Cast Away.

Review #1527: Cast Away.

Cast: 
Tom Hanks (Chuck Noland), Helen Hunt (Kelly Frears), Nick Searcy (Stan), Chris Noth (Jerry Lovett), Lari White (Bettina Peterson), Vince Martin (Pilot Al), Michael Forest (Pilot Jack), and Jay Acovone (Pilot Peter) Directed by Robert Zemeckis (#317 - The Polar Express, #352 - Who Framed Roger Rabbit, #581 - Forrest Gump, #648 - Beowulf, #701 - Back to the Future, #747 - Back to the Future Part II, and #748 - Back to the Future Part III)

Review: 
"I had a passionate interest in the technique of filmmaking. I think, because of how I was raised, I always assumed that I would be some sort of technician. I just love the process and I thought, "Maybe there's a way I can be a camera man or something."

Innovation is always welcome in cinema, particularly when it comes to the work of Robert Zemeckis. Interestingly, he got his interest in film in a blue-collar upbringing that did not encourage much particular interest in the arts besides television, which he felt was the one thing that was inspirational to him when it came to seeing something different from his Chicago life. He was interested in film through an 8 mm film camera that his family had for themselves, which he would use to gradually hone skills in narrative (using stop-motion work, for example). The film that inspired him the most in terms of its power was Bonnie and Clyde (1967), which made him want to go to film school, to the disappointment of his parents. He did some studies at Northern Illinois University along with film cutting at NBC News and commercial editing before deciding to apply for transfer to the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. He sent an essay to them alongside a short film he made that was in his words "an illustration of a Beatles song" (essentially an early example of a music video) - while he did receive confirmation to the school, he did not initially receive one from USC itself, until he pleaded with an official to improve his grades. He proved quite well with studies, and one of his short films (A Field of Honor) wound up winning a Student Film Award (which are presented to student filmmakers by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences) in 1975. He moved into features with I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978) but only reached success after Romancing the Stone (1984), which was soon followed by classics like Back to the Future (1985), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), and Forrest Gump (1994). He is known as an innovator in visual effects along with versatility in various genres in his body of work, which involve both comedies and dramas.

The genesis for this film came in parts of three: Hanks had an idea inspired by an article he saw about Boeing 747s carrying FedEx packages over the Pacific every day involving what would happen if went down. William Broyles Jr was enlisted to develop a story from that idea (with a stay on a deserted beach being the impetus for Wilson the volleyball), and Hanks had approached Zemeckis about it a short while after making Forrest Gump. It would take a few years to both develop the right script alongside with filming, since the latter part depended on Hanks gaining and then losing 50 pounds (with the time spent during that break leading to Zemeckis making a film about another story he was interested in - What Lies Beneath, which share film crews and was released the same year as this).

I must admit that this was a film long on my radar to do. The concept is an interesting one, even if it has the task of holding together for over two hours with mostly just one actor present (or perhaps not if one is familiar with Robinson Crusoe, although I was reminded of the subsequent film All is Lost). Being stuck on an island, with a few convenient things around him that changes a guy carried by time into one with all the time in the world to himself. I think we can all relate to the plight of someone that is all alone to themselves, apart from others for significant time with only a few devices (or perhaps none at all) as comfort. The film requires an actor who can exude great everyman charm that can be alone with himself and then share a conversation with a volleyball. In this sense, Hanks seems just right for the part. He carries this film for most of its 143 minute runtime with care for having us keep our eye on his evolution of solitude and desperation. We sense his anguish and heart through moments such as trying to make his first fire or searching through the packages at what was and what never will be. Undeniably though, I do enjoy the film a bit better when Wilson joins the fray as someone for Hanks to bounce off, and it is up to the viewer in what they really feel for when it comes to the beginning and closing scenes, since I do kind of wish that the film just ended without having actually meeting the others again (in other words, end on one specific shot), just to shake things up further. That isn't to say Hunt and the others are bad, only that they only serve a very basic purpose that is casual and okay to follow through. Maybe it just depends on how much one knows about the film before seeing it, though this is a 20-year old film now, so make your own path. It isn't exactly the kind of film I rank very highly with most of his other work, but Zemeckis managed to pull off a careful curiosity nonetheless. On the whole, it is an involving movie, one that will surely resonate well with those who like the art of seeing someone fend for their lives with instinct while watching the waves go by.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.