Castaway

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Castaway

R

Released Sep 11, 1987

1h 57m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

73%

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10,000+ Ratings

A London secretary (Amanda Donohoe) answers an ad to join a man (Oliver Reed) on a tropical island and be his wife.

Wendy Ide

Times (UK)

Oliver Reed gave his last great screen performance in Nicolas Roeg’s scenic adaptation of Lucy Irvine’s bestselling memoir.

Nov 28, 2023

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Rated: 3/4

Feb 20, 1987

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Juan Carlos Coto

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Much of Castaway is about as exciting as watching an ordinary middle-aged man spend a year on a tropical island with an ordinary younger woman.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 19, 2021

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

While not of the same potency of Roeg's earlier, famed decade, Castaway has its merits, and DP Harvey Harrison's island landscapes are deserving of a restoration.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 10, 2019

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Despite all its short-comings, Roeg never lets things get dull--his camera sees to that.

Rated: B

Jun 21, 2010

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Jul 5, 2005

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Christopher B

Enjoyed the film. Nice setting, a little dull at times storywise but the overall tone of the film is good in my opinion

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/10/24

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Jim P

This is a great desert island story packed with powerful imagery. The books are worth reading too

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/26/23

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Shioka O

Odd tale but the setting is beautiful. Interestingly it's not emotionally moving, because its highly observative on their change.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/28/23

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Audience Member

Lucy Irvine wrote the book Castaway all about the year that she spent living with writer Gerald Kingsland on the isolated island of Tuin, between New Guinea and Australia. Director Nicolas Roeg made this adaption, working from a script by Allan Scott. Irvine is played by Amanda Donahue, while Kingsland is Oliver Reed. Donahue said of this film, "Well, naked on a desert island with Oliver Reed – it was a tabloid fantasy, wasn't it? He was an alcoholic and his behavior was erratic, but he was always a courteous and good actor." Yeah, Reed lost weight to be in this movie by using the vodka diet. Kate Bush was the initial choice to play Irvine but didn't want to be nude for the entire film. Instead, she sent her song "Be Kind to My Mistakes."

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

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charlie l

A strange and altogether useless moviegoing experience.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Castaway left an impression on my brain and made me an admirer of the great Nichoasl Roeg. This is not the Tom Hanks Castaway but the Nicholas Roeg one full of complete nudity and great acting. Both Oliver Reed and Amanda Donahue are amazing as the couple who chose to live on an island for a year, and even more astonishingly this is based on real life events. Nicholas Roeg is an acquired taste and this film is strictly for cinephiles but you will be rewarded if you give it a chance.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

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Nicolas Roeg

Director

Oliver Reed

Gerald Kingsland

Amanda Donohoe

Lucy Irvine

Georgina Hale

Sister Saint Margaret

Frances Barber

Sister Saint Winifred

Tony Rickards

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Synopsis

A London secretary (Amanda Donohoe) answers an ad to join a man (Oliver Reed) on a tropical island and be his wife.

Director: Nicolas Roeg
Producer: Rick McCallum
Screenwriter: Allan Scott
Distributor: Cannon Film Distributors
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 11, 1987, Original
Box Office (Gross USA): $229.9K
Runtime: 1h 57m
Sound Mix: Surround