Cast Away (film)

When there is nothing good to watch on TV , I randomly pick shows to watch on my DVD movie collection. I recently watch again the film “Cast Away". It earned a place as one of my favourite films.

A MUST SEE FILM.

This story about Chuck Noland who works for FedEx played by Tom Hanks. In the beginning of the show this man, a time obsessed system operation engineer who is very serious about punctuality as his job is to ensure packages deliver is on time.

'Fat' Chuck (Tom Hanks) and Kelly (Helen Hunt) exchange Xmas gifts right before he gets on the doomed FedEx airplane flight. He tells his girlfriend Kelly at the airport as he walks away from the car that, I'll be right back.

            Chuck castaway on a desert island

Flying through a violent storm, his plane crashes into the Pacific Ocean, only to be washed up on an uninhabited island.Being the only survivor of a plane crash, Chuck must use all his skills for survival. Even for a human basic need to drink must acquired some knowledge on how to collect fresh water. As for his case, he kept it in the empty coconut shell. Just one of those daily things we take for granted.

We watch how he learns to improved and adapt as time goes by in the island.

I Have Made Fire! Chuck has successfully create  the fire, sings "Light My Fire"

Those thing like figure out how to start a fire , crack open a coconut.. makes you wonder why didn't he join the boy scout.

After a failed attempt to leave the island, he was compelled to open the boxes to see whether they contain anything useful he can make use (Except for a package with angel wings drawn on it). Another survival tip of make best use of his scarce resources available.

Chuck was always thinking of ways to get food e.g. with the roller blade from the FedEx package he use it as tool to cut away the coconut's husk.
Before that he was a busy man but now in the deserted island he has nothing to do except eat and sleep.

Feeling lonely he created a companion out of the volleyball. He keeps his sanity and language skills by conversing with it. He created a image when he draws a face in the bloody hand print on the ball, names it Wilson.

Chuck created artificial friend 'Wilson' out of loneliness

 
Cast Away is a modern Robinson Crusoe version story without Friday, the role of Friday was played by Wilson as his companion.

After 4 years of waiting for help , he determined to get away from the island by building a handmade raft. He quote, "Well, regardless, I would rather take my chance out there on the ocean than to stay here and die on this shithole island".
I wonder will the raft able to last in real life scenario as it made of raft woven together with palm leave string.

Just before he left he carves on the rock a message ..

Chuck afraid of not surviving  the voyage back home,
wrote a message on the rock to tell he was here 1500 days.
 Escape to sea and Tell Kelly Frears, Memphis TN. I Love Her  

Wilson falls off the raft and Chuck tried in vain to save it. Chuck lets the raft drift aimlessly on the sea and a passing by ocean liner ship crewmen saved him.

I'm sorry Wilson! 

His boss threw a home coming party for him but he was expressing his displeasure on the surplus food wasted. This food which takes him hours just to get a fraction of food to survive. He reflect back on how he struggle to catch tiny crabs for food compared with the giant crab ordered for his party feast.

Everything he left has changed, his girlfriend has married another man as she thought he was dead and even held a funeral.

As If by Fate, he wanted to deliver a package from the crash, so he random picked one that did not open.
In the end he go to send this parcel in an isolated ranch but nobody at home. So when he left, he stopped by at a crossroad. A lady asked whether he wanted her help for direction.

The woman who paints angel wings on her packages left, Chuck notices that the same angel wing emblem is painted on her truck. He ponders for a while which direction he wants to go at the intersection. Ultimately, he decides in which direction to go, and to me it looked as if he picked the road that leads to the woman's ranch.

 A pretty woman in an old pick-up truck stops and asks him if he have lost his direction.

Chuck notices the angels' wings painted on the back of her truck.  This is a Good Sign.

 Oh, where do I go from here. Follow Your Instinct. You have found her, now go and get her.

Sometimes we come to life's crossroads and have to make decisions that
 could affect the rest of our lives

It seems like there's going to be a happy ending after all.

This movie instantly remind me of the Maslow's hierarchy of human needs and how Chuck progressed through these level. From the Physiological level he finds himself in need for food, water and shelter. After cover that Safety level is next.The need for a friend due to loneliness and boredom.

Tom Hanks has to gain 40lbs weight in the beginning to show a FedEx executive middle age man which lack of exercise. The production then was stop for a year so that Tom can lose weight and grow his beard before resuming. This is in order to show the effects of time and malnutrition. All done with no makeup and wig to transform.

Now , that's what I called a truly great actor.