When Paradise came out back in Spring of 1982, my local newspaper’s movie critic slammed it as a clone of Blue Lagoon with Brooke Shields. He didn’t say too much more so I had no desire to see the film at the time. I regret trusting that hack. Paradise doesn’t have the whole creepy incest angle that was in Blue Lagoon. You don’t have to start squirming when the leads get close. There are no cousins in Paradise. The film launched the movie career of Phoebe Cates who become a sensation at the end of the summer with the arrival of Fast Times At Ridgemont High. Along with the human cast, there’s amazing chimp actors in this movie. While the film played a lot on cable in the ’80s and rented well on VHS, there wasn’t a DVD in America. Fun City Editions have not only brought Paradise to Blu-ray, but they also found the original cut before it was trimmed for theatrical release. Even if I had snuck into the theater at the Imperial 4 that was showing Paradise, I wasn’t seeing this cut.
A caravan is getting prepared to cut across the desert from Baghdad to Damascus in 1823. Among the folks getting ready for the long journey are Sarah (Drop Dead Fred‘s Phoebe Cates) the daughter of a wealthy merchant. The Jackal (Tuvia Tavi) wants to make an offer for Sarah, but her guardian isn’t down for trading her away. Also along for the caravan is David (Zapped‘s Willie Aames) and his missionary parents. Like all good businessmen, The Jackal doesn’t take “no” for an answer. Instead of upping his price, he and his men ambush the caravan at a stopping point and slaughter everyone except David and Sarah. The two must hide as they make their way across the desert to some sort of civilization. While they are hiding in a cave, Sarah is able to get a shower underneath a waterfall. The holy roller David gets a glimpse of her soaking and becomes a little less uptight about being with her. Their relationship grows since they are teenagers who are getting hit with hormones. There is no parental supervision unless you count the chimp that befriends them at the oasis hideaway. As much as they want to explore each other, there’s also that killing machine lurking in the desert and looking to abduct Sarah.
Paradise had fallen into the “do you remember this movie” status. The lack of a home video release in 40 years can do that to a movie. This Blu-ray brings out all the elements that make it a fun viewing time. The film has exciting action and adventure scenes with the teenagers keep running from the sinister Jackyl. The way their relationship grows while they’re on the run is entertaining. The waterfall showering scene goes up there with Phoebe rising from the pool in Fast Times At Ridgemont High. She’s great in a role that doesn’t have her merely racing from the Jackyl like a final girl, but transforming into a woman. Willie Aames is better here than in Zapped. I shouldn’t have listened to the critic all those decades ago. You can trust me when I saw that Paradise is a cinematic paradise.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The transfer is from a 4K restoration from its original 35mm camera negative. The film looks good in the desert or under the water. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 2.0 and sounds perfect. We also get the Pre-release Soundtrack mix in DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo. The movie is subtitled in English.
Audio Commentary with Nathaniel Thompson has him point out that as a Gen X member, he saw this film on HBO. He does point out that Phoebe Cates had taken a year off from acting to work on her craft before doing Fast Times. But the films came out closer to each other. We also learn why Willie’s last name is Aames. Best is discovering that during the filming, a Sheik offered to buy Phoebe Cates and other members of the crew.
Isolated Music Track so you can hear only Paul Hoffert’s lush score with Middle Eastern influences.
Trailer Gallery includes Red Band (2:47) and Green Band (2:33) versions. What’s the difference? The Red Band doesn’t tease us with the waterfall scene. You know there’s a reason Paradise earned an R rating.
TV Spot (0:42) promises us the birth of love.
Radio Spots (2:16) should have had you driving straight from work to the theater for a matinee. There are three spots here. Radio used to have cool ads.
Image Gallery (7:31) has posters, a Japanese press kit, a book, newspaper press photos, lobby cards, promotional photos off the set, the novelization, Phoebe’s single cover, the VHS box, the write up from Z Channel and newspaper ads. Phoebe Cates singing the theme song is the background music.
Booklet with an essays by Amanda Reyes and Margaret Barton-Fumo is a wonder to behold. It’s made to look like the premium cable channel guides that came out in the ’80s for the fictional FC Channel. They even have the daily schedules. I want this channel just to see the “Charles Champlin talks with Charles Bronson” special. They do include the part from the Z Channel guide when they ran both Blue Lagoon and Paradise.
Fun City Editions present Paradise: Special Edition. Directed by Stuart Gillard. Screenplay by Stuart Gillard. Starring Willie Aames, Phoebe Cates, Tuvia Tavi, Richard Curnock, Neil Vipond & Aviva Marks. Running Time: 102 minutes. Rated R. Release Date: November 12, 2024.
Here is Phoebe Cates singing the theme to Paradise on Italian TV. This isn’t a bonus feature on the disc.
