20 years later —the timeless Castaway
Being deserted on an island doesn’t seem too bad when there’s a life-threatening illness crawling across our globe. Most Londoners wouldn’t think twice about jet setting across the globe to fend for themselves. The writer of this classic tale ‘Castaway’ even spent several days alone in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez coming to terms with the story; in other words, he cleverly took an extended solo holiday. Marking nearly twenty years since Robert Zemeckis’ touching creation, I’m intrigued to ask; with such a simplistic narrative, cast, and location, what is it about this film that attracts audiences year in year out?
Unleashed into a decade which balanced celebrations vs doom, 2001 was the year after superstitious millennial theories. Frightened individuals hid behind their Nokia 3310’s as we stepped cautiously into a new millennium. It’s no surprise, then, that an epic adventure following a lonely sole made audiences flock to the cinemas, ‘If Tom can live off seawater for four years then surely we can face the big bang?’. Not only were these fictional tales revving the public to travel bravely into the untouched gems of the Atlantic; due to the director's beautiful scenery; but the present-day Mowgli was teaching tech-savvy audiences they too could tackle nature’s challenges.
If there’s one aspect of ‘Castaway’ that audiences adore, it’s Hank’s remarkable dedication to his character ‘Chuck’. Why is it when audiences see a body transformation from an actor they feel justice has been served? The media writes headlines of diet advice about Matthew McConaughey's spoonfuls during his weight loss journey for films. You don’t see accountants shedding body mass for twelve months to get their dream finance job. Understanding the grueling hard work these highly paid individuals take for the lens is admirable at the best of times. This American icon lost 55 pounds for Chuck’s thinly framed torso; a true salute to Hollywood. No filter or graphics cut into this rough lad; just an old-fashioned performer showcasing his talents to the applauding people.
Brought to our screens in the same year as ‘The Beach’, it’s clear Hollywood was exploring various tropical landscapes for their productions. Apart from Disneys 1990 ‘Shipwrecked’ and 1980's romantic duo ‘The Blue Lagoon’, viewers were yet to explore a script so black and white for a 140-minute feature. So why did it work so well? Isolation was an unspoken word back then, with technology at the starting line pushing iPhones, gaming, and social media into our society, ‘Castaway’ became a past reference of relaxation amongst westerners. People were suddenly reminded of the secluded beaches whilst the economy was on the rise. And it seems, with the later release of sci-fi ‘Life of Pi’ in 2012, we never lost interest with these wonderous adventure stories.
Cast Away was Robert Zemeckis’ lowest tested movie he’d ever made at the time of recording his commentary. The director opined that the numbers indicated this movie should have flopped, instead of becoming the third highest grossing film of its year. (Cinemablend)
Emotion seeps out from every branch within this film which comforts audiences to let go. It teaches us lessons of companionship and despair, but more importantly the message of silence. Not many of us in 2020 take two and half hours out of their day to watch a character act without any dialogue; in fact, I’m sure fans of ‘Castaway’ wouldn’t settle in to experience the ballet. But the quietness felt throughout the movie gives it the captivation it needs to portray loneliness during the intense viewing.
“I didn’t want to show a man conquering his environment, but rather the effect the environment has on him.” (Tom Hanks)
But what’s the defining correlation between now and then for audiences? How does this emotive piece keep attracting people 20 years on? As our ever-changing planet becomes increasingly overpopulated, is this movie a reminder where we all started; back as cavemen foraging the land? Or perhaps it’s that one question we ask ourselves when reading tales of daring mountain climbers and ocean swimmers; would I too survive to tell this tale?
If there’s a moment in history to remind ourselves we too could be forced to live alone like Chuck — then these last few months are frightfully apparent. When asked in an interview about loneliness Tom said, “Oh sure. Like I say, aren’t we all? And I think that it’s infinitely fascinating.” (Tom Hanks)
I for one find it comforting the movie reminds us we can survive alone in such a challenging year. We might not be side by side, or on an island, or making beach fires from sticks — but we’re all living in our separate ways together. Tom probably seemed bizarre apologising to an imaginary football called ‘Wilson’ back in 2001. However, twenty years on, we’ve named a circular speaker ‘Alexa’ and asked her whether or not it’s raining on Tuesday. Whose the crazy one now?