CRUSOE

US, 1988, 90 minutes, Colour.
Aidan Quinn, Ade Sapara, Warren Clarke.
Directed by Caleb Deschanel.

Crusoe is an 80s American interpretation of Daniel Defoe's classic novel. The time of the action has been advanced almost a century to 1808 in Tidewater, Virginia. Crusoe, known in the film only as Crusoe, is a slave-owner in Virginia, pursuing slaves - yet human; buying slaves and wanting to go on expeditions of slave-buying. This is the context of his shipwreck. While on the island, he survives in the Defoe fashion, but encounters two African natives, one a victim of sacrifice whom he calls Lucky, the other a warrior who is as superior a being as Crusoe himself -his equal, whom he eventually frees from slavers.

The film was directed by Caleb Deschanel, a director of photography (The Right Stuff) and director with such films as The Black Stallion, Nutcracker, The Escape Artist. Aidan Quinn is Crusoe - quite persuasively so, but not a powerful screen presence to sustain this kind of film. An offbeat, interesting, message version of the classic story.

1. Audience knowledge of Robinson Crusoe? The classic story? Its place in English literature? The archetypal story? Cinema traditions and versions?

2. The transition of the action to the 1800s, Tidewater, Virginia, the atmosphere of slavery? The ironic reversing of roles as regards black and white on the island? The update to the 20th. century perspective? An allegory for the late 20th. century? (And the use of anachronisms, especially in language)?

3. Virginia, the use of the Seychelles for the location of the island: beauty, the tropics, jungle, the sea, beaches, the storm sequence? Musical score?

4. Crusoe at home in Virginia, chasing the slave in the swamps, not as harsh as other owners, inspecting the slaves at the auctions, the dislike of the slaves, his relationship with his peers, with the business community? The bids? His proposal to take a ship-for the buying of slaves? His guaranteed? The voyage, his lack of popularity with the crew - and the urine in his shaving water? The audience attitude towards Crusoe? (The changes from Defoe's hero?)

5. The storm, the vivid staging of the storm? The captain, his log, the fire? The drownings? The crew? The attitude of Crusoe, trying to save people? Exhaustion? Saved, out of the wreck? Drifting to shore. exhausted, the dog? The coconuts and fire? Salvaging from the wreck? His skill in building, the garden, the boat and the failure? The pig in the garden? Shaving. growing a beard? Alone, going eccentric, slightly mad, talking to himself? His code? Surviving as a 19th. century gentleman?

6. The arrival of the natives, Crusoe watching them, the grim sacrifice and the slitting of the throats, the pouring of the blood? The painter and the make-up on the victims? Crusoe shooting, saving the native, calling him Lucky, the sharing of the meal, demanding that he wipe his mouth with the serviette. putting him in leg-irons, Lucky's escape and the blood on the irons?

7. Crusoe's encounter with the warrior, the confrontation, each dominating the other, the eating of the geese. the stealing of the geese? Crusoe caught in the trap. the warrior playing with the gun, its discharging? Crusoe in the quicksand, the warrior saving himself, saving Crusoe at the last moment? their working together on the boat, each singing their own traditional song? The dominance of vocabulary? The presumption of Crusoe that people should learn English? The shooting of the pig, the bullet in the flesh of the pig during the eating? Each imitating the other's song? The bond between the two? The arrival of the slavers, the chase and the warrior being hurt. captured, Crusoe making himself known, the discussions with the crew, with the scientist? The voyage, Crusoe letting the warrior go, helping him away? (And the old man seeing it and going back to sleep?)

8. Lucky and the warrior, two African natives, in themselves, participation in the sacrifices and rituals, equals and slaves, dignity? The question of language and manners? Defoe and the 18th. century presuppositions about the superiority of English? The change to the 20th. century? The embodiment of 20th. century style Fridays?

9. The slavers and their cruelty, the anthropological professor and his comments on cannibals?

10. The archetypal Crusoe story: the man in himself, survival, touch of madness, change, returning to life? the social message of the film - couched as a contemporary allegory, contemporary notions, social perspective, use of language?