| Savage Islands | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ferdinand Fairfax |
| Written by | John Hughes David Odell |
| Story by | David Odell |
| Produced by | Lloyd Phillips Rob Whitehouse |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Tony Imi |
| Edited by | John Shirley |
| Music by | Trevor Jones |
Production company | Phillips-Whitehouse Productions |
| Distributed by | Kerridge Odeon (Australia and New Zealand) Paramount Pictures (International) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Countries | New Zealand United States |
| Budget | NZ$7.5 million[1] |
| Box office | $1.9 million (domestic) |
Savage Islands (also known asNate and Hayes in the United States) is a 1983swashbucklingadventure film set in theSouth Pacific in the late 19th century. Directed by Ferdinand Fairfax and filmed on location inFiji and New Zealand, it starredTommy Lee Jones,Michael O'Keefe andJenny Seagrove.
It was one of several 1980s films designed to capitalize on the popularity ofIndiana Jones, butSavage Islands was a flop at the box office.
The film tells the story of missionary Nathaniel "Nate" Williamson, taken to an island mission with his fiancée Sophie. Their ship, theRona, is captained by the roguish William "Bully" Hayes, who also takes a liking to Sophie. When Sophie is kidnapped by slave trader Ben Pease, "Nate" teams with Hayes in order to find her. The two men enjoy a friendly rivalry for Sophie's affections, and she is to some extent torn between them, though committed to Nate.
The story was based on the adventures of real-lifeblackbirdersBully Hayes andBen Pease. The character of Hayes was much softened in the film and Pease turned into a villain. The script was rewritten by John Hughes.[2]
The director was Ferdinand Fairfax, an Englishman most recently notable for his direction of the television series,Churchill — The Wilderness Years. Fairfax described the film as a tongue-in-cheek adventure in the style ofButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. "I'm not makingCarry on Pirates or anything like that, but I think it will be a very funny film", he said.[1]
The film was entirely financed with New Zealand money but achieved distribution in the US. Producer Phillips raised money in part on the back of the success of his short film,Dollar Bottom.[1]
The film was shot inFiji,Rotorua andUrupukapuka Island. At Urupukapuka, the producers built a set reconstructing the Port of Samoa.[citation needed]
The film has a cult following which seems to have encouraged the release of the film onRegion 1 andRegion 2DVD, in June and November 2006 respectively.[3]
In his review,Roger Ebert gave the film one star and called it 'inexplicable', criticizing the tone and plot.[4] TheNew York Times gave plaudits to the performances, but felt the film was 'no fun at all', criticizing the inconsistent action and production values.[5]
Colin Greenland reviewedSavage Islands forImagine magazine, and stated that "Savage Islands doesn't have quite the pace or panache ofRaiders of the Lost Ark, but it is first-class nonsense."[6]
Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B-" on an A+ to F scale.[7]
SirRichard Taylor ofWeta Workshop saidSavage Islands kick-started the New Zealand filmmaking boom of the 1980s.[8]
Savage Islands inspiredLawrence Watt-Evans to write the 1992 novellaThe Final Folly of Captain Dancy.[9]
