Paradise (1982)
By James Bontemps
Paradise is a 1982 Canadian adventure-romance film written and directed by Stuart Gillard (in his directorial debut) starring Phoebe Cates & Willie Aames.
It was critiqued at the time as a “knockoff” of the more famous The Blue Lagoon, as it shared a similar story to the 1980 film.
In 1823, during the Georgian era, teenagers David and Sarah travel with a caravan from Baghdad to Damascus. At an oasis, a slaver known as “The Jackal” raids the party and attempts to add the beautiful young Sarah, the daughter of a wealthy British Merchant, to his harem. David and Sarah and her servant, Geoffrey, narrowly escape, but all the others are slain in a massacre, including David’s American missionary parents. When Geoffrey seeks help at an encampment, he is killed when he learns too late that it’s controlled by the Jackal.
Left to fend for themselves, David and Sarah head west, struggling to survive the desert’s harsh conditions. Eventually, they stumble upon a stunning oasis by the sea—a paradise where they can rest, recover, and let their guard down. In this peaceful setting, their relationship grows, and they discover love and intimacy for the first time. Away from the rules of society, they find freedom and joy in each other.
The film marked the acting debut of Phoebe Cates, who was 17 years old at the time of filming.
Cates’ starring role involved several fully nude scenes. When Ames & Cates both protested there was too much nudity, the Producer (Robert Lantos) said that he would replace them with body doubles in those scenes, but he did not, and the film was released with all of Ames & Cates nude scenes, as seen here.