The Island [2 Discs] [DVD/Blu-ray]

Director: Michael Ritchie Michael Ritchie

Overview

Michael Caine stars in this Michael Ritchie thriller as Maynard, a newspaper reporter who embarks on a search to discover the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle and becomes a prisoner of a primitive island tribe.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/11/2012
UPC:	0826663137545
Original Release:	1980
Rating:	R
Source:	Shout Factory
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:49:00
Sales rank:	17,773

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Michael Caine	Blair Maynard
David Warner	Nau
Angela Punch McGregor	Beth
Frank Middlemass	Windsor
Don Henderson	Rollo
Dudley Sutton	Dr. Brazil
Colin Jeavons	Hizzoner
Zakes Mokae	Wescott
Brad Sullivan	Stark
Jeffrey Frank	Justin
James Casino	Doctor,Doctor
John O'Leary	Doctor
Bruce McLaughlin	Doctor
Suzanne Astor	Mrs. Burgess
Reg Evans	Jack the Bat
David Hart	Attendant
Susan Bredhoff	Kate
Cary Hoffman	Mr. Burgess,Mr. Burgess
William Schilling	Baxter,Baxter
Stewart Steinberg	Hiller
Bob Westmoreland	Charter Boat Captain
Hugo Arana	Actor
Alicia Bruzzo	Actor
Graciela Dufau	Actor
Robert Hirschfeld	Cook
John Macchia	Seaman #2
Ennio Morricone	Composer

Technical Credits

Peter Benchley

Michael Ritchie	Director
Peter Benchley	Screenwriter
Richard D. Zanuck	Producer
David Brown	Producer
Albert Whitlock	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

It's easy to see why this eccentric hybrid of horror and adventure fare confounded audiences when it was released. The Island is a very bizarre proposition, a sort of riff on the 'Bermuda Triangle' mystery that is done on a big-budget Hollywood scale but also includes an occasional lashing of the nastiness one associates with grindhouse fare. Peter Benchley's script is both dark and witty, offsetting some gruesome acts of violence and a morbid take on how pirates really operate with oddball bits of humor (like one of the pirates' victims attempting to fight back by using the martial arts on them!) and plenty of sarcastic dialogue. Director Michael Ritchie plays up the odd, dark humor of the piece, adding touches like underscoring the scenes where the pirates attack unsuspecting innocents with rousing orchestral fanfares. The cast, led by strong performances from Michael Caine and David Warner, keep their heads down and play the material straight. It's tough to say exactly what audience the often-surreal end result was intended for but The Island is strangely watchable for those can keep up with its oddball whims: Henri Decae's photography is lovely, the production values are lavish, the cast all fit their roles nicely and Ritchie brings the same flair for action he showed in Prime Cut to the setpieces here. In short, The Island is not for everybody but fans of big-budget oddities are likely to be fascinated by the well-funded eccentricity at play here.