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Cast Yourself in “Castaway 2.1a, The Search for Wilson”
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Living out scenes from a movie is something many of us do on halloween. It’s fun, it can be a bit goofy, but it ultimately feels kind of cool … unless it’s some silly sequence from Star Wars using foam light sabers. You do have to keep it real mate.
A Little Backdrop
One of the most famous movies ever filmed in Fiji happens to feature one the best performances by arguably the best actor of his generation. The movie is ‘Castaway’, filmed on Monuriki Island in Fiji and the actor is two time Oscar winner, and a 5 time Oscar nominee, Tom Hanks, who won a Golden Globe for Best Actor and was nominated for an Academy Award for his outstanding performance in this hit film that has grossed more than US$424 million dollars worldwide. The film currently stands at #100 in gross dollars earned in cinematic history.
A little bit of research reveals that there are hundreds of islands in the South Pacific that sit alone in virtually uncharted waters that could reasonably qualify as a backdrop for the film. Ironically, the island chosen for this distinction actually sits in plain sight of at least a dozen other Fiji Islands but worked just fine for the movie magic from the deft hands of Director Rebert Zemeckis filmed in the year 2000. Additionally, word has it that Hanks became quite ill on the set but bravely finished his masterful performance and then nearly bagged himself his 3rd Oscar.
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Thar she blows mates, Monuriki straight ahead!
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The Money Shot
Nearly every movie has a signature moment. In ‘Castaway’ perhaps the most famous is when Tom Hanks creates fire for the first time. He is alone, desolate, frightened and barely surviving when he figures out how to start a fire by rubbing sticks together. Hanks then injected some brilliantly inspired improvisation into the scene as he celebrates at dusk with a giant bonfire all perched in front of a perfect tropical sunset. Let’s just say, there’s not a person in the audience who can watch this scene and not let out a hardy laugh … even after repeated viewings.
Wilson seemed to appear whenever we tried to create fire
The Buddy Flick
There is one other dominating character in the movie who sadly does not even receive a film credit. Yes I checked. Perhaps because he is inanimate, but be sure, this is NOT a stilted performance. In fact, in his final scene, playing Hanks best friend who drifts away in the open sea, he leaves not a dry eye in the house. It’s an underrated, understated, acting tour de force for first timer Wilson, the blood painted volleyball with the really funny haircut.
Hanks repartee with Wilson is the stuff of film legends. One would never know that Wilson was literally created on film. Before Director Zemeckis yelled “Action!”, Wilson was simply a gift wrapped and boxed volleyball hanging out with some other Fed Ex boxed items around the fringe areas of the set. But on cue, Wilson exploded on screen under the gifted touch of Hanks’ sure-handed finger painting and just like that, a star was born!
The next 41 minutes and 2 seconds of shared screen time create movie history. The two characters struggle mightily together and brave tropical storms, share meals and intimate moments, plot an island escape and then fashion a raft mainly from wood, spare salvaged items and handmade rope and then almost miraculously they plow through a treacherous reef break and into open water. Once they reach open sea, they courageously face another storm on a nearly destroyed raft and then a small cord gives way and Wilson is sadly cast adrift. As he disappears off the horizon, you can literally feel Hanks pain while he screams and begs Wilson for forgiveness.
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Wilson saying, "Hey Mom!"
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"I.... have made Fire!"
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"Whoa Dudes, it's way too hot for fire right now!"
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Washed up on Plantation Resort in the Mamanucas
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Monuriki in all her magnificent glory!
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The Search for Wilson
The following film is based on a true story and we’re sticking to it… unless of course, we’re taking a polygraph.
Once upon a time, in a tropical zone far, far away …
Three brave men, Jonathan Toth, Sean Van Beers and Steve Reid took it upon themselves to study some very simple and well known maps of Fiji’s world renowned Mamanuca Islands on the internet and then embarked on a luxury schooner (the Mamanucas has luxury schooners and cruisers galore) along with around 50 other visiting tourists from around the world. The sailing vessel, the Seaspray, exclusively cruises and lands on the Fiji Island known as Monuriki, the former location for the Castaway film shoot. Their mission was single minded in nature - to learn the fate of Wilson or to have a cool snorkel and swim on a beach that totally rocks! ... actually either one would be just as cool and it wasn’t quite as single minded as we claim.
The fact is, no one knew what happened to Wilson until that eventful day. Immediately after setting foot on terra firma, (yet another fabulous white sand beach), the 3 dashed along the coast line screaming “WILSON!!!!!!!!! WILSON!!!!!!!” but their cries seemed to fall on deaf ears and they heard nothing in return except for the occasional bemused giggle from the other tourists. Despondent and nearly wilting from the heat on a sunny, tropical day (ah yes, another perfect tropical day in a tropical paradise), the three decided there was only one thing left that they could do… rub two sticks together in the hope of making fire. Yup, you guessed it, that didn’t work too well either.
However, photographic evidence proves that what happened next is absolutely not the stuff of urban, or should we say tropical legend. Wilson magically appeared back in his roost or he was pulled from a backpack, no one is saying anymore. Anyways, a quick turn towards that famous tree stump, now nearly rotten away from 8 years of South Pacific weather, and just like that, Wilson was back! Silent as usual (in line with Fijian culture – the Silent Fijian), but all things considered looking quite fresh.
The three men celebrated with fire (started with a modern lighter under the tour guide’s watchful and incredulous eye) and then they danced (we don’t think they fire danced) and chanted and re-lived old movie scenes in the exact film locale. They told Wilson about how much they enjoyed his performance and at the same time, they filled him in on 10 years of recent word events. They even took turns acting out Hank’s role just to see if they could get a rise out of good ‘ole Wilson,but true to form, Wilson simply held his ground and remained diligent in his quite famous steadfast and stoic silence.
The three claim that Wilson never broke, but from certain photographic angles, he does appear to either squint, crack a feint ‘Mona Lisa’ type smile or maybe shed a single tear of joy. Some say it was simply a bead of sweat off the brow from one of the fearless three but no one is really sure. But what we do know is this, Wilson forever lives in the hearts of movie fans all over the world and on a trip to Fiji’s Monuriki Island, you might just get lucky enough to have a few words and share some warmth (Fijian warmth that is) with what can only be described as the most famous movie volleyball/actor/adventurer of all time.
The End
Prologue
You too can create your own Castaway film fantasy at Monuriki Island in the Mamanuca chain of the Fiji Islands. South Sea Cruises runs the Seaspray Sailing Adventure Daily out of Denarau Marina, Nadi. If anybody wants to film our story, that’s cool too, as long as you buy us a beer first.
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