Cast Away – An Ageless Classic

You must be wondering... out of so many flicks, why Cast Away? Well, I have too many answers for this question... First, Cast Away is a kind of film that worth the try. Second, Cast Away is a film I would like to keep in my memories till my last days. Third, Cast Away has the kind of after effect that never go mild, it has the impact to move you till your core.

Cast Away tells the story of Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks), a Federal Express executive who devotes most of his life to his troubleshooting job. His girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt) is often neglected by his dedication to work, and his compulsive personality suggests a conflicted man. On a Christmas Eve, when Chuck was preparing for a huge assignment, he proposed Kelly for marriage right before he was going to board the aeroplane. Kelly agreed and gifted him a pocket watch which was carrying a picture of her.

On the assignment, the plane crash strands Chuck on a remote island, and his fast-paced life is slowed to a crawl, as he is miles removed from any human contact. 

The movie has no dearth of wow moments; in terms of cinematography, in terms of sequence of events or in terms of quenching your emotional thirst. There are number of events in this movie, which will hold your breath and will leave you with a smile, or with a little moisture in the corners of your eyes.

Cast Away hit the screen on 2000, I was an abundant adolescent that time (though I’m not supposed to say that... :P). On that tender age, this movie had left so much of brunt on my inner soul that I was feeling like a grown up all of a sudden. After that I have seen this movie countless times, and each time it had moved me like the first experience. If you ask me, I can go on explaining every frame of the movie, but I don’t want to that. Rather, I would like to share few of the scenes that have been imprinted tremendously on my mind:

First, when Chuck was drowning in the after his plane got crashed; this portion has been shot and depicted so wonderfully that you can actually feel his pain and struggle to get through with storm and tides.

Second, in the process of finding and exploring his survival instincts how he actually “invented” fire out of the blue. The hurts h had to go through and the way he actually celebrated his achievement.

Third, how he found the dead body of his fellow traveler  buried him with due respect but kept few of his belonging like a small torch and his shoes.

Fourth, how cleverly he actually used the props that he found in those boxes he meant to courier. He actually made an axe out of a pair of ice skating shoes.

Fifth, how wonderfully he found solace in “Wilson”, a volleyball. This is even the best part that has moved me emotionally and shocked me at the same time. This actually taught me what friendship is, and how it should be. I personally feel Wilson actually gave him the power to survive in that undiscovered isolated island for as many as 4 years. Wilson was the reason he actually give it a thought to devise a shaft to sail through the see in search of his lost life. And during his home coming journey, when Chuck lost Wilson, he was so down in the dumps that he actually lost all his enthusiasm to sail anymore.     

   

I feel Cast Away is divided into three clearly-defined acts: the setup, the main story, and the aftermath. Although the movie's center-piece is the 75-minute portion detailing Chuck's experiences while marooned, it's the third act, which offers no easy solutions for difficult situations, that elevates the film from the level of a stirring, innovative adventure to a fully satisfying drama.

Recommendation: Don’t even dare to miss this movie. It’s a MUST for everyone. Good luck :)