History Literature / TheBlueLagoon

** Shields' acting was FaithfulToTheBook, though -- Em's dreamy, almost mystic abstraction is one of her primary characteristics.
* EightiesHair: Despite being stranded on an island since childhood, Richard somehow manages to have a consistent perm.
* TheFilmOfTheBook

* MaleGaze: In most adaptations, although most notably in ''The Awakening''. Not that anybody would ming watching Indiana Evans cutting her jeans into a pair of shorts and subsequently putting them on though.

* ScreamingBirth: Emmeline doesn't even ''know'' she's giving birth, only that she feels sick and is in pain and her body's pushing against ''something''. The only acknowledgement of it being a birth is Richard asking why she had a baby.

* HappyEndingOverride: Both the sequel film and book have it so that the otherwise-happy ending of the original work (Richard, Emmeline and Dick are found sleeping in the boat) is overridden by the reveal that the berries really were poisonous and the adults died. This is especially egregious in ''Return to the Blue Lagoon'', in which the characters' positions on the boat have changed (they're now lying face-down instead of huddled together) and the scene is reshot to have different dialogue.
** This was Stacpoole's doing. He didn't want to write any sequels; he ended up writing two. First he killed off Richard and Em; in the third book, he killed off ''the island itself'' by having it completely swallowed up in a huge typhoon.

* AManIsNotAVirgin: Dean, the male lead of the 2012 movie. Played straight with original male lead Richard, though it's justified.

* RagingStiffie: In the first film, there are many shots of Christopher Atkins swimming naked underwater with an erect penis. How the filmmakers got away with an R rating for that is quite a mystery. In Return To The Blue Lagoon, Richard wakes up with an erection; which is sort of what tends to happen to a guy when he's close to Milla Jovovich.

* MightyWhitey: Dick Lestrange, son of the [[KissingCousins original couple]]. He appears in ''Garden of God'' and the followup novel ''The Gates of Morning''. He can best be described as an intelligent, likable and very easygoing SurferDude. Katafa, something between a JunglePrincess and a BrokenBird, washes up on the shore and causes trouble. She [[ButNotTooForeign isn't really a Kanaka, but a Spanish girl]] who was RaisedByNatives. To ensure the plotline, she's been cursed as an untouchable. After sundry how-likely-is-''that'' events, during which he picks up and keeps a Royal MacGuffin, Dick and Katafa [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove fall in love]]. Katafa [[DefrostingIceQueen becomes touchably soft]] while Dick becomes both active and passionately caring; she's kind of his Muse. She takes him home with her, where (partly due to his having the royal war club) he is ''immediately'' [[AwesomeMomentofCrowning hailed as King]], the old King having died in Katafa's absence. Stacpoole (usually fairly non-racist) clearly implies that in their present predicament, the natives need a white couple to save them.

* NobleSavage: Richard and Emmeline in the original film, and Richard (son of the couple from the first movie) and Lilli of the sequel. They pretty much raise themselves to adulthood and know little of human civilization. On the other hand, the original inhabitants of the island are seen practicing human sacrifice; nothing particularly noble about them.

* {{Robinsonade}}

Two sequels were made following the success of the original book. ''The Garden of God'', published in 1923, follows Richard and Emmeline's son, Dick Lestrange, as he ends up on the same island (in very similar circumstances to the original work) and meets a marooned woman named Katafa, with whom he begins a romance. ''The Gates of Morning'', published in 1925, has Dick become the king of the native Kanaka tribe on the island, and grapples with newfound responsibility and the threat of a rival tribe. [[http://web.archive.org/web/20080101033038/http://www.pacificislandsinfo.com/ All three original novels can be online here under "E-texts"]].

''The Blue Lagoon'' is a 1908 novel by Henry De Vere Stacpoole, which follows a pair of teenagers as they attempt to survive on an idyllic tropical island. There are two sequels, ''The Garden of God'', published in 1923 and ''The Gates of Morning'', published in 1925.

''The Blue Lagoon'' is a 1908 novel by Henry De Vere Stacpoole. There are two sequels, ''The Garden of God'', published in 1923 and ''The Gates of Morning'', published in 1925.

The novel is about two young cousins, Richard and Emmeline Lestrange, and galley cook Paddy Button who are marooned on a tropical island after escaping their burning ship. Paddy teaches the kids how to survive on the island, before dying in a drunken haze, leaving the two to fend for themselves.

[[http://web.archive.org/web/20080101033038/http://www.pacificislandsinfo.com/ All three novels are online here under "E-texts".]] Serious scholars of Creator/EdgarRiceBurroughs' work believe they can track part of his inspiration for ''Literature/{{Tarzan}}'' to these novels and to Morgan Robertson's earlier novella, ''Primordial''.

* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Even though they're stuck on a deserted island, the leads never really look like they're getting anything else besides a couple tears in their clothes and deep tans. The 2012 movie is especially bad about this.
* CaughtWithYourPantsDown: In the 1980 film there's a scene where the boy, seen from behind, is clearly [[ADateWithRosiePalms stimulating himself manually]]. The girl asks him "What are you doing?" and he guiltily says "Nothing!" In another scene when they're arguing, she taunts him extensively about this.

* ConvenientComa: In the novel, Emmeline comes walking out of the forest with the baby she had a few hours earlier. She explains to Richard that she felt ill, went to sit in the forest, and then "remembered nothing more" until she woke to find the little creature lying beside her. Apparently she remembers more about the birth later.

* MightyWhitey: Dick Lestrange, son of the [[KissingCousins original couple]]. He appears in the sequel, ''The Garden of God'' and the followup novel ''The Gates of Morning''. He can best be described as an intelligent, likable and very easygoing SurferDude. Katafa, something between a JunglePrincess and a BrokenBird, washes up on the shore and causes trouble. She [[ButNotTooForeign isn't really a Kanaka, but a Spanish girl]] who was RaisedByNatives. To ensure the plotline, she's been cursed as an untouchable. After sundry how-likely-is-''that'' events, during which he picks up and keeps a Royal MacGuffin, Dick and Katafa [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove fall in love]]. Katafa [[DefrostingIceQueen becomes touchably soft]] while Dick becomes both active and passionately caring; she's kind of his Muse. She takes him home with her, where (partly due to his having the royal war club) he is ''immediately'' [[AwesomeMomentofCrowning hailed as King]], the old King having died in Katafa's absence. Stacpoole (usually fairly non-racist) clearly implies that in their present predicament, the natives need a white couple to save them.

* CaughtWithYourPantsDown: In the film there's a scene where the boy, seen from behind, is clearly stimulating himself manually. The girl asks him "What are you doing?" and he guiltily says "Nothing!" In another scene when they're arguing, she taunts him extensively about this.

* MightyWhitey: Dick Lestrange, son of the [[KissingCousins original couple]]. He appears in the sequel, ''The Garden of God'' and the followup novel ''The Gates of Morning''. He can best be described as an intelligent, likable and very easygoing SurferDude. Katafa, something between a JunglePrincess and a BrokenBird, washes up on the shore and causes trouble. She [[ButNotTooForeign isn't really a Kanaka, but a Spanish girl]] who was RaisedByNatives. To ensure the plotline, she's been cursed as an untouchable. After sundry how-likely-is-''that'' events, Dick and Katafa [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove fall in love]]. Katafa [[DefrostingIceQueen becomes touchably soft]] and takes him home with her, where he is ''immediately'' [[AwesomeMomentofCrowning hailed as King]], the old King having died in Katafa's absence. More to the point, laid-back ol' Dick immediately accepts, as a matter of course! (Having earlier picked up a Royal MacGuffin probably helped with this decision.) Stacpoole (usually fairly non-racist) clearly implies that in their present predicament, the natives need a white couple to save them.

* GodivaHair: Emmeline. To the point (as pointed out by RogerEbert) of {{Narm}}. The makeup artists had to glue Shield's hair to her chest to prevent any inadvertant nip slips.

* GladToBeAliveSex: Presumably the reason for the first sex scene in ''The Awakening''. The two leads discover a skeleton near their lean-to, and Emma freaks out. Not long after, she gives Dean her virginity.

There have been four film adaptions. A 1923 silent film directed by W. Bowden and Dick Cruickshanks. A 1949 version directed by Frank Launder. The 1980 adaption directed by Randal Kleiser and starring Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins. In 1991, William A. Graham produced and directed a loose adaption of ''The Garden of God'' titled ''Return To The Blue Lagoon'' starring Creator/MillaJovovich and Brian Krause. And in 2012, Creator/{{Lifetime}} had a loose adaptation called ''Blue Lagoon: The Awakening'' starring ''HomeAndAway'' actors [[Series/H2OJustAddWater Indiana Evans]] and Brenton Thwaites, with Christopher Atkins making a cameo as their teacher.

There have been four film adaptions. A 1923 silent film directed by W. Bowden and Dick Cruickshanks. A 1949 version directed by Frank Launder. The 1980 adaption directed by Randal Kleiser and starring Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins. In 1991, William A. Graham produced and directed a loose adaption of ''The Garden of God'' titled ''Return To The Blue Lagoon'' starring MillaJovovich and Brian Krause. And in 2012, Creator/{{Lifetime}} had a loose adaptation called ''Blue Lagoon: The Awakening'' starring ''HomeAndAway'' actors [[Series/H2OJustAddWater Indiana Evans]] and Brenton Thwaites, with Christopher Atkins making a cameo as their teacher.

* GodivaHair: Emmeline. To the point (as pointed out by RogerEbert) of {{Narm}}.

* OldShame: Best not to mention Return To The Blue Lagoon to Milla Jovovich.

There have been four film adaptions. A 1923 silent film directed by W. Bowden and Dick Cruickshanks. A 1949 version directed by Frank Launder. The 1980 adaption directed by Randal Kleiser and starring Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins. In 1991, William A. Graham produced and directed a loose adaption of ''The Garden of God'' titled ''Return To The Blue Lagoon'' starring Milla Jovovich and Brian Krause. And in 2012, Creator/{{Lifetime}} had a loose adaptation called ''Blue Lagoon: The Awakening'' starring ''HomeAndAway'' actors [[Series/H2OJustAddWater Indiana Evans]] and Brenton Thwaites, with Christopher Atkins making a cameo as their teacher.

* CaughtWithYourPantsDown: In the film there's a scene where the boy, seen from behind, is clearly masturbating. The girl asks him "What are you doing?" and he guiltily says "Nothing!"

* DullSurprise: The acting from the leads in these films are pretty wooden. Brooke Shields was the first actress to win a Razzie and Milla Jovovich and Brian Krause were both nominated for Worst New Star.

* MightyWhitey: Dick Lestrange, son of the [[KissingCousins original couple]]. He appears in the sequel, ''The Garden of God'' and the followup novel ''The Gates of Morning''. He can best be described as an intelligent, likeable and very easygoing SurferDude. Katafa, something between a JunglePrincess and a BrokenBird, washes up on the shore and causes trouble. She [[ButNotTooForeign isn't really a Kanaka, but a Spanish girl]] who was RaisedByNatives. To ensure the plotline, she's been cursed as an untouchable. After sundry how-likely-is-''that'' events, Dick and Katafa [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove fall in love]]. Katafa [[DefrostingIceQueen becomes touchably soft]] and takes him home with her, where he is ''immediately'' [[AwesomeMomentofCrowning hailed as King]], the old King having died in Katafa's absence. More to the point, laid-back ol'Dick immediately accepts, as a matter of course! (Having earlier picked up a Royal MacGuffin probably helped with this decision.) Stacpoole (usually fairly nonracist) clearly implies that in their present predicament, the natives need a white couple to save them.
* NobleSavage: Richard and Emmeline in the original film, and Richard (son of the couple from the first movie) and Lilli of the sequel. They pretty much raise themselves to adulthood and know little of human civilization. On the other hand, the original inhabitants of the island are seen practicing human sacrifice. Nothing particularly noble about them.

* RagingStiffie: In the first film, there are many shots of Christopher Atkins swimming naked underwater with an erect penis. How did the filmmakers got away with an R rating for that is a mystery. In Return Of The Blue Lagoon, Richard wakes up with an erection. Well, that sort of happens when you're close to Milla Jovovich.

There have been four film adaptions. A 1923 silent film directed by W. Bowden and Dick Cruickshanks. A 1949 version directed by Frank Launder. The 1980 adaption directed by Randal Kleiser and starring Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins. In 1991, William A. Graham produced and directed a loose adaption of ''The Garden of God'' titled ''Return To The Blue Lagoon'' starring Milla Jovovich and Brian Krause. And in 2012, {{Lifetime}} had a loose adaptation called ''Blue Lagoon: The Awakening'' starring ''HomeAndAway'' actors [[Series/H2OJustAddWater Indiana Evans]] and Brenton Thwaites, with Christopher Atkins making a cameo as their teacher.

* ExcusePlot: The 1980s film is basically softcore porn, with the "stranded on an island" theme merely used for its exotic and tropical locales and as an excuse for the two attractive leads to shed their clothes. Not to mention the book the film is based on, which has even more nudity and sex than the movies.

There have been four film adaptions. A 1923 silent film directed by W. Bowden and Dick Cruickshanks. A 1949 version directed by Frank Launder. The 1980 adaption directed by Randal Kleiser and starring Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins. In 1991, William A. Graham produced and directed a loose adaption of ''The Garden of God'' titled ''Return To The Blue Lagoon'' starring Milla Jovovich and Brian Krause. And in 2012, LifetimeChannel had a loose adaptation called ''Blue Lagoon: The Awakening'' starring ''HomeAndAway'' actors [[Series/H2OJustAddWater Indiana Evans]] and Brenton Thwaites, with Christopher Atkins making a cameo as their teacher.

''TheBlueLagoon'' is a 1908 novel by Henry De Vere Stacpoole. There are two sequels, ''The Garden of God'', published in 1923 and ''The Gates of Morning'', published in 1925.

[[http://web.archive.org/web/20080101033038/http://www.pacificislandsinfo.com/ All three novels are online here under "E-texts".]] Serious scholars of Creator/EdgarRiceBurroughs' work believe they can track part of his inspiration for ''{{Tarzan}}'' to these novels and to Morgan Robertson's earlier novella, ''Primordial''.