Paradise (1982 film)

Paradise

Company type	Film
Industry	Film
Founded	1982
Founder	Stuart Gillard (director and screenwriter)
Products	Adventure romance film

Paradise is a 1982 Canadian film blending adventure and romance, marking the directorial debut of Stuart Gillard, who also penned the screenplay. The cast features Phoebe Cates, Willie Aames, and Tuvia Tavi. The musical score was composed by Paul Hoffert, while the theme song, titled Theme from Paradise, was written and produced by Joel Diamond and L. Russell Brown, with Phoebe Cates providing the vocals. Due to its narrative similarities, the film was frequently likened to The Blue Lagoon.

Plot

Set in 1823, the story follows teenagers David and Sarah as they journey with a caravan traveling from Baghdad to Damascus. Their group falls victim to an attack orchestrated by a slaver known as "The Jackal," who specifically targets Sarah, the daughter of a prosperous British merchant. David, Sarah, and her servant Geoffrey manage to escape, but the rest of their party, including David’s missionary parents, are killed. Geoffrey later loses his life while attempting to seek aid from the Jackal's camp.

Enduring the desert’s severe environment, David and Sarah discover a hidden oasis by the sea—a true sanctuary where their bond grows beyond societal expectations. Nevertheless, The Jackal continues his pursuit, compelling David to formulate a strategy to confront this menace. After overcoming The Jackal, they resume their journey toward Damascus. Sarah discloses her pregnancy, symbolizing their evolution from naive adolescents into strong survivors who found love amid hardship.

Cast

• Phoebe Cates as Sarah
• Willie Aames as David
• Tuvia Tavi as The Jackal
• Richard Curnock as Geoffrey
• Neil Vipond as Reverend
• Aviva Marks as Rachel
• Yosef Shiloach as Ahmed

Production

Producers Robert Lantos and Stephen J. Roth initially cast Willie Aames and, following his screen test, chose Phoebe Cates for the role of Sarah. This project marked Cates’s first acting role at age 17 and included multiple fully nude scenes. She also performed the film’s theme song. Filming occurred on location in Israel, with sites including Tel Aviv, the Dead Sea, and the Sea of Galilee.

During filming, both Aames and Cates expressed concerns over the extent of nudity in the script. They later alleged that producer Lantos inserted additional nude footage without their consent after returning to Canada. Lantos asserted that final decisions regarding content were his and the distributor's responsibility and claimed that "99% of it was what Willie and Phoebe shot."

Despite their misgivings, Aames agreed to promote the movie, describing it as "a damn good film" aside from certain elements. In contrast, Cates declined involvement in promotional activities or screenings due to fears that the film might damage her career. According to Aames, she was "really upset" about how the final version turned out.

On Metacritic, Paradise holds a weighted average score of 20 out of 100 based on 5 critic reviews, signifying "generally unfavorable reviews."

In a review for The Washington Post, Tom Shales labeled Paradise as "100 minutes of agonizing tedium seasoned with equal parts excruciating embarrassment," also condemning the character of The Jackal as "an offensively stereotyped Arab." Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide awarded it one and a half stars, dismissing it as a "silly Blue Lagoon ripoff" focused on characters exploring sexuality while stranded in a desert environment. On the program Sneak Previews, critic Roger Ebert designated it his "Dog of the Week," delivering harsh criticism. Additionally, writer Jack Shaheen in Reel Bad Arabs denounced The Jackal character as a "particularly degrading" depiction of an Arab sheikh.

Nominations

Golden Raspberry Awards

Nominee: Worst Actor (portrayed by Willie Aames)