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Romancing the Stone

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 122.148.183.5 (talk) at 15:09, 3 March 2016 (→Plot: The existing reference to treasure made no sense as it was, as there had been no previous indication that the map was a treasure map.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For the song by Eddy Grant of the same name, see Going for Broke (album).
Romancing the Stone
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRobert Zemeckis
Written byDiane Thomas
Produced byMichael Douglas
Starring
CinematographyDean Cundey
Edited byDonn Cambern
Frank Morriss
Music byAlan Silvestri
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • March 30, 1984 (1984-03-30)
Running time
106 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10 million[1][2][3]
Box office$86.5 million[4]

Romancing the Stone is a 1984 American action-adventure romantic comedy. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, it stars Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. The film was followed by a 1985 sequel, The Jewel of the Nile.

The film earned over $86,572,238 worldwide in box-office receipts. It also helped launch Turner to stardom, reintroduced Douglas to the public as a capable leading man, and gave Zemeckis his first box-office success. Decades later, it retains critical acclaim, with an 87% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[5]

Plot

Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) is a lonely romance novelist in New York City, whom her editor believes is waiting for a romantic hero like in one of her books. One day Joan gets a call from her sister, Elaine, who has been kidnapped by antiquities smugglers Ira (Zack Norman) and Ralph (Danny DeVito). Joan is to go to Colombia with a map she's just received in the mail from Elaine's late husband; the map is Elaine's ransom.

Flying to Colombia, Joan is detoured from the rendezvous point by Colonel Zolo (Manuel Ojeda), the man who killed Elaine's husband. He tricks her into boarding the wrong bus, heading deep into the interior of the country instead of the coastal city of Cartagena, where Elaine is being held. When Joan asks the bus driver where they are going, she causes the bus to crash. As the rest of the passengers walk away, Joan is menaced by Zolo but is saved by American exotic bird smuggler Jack T. Colton (Michael Douglas). Joan hires Jack to help her get back to civilization.

Jack and Joan travel the jungle while eluding Zolo, who wants a treasure the map leads to and is chasing them with the military police. After spending a night hiding in a marijuana smuggler's crashed C-47 airplane, they encounter a drug lord named Juan (Alfonso Arau), who is a big fan of Joan's novels and helps them escape from Zolo.

After a night of dancing and passion in town, Jack suggests to Joan that they find the treasure themselves before handing over the map. They follow the clues and locate an enormous emerald called El Corazon ("The Heart"). Unknown to Jack and Joan, they had used Ralph's car for the last leg of their journey while Ralph was sleeping in the back. Ralph takes the emerald from them at gunpoint. When Zolo appears, Jack steals the jewel back, but Jack and Joan are chased into a river and go over a waterfall. They end up on opposite sides of the raging river; Joan has the map, but Jack has the emerald. Jack directs Joan to Cartagena, promising that he will meet her there.

In Cartagena, Joan meets with Ira and Ralph, but the exchange is interrupted by Zolo and his men, who have also captured Jack. Jack surrenders the emerald to Zolo, but a crocodile bites off Zolo's hand and swallows it along with the emerald. As a gun battle takes place between Zolo's soldiers and Ira's gang, Joan and Elaine dash for safety, pursued by Zolo. Jack tries to stop the crocodile from escaping but lets it go when he sees that Joan is in danger. Zolo charges at Joan, who knocks him into the crocodile pit. Ira and his men escape, but Ralph is left behind as the authorities arrive. After a kiss, Jack dives into the water after the crocodile, leaving Joan behind with her sister.

Some time later, Joan is back in New York City, delivering a new manuscript based on her adventure. Returning home, she finds Jack waiting for her in a sailboat named the Angelina, after the heroine of Joan's novels, and wearing boots made from the crocodile's skin. He sold the emerald and bought the boat of his dreams. They go off together, planning to sail around the world.

Cast

Production and release

Although, upon its release, comparisons to Raiders of the Lost Ark were inevitable (Time magazine called the movie "a distaff Raiders rip-off"),[6] the screenplay for Romancing had actually been written five years earlier. It was written by a Malibu waitress named Diane Thomas in what would end up being her only screenplay; she died in a car crash shortly after the film's release.[7]

Turner later said of the film's production, "I remember terrible arguments [with Robert Zemeckis] doing Romancing. He's a film-school grad, fascinated by cameras and effects. I never felt that he knew what I was having to do to adjust my acting to some of his damn cameras – sometimes he puts you in ridiculous postures. I'd say, 'This is not helping me! This is not the way I like to work, thank you!'"[8] Despite their difficulties on the film, Zemeckis would go on to work with Turner again, casting her as the voice of Jessica Rabbit in 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Studio insiders expected Romancing the Stone to flop (to the point that, after viewing a rough cut of the film, the producers of the then under development Cocoon fired Zemeckis as director of that film),[9] but the film became a surprise hit. It became 20th Century Fox's "only big hit" of 1984.[10] Zemeckis later stated that the success of Romancing the Stone allowed him to make Back to the Future, which was an even larger success.[11] The film's success also led to an equally successful sequel, 1985's The Jewel of the Nile, without Zemeckis at the helm but with Douglas, Turner, and DeVito all returning. Another sequel, called The Crimson Eagle, never made it past the development stage. This planned yet unproduced sequel would have seen Jack Colton and his partner Joan Wilder take their two teenage children to Thailand where they would find themselves blackmailed into stealing a priceless statue. DeVito reunited himself, Douglas and Turner in his 1989 film The War of the Roses. In 2005 and again in 2008, Michael Douglas was working on a second sequel entitled Racing the Monsoon, although there have been no further developments in recent years.[citation needed]

The novelization of this film was credited to Joan Wilder though it (and a novelization of the sequel movie, The Jewel of the Nile) was actually written by Catherine Lanigan.[12]

Sylvester Stallone was originally considered for the role of Jack T. Colton.[13]

Reception

Critical reaction

The film was well received by critics and is considered by some as among the best films of 1984.[14][15][16][17] It holds an 87% approval rating on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 43 reviews.[5]

Awards

Award wins:[18]

Award nominations:

References

  1. ^ Romancing the Stone (1984) - Box office / business at the Internet Movie Database
  2. ^ Solomon, Aubrey (1989). Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History. Scarecrow Press. p. 260.
  3. ^ Pollock, Dale (29 March 1984). "Zemeckis Puts His Heart and Soul in 'Romancing The Stone'". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. p. m1.
  4. ^ "Romancing the Stone". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Romancing the Stone (1984)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  6. ^ Corliss, Richard; Schickel, Richard (April 23, 1984). "The Greening of the Box Office". Time. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
  7. ^ "Biography for Diane Thomas". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  8. ^ Appelo, Tim; Kilday, Gregg (August 2, 1991). "Kathleen Turner: The Last Movie Star". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
  9. ^ Horowitz, Mark. "Back with a Future," American Film July/Aug. 1988. pp. 32–35.
  10. ^ "Musical Chairs in Hollywood". Time. September 24, 1984. Retrieved February 9, 2007. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ Supplements for the Back to the Future DVD.
  12. ^ "Romancing the Stone novelization". Amazon.com. Catherine Lanigan's ghost authorship of the book.
  13. ^ "14 Things We Learned From The 'Evening With Sylvester Stallone' Q&A". Empire Online. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  14. ^ "The Greatest Films of 1984". AMC Filmsite.org. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  15. ^ Nashawaty, Chris. "Was 1984 the Greatest Year in Movies Ever?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  16. ^ "The Best Movies of 1984 by Rank". Films101.com. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  17. ^ "Most Popular Feature Films Released in 1984". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  18. ^ "Romancing the Stone: Award Wins and Nominations". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  19. ^ a b "The 42nd Annual Golden Globe Awards (1985)". Golden Globe Award. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
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