<b>Time Feature</b> At the Golden Globe Awards ceremony on January 5, 2020, 64-year-old Tom Hanks received a lifetime achievement award. The last time he won the Golden Globe for Best Actor was 20 years ago because of the "one-man show" in "The Rest of the Desert Island".
Trailer for "The Rest of a Desert Island"
Even if you are not a veteran film fan, you will know that the most unusual film "The Rest of the Desert Island" in 2000, the articles about the story of the film and the stills in the high school English textbook (2003 Human-Taught Edition) of that year, the post-90s should be impressed, which is enough to explain the popularity and influence of the film.
Article on "The Rest of a Desert Island" in a high school English textbook
Desert Island Literary Masterpiece "Robinson Crusoe"
In 1719, the British writer Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe" presented Robinson's desert island adventure, and also let people see the super wisdom and energy of human beings under the desperate situation of survival. More than 200 years later, "The Rest of the Desert Island" at the beginning of the new century shows a modern version of the "Robinson" wilderness survival legend.
Hanks's solo survival performance almost runs through the film, accounting for two-thirds of the film's one-man show, which makes it generally believed that he will win the third little golden man, although in the end it did not end up as predicted (losing to Russell Crowe of "Gladiator"), but the Golden Globe was also deserved.
The story of the film begins with Hanks reading an article about FedEx, "A plane full of packages will fly over the Pacific three times a day," and he envisions "what if the plane crashes in an accident?" What happens to a desert island in four years without the food, water, shelter, fire, and companions needed to survive? ”
Hanks succeeded in firing
He told the screenwriter William Pauls Jr. about this simple idea (the two collaborated on Apollo 13 in 1995). Surprisingly, <b>The Rest of the Desert Island was originally conceived as a comedy, with Hanks feeling that a drifter on a tropical island might encounter a lot of humorous scenes. </b>
But over time, both Hanks and Pauls decided that the material was better suited for some adventurous theatrical interpretations, so they decided to enrich the character of the protagonist, Chuck Norland.
The birth of the script is full of adventures and sparks. In order to depict the state of survival on a desert island, screenwriter Pauls travels to the deserted, rocky Mexican beaches for a 7-day trek adventure to feel the characters in distress.
In the film, Hanks hunts for water
He asked survival experts to test their viability, endure hunger, find shelter and food, and survive with the fewest available resources, just like Hanks's role in the film — trying to chisel coconuts and make a fire, but spending a long time without results, worse than Hanks in the film.
Hanks was injured
The most unusual thing is that Pauls stumbled upon a Wilson volleyball floating from the sea and inadvertently discovered a key element of the script, namely "Wells", a good friend who lived with Hanks desert island for 4 years. Pauls also wrote lines for Wilson (the live stuntman read the lines to Hanks, making Hanks feel like he was talking to a real person), so that Noland could reveal his innermost thoughts and emotions.
Wilson, the only friend on Hanks Desert Island
In an interview, Hanks said it took them 6 years to build a team to study the story of "The Rest of the Desert Island." As the film's script took shape, director Robert Zemeckis joined the project. Hanks and Zemeckis have been in touch since they worked together on Forrest Gump in 1994. "Forrest Gump" cooperated with the director for the second time, hoping to continue the super glory of "Forrest Gump".
Hanks worked with Zemeckis twice
In order to truly show the difficult experience of surviving on a desert island and the passage of time, the film's shooting method is amazing. <b>The film was shot in exactly chronological order of story development, taking 16 months and stopping shooting for up to 1 year. </b>During this time, Zemeckis led the same production team to shoot Dangerous (starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer in 2000).
Filming location
The reason for the suspension was to wait for Hanks to lose 55 pounds of weight, and grow long hair and beard to complete the transformation of appearance and the subtle transition of emotion.
In order to show the physiological changes of the male protagonist and achieve the best results, Tom Hanks gained weight before filming, did not exercise, and made himself look like a middle-aged man with a stray body. In the desert island scene, he once lost weight, showing the image of a wordless savage.
Hanks gained weight in the film before and after the weight explosion
Because it is the presentation of Hanks's real body appearance, rather than the result of makeup special effects, this hairy ancient image is widely circulated, and even becomes a endorsement photo of "Wild Savage". During the epidemic this year, some men who cannot cut their hair and trim their beards at home have exposed photos of their beards being pulled and their hair growing wildly, which is self-deprecating with the image in Hanks' films.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James failed to get a haircut during quarantine, saying he was like Hanks in "The Rest of a Desert Island."
Not only is he weighty and thin, the scene in the film that has been soaked in the sea for a long time has also caused Hanks to suffer from severe arthropathy, and for the sake of the role, while shouldering the responsibility of a producer, Hanks is also really fighting. Fortunately, the film eventually grossed $429 million at a cost of $90 million, living up to The promise of Hanks and his team.
Soundtrack clips
It is worth mentioning that the soundtrack of this film was produced by director Zemeckis's old partner Aaron Svescha (the soundtrack composer of Forrest Gump and Back to the Future). In the film, the male protagonist Noland basically has no soundtrack when he is on a desert island, and there is no sound effect of natural creatures such as birdsong and insects, which is to enhance the sense of isolation and helplessness of the characters. It wasn't until Noland broke through the waves and truly escaped from the desert island that the music slowly sounded with hope, which was undoubtedly a very wise choice.
In 2000, the hit "The Rest of the Desert Island" also became popular with two items that had appeared in the film: FedEx and Wilson sporting goods, and a small island (which became a tourist attraction) in the Pacific island nation of Fiji, where it was filmed.
FedEx with Wilson Volleyball
The Pacific island nation of Fiji belongs to Monuligi Island, and Hanks wants to escape from here, but when you step on it, you may not want to leave.
After watching this film, I know what is the top advertising implant, it is like a FedEx advertising campaign, a hymn to FedEx employees, and a global promotion of its quality reputation. After the release of the film, FedEx's brand awareness has been significantly improved in overseas markets such as Asia and Europe.
Hanks returns from a desert island and is filmed at FedEx headquarters in Memphis
Contrary to popular public belief, however, FedEx did not pay the producer a penny. Director Zemeckis has made this clear in several interviews. Although FedEx was very worried when they heard about the project, they had no objection to the finished script and provided support during filming — FedEx provided their facilities in Memphis, Los Angeles and Moscow, as well as planes, trucks, uniforms and logistical support.
In the film, FedEx CEO Fred Smith is personally present in the scene welcoming Noland back, filmed at FedEx headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee.
FedEx advertising
During the 2003 Super Bowl, the final scene of the movie appeared in an Advertisement for FedEx, in which Noland returned the package to the sender and the woman signed for it. When Noland asked what was in the box, the woman replied, "There's only a satellite phone, a GPS locator, a fishing rod, a water purifier, and some seeds." Just some stupid stuff. Netizens have said that if this scene appears in the movie, it will turn the whole movie into a comedy.
"The ending you don't want to see", netizens parodyed the end of the film
Another commodity in the film, Wilson Volleyball, as the only companion in the Hanks desert island rafting years, has also become a hot brand. One of the three volleyballs used in the film was auctioned off for $18,400. The scene in the film where Hanks is powerless to save and shouts "Wilson" in a heartbroken heart has also become one of the famous scenes in the film.
On March 12, early this year, when Tom Hanks were diagnosed with COVID-19 while filming a new film in Australia, staff at the local Gold Coast Hospital gave Hanks a Wilson volleyball to accompany him through the days of isolation.
The Tom Hanks spent isolated days with Wilson volleyball
As for where Wilson in the film eventually drifted, what will be his fate? Enthusiastic fan friends have produced many interesting sequels, including film and television and anime, with their clear brain holes, to remember and pay tribute to our friend "Wilson".
Comics made by netizens: the story after Wells was rescued
In addition, the film's popularity and lasting influence also inspired the creation of the popular American drama "Lost". The science fiction suspense series Lost, launched by ABC Studios in 2004-2010, was originally inspired by the popular reality shows "Survivor" and the movie "The Rest of the Desert Island".
Poster of the American drama "Lost"
The show tells the story of a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles that crashed on a mysterious island in the South Pacific and happened to survivors. The overall story concept is basically similar to "The Rest of the Desert Island", except that some details are enriched, and supernatural elements are added in the later stage, so that the island in the play has mysterious powers, which can cure paralysis, cancer, and even make people "come back to life".
The influence of "The Rest of the Desert Island" is far more than this, as an ordinary person's desert island adventure, it puts the individual under the desperate situation of survival, presents a textbook survival guide, and also expresses the modern people's various thoughts on civilized society, the value of life and the meaning of existence in the increasingly developed material and technological situation.