over the vessel. Maynard sneaks aboard and, while the pirates are looting the ship, discovers a M2 machine gun, Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun. He uses the fully automatic weapon to kill all of the pirates and save his son.
among Michael Caine and Peter Benchley fans for its unique plot and screenplay, which has twists and scenes which some consider shocking.
cutter Dauntless
stands in for the fictitious USCGC New Hope in the movie.
Michael Ritchie (film director)
Michael Brunswick Ritchie was an American film director.Ritchie was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, the son of Patricia and Benbow Ferguson Ritchie...
and starring Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
and David Warner
David Warner (actor)
David Warner is an English actor who is known for playing both romantic leads and sinister or villainous characters, both in film and animation...
. The film was based on a novel of the same name by Peter Benchley
Peter Benchley
Peter Bradford Benchley was an American author, best known for his novel Jaws and its subsequent film adaptation, the latter co-written by Benchley and directed by Steven Spielberg...
who also wrote the screenplay. It was about a brutal and savage ancient race of Spanish pirates, made up of outcasts, thieves, and murderers, who are hidden from the outside world by an uncharted Caribbean island, who raid boats to sustain themselves.
Plot synopsis
A centuries old, unknown colony of savage SpanishSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
pirates, thought to have died out long ago, have survived by living on an uncharted Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
island. The group, largely inbred and illiterate, sustain themselves by raiding pleasure boats. Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
plays a New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
named Blair Maynard who comes to the area with his son to investigate why so many boats disappear. He and his son are captured, but they are both kept alive due to a false assumption regarding their lineage and a need to offset the negative effects of inbreeding. Blair is used to impregnate a female (Angela Punch Mcgregor) and act as a scribe
Scribe
A scribe is a person who writes books or documents by hand as a profession and helps the city keep track of its records. The profession, previously found in all literate cultures in some form, lost most of its importance and status with the advent of printing...
for the group, while his son is brainwashed to become a surrogate heir to the pirate leader (David Warner).
The pirates are confronted by a US Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
ship, but manage to overpower the crew and take over the vessel. Maynard sneaks aboard and, while the pirates are looting the ship, discovers a M2 machine gun, Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun. He uses the fully automatic weapon to kill all of the pirates and save his son.
Reception
Reviews were generally very negative, and the film performed poorly at the box office despite a large $22 million budget and highly regarded director. However, since then it has gained a cult followingCult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
among Michael Caine and Peter Benchley fans for its unique plot and screenplay, which has twists and scenes which some consider shocking.
Coast Guard ship
The United States Coast GuardUnited States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
cutter Dauntless
USCGC Dauntless (WMEC-624)
The USCGC Dauntless is a United States Coast Guard cutter, commissioned in 1968 and still on active duty.She is the first cutter in Coast Guard history to hold this name...
stands in for the fictitious USCGC New Hope in the movie.
Awards and nominations
- 1st Golden Raspberry Award
- Nominated: Worst Actor (Michael CaineMichael CaineSir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
) - Nominated: Worst DirectorRazzie Award for Worst DirectorThe Razzie Award for Worst Director is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst director of the previous year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, along with the film for which they were nominated....
(Michael RitchieMichael Ritchie (film director)Michael Brunswick Ritchie was an American film director.Ritchie was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, the son of Patricia and Benbow Ferguson Ritchie...
)