Cast Away: The Movie about Extraordinary Adventure and Survival on an uninhabited island

 

Cast Away released in 2000 is an American drama film, more serious in tone. The story of the film directed and produced by Robert Lee Zemeckis revolves around the character Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) who works at FedEx depot. Chucks life is normal until he received a call for resolving a work problem in Malaysia.  Unfortunately, the violent storm turns his whole world upside down, when the FedEx cargo plane he was in crashes somewhere in The Pacific Ocean. Somehow Chuck manages to escape the plane and happens to land up incidentally on an uninhabited island. This marks the beginning of his struggle and survival stranded on a deserted island.

Is Cast Away a true story?

Unlike Cast Away, a FedEx plane has never been crashed like that in real life. However, there are real-life castaway survivors and true stories of being stranded on deserted islands. The stories of these survivors and their survival, while facing loneliness, fear of never getting found, and other psychological issues along with the problems like no food, water, shelter, fire is narrated or published in the form of books or documentaries, or films. The story of a British Adventurer Lucy Irvine inspired the Robert Zemicks blockbuster film Cast Away. In 1980, Lucy Irvine joined the writer/ adventurer Gerald Kingslandlive as self-imposed castaways for a year on the isolated and uninhabited island of Tuin. The island was located in the Torres Strait between Australia and Papua New Guinea. Upon her return, Lucy wrote an account of her adventure and survival in the book titled Cast Away, published in 1983.

The plot of the film Cast Away is derived from historical stories like the story of Alexander Selkirk, Juana Maria and Marguerite de La Roque. Scottish privateer and Royal Navy officer, Alexander Selkirk spent four years and four months on an island not inhabited. Similarly, Marguerite de la Roque managed to survive on an uninhabited island off the coast of Canada. Juana Maria was the last surviving member of the tribe, the Nicoleño, and lived alone on San Nicolas Island.

Cast Away follows the adventures of Chuck Noland

Cast Away is the story of the survival of our protagonist, Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) also the real-life experience of survival of the author, Lucy Irvine. Chuck’s story is not only about the survival of the fittest but also the struggle to survive in adversities. This motivating story beautifully captures the physical and psychological trauma and after-effects of the four years of loneliness. At the uninhabited island, Chuck escapes from the storm attack and get access to several other FedEx packages that he found ashore from the crashed plane. He fills his loneliness by personifying the basketball and naming it Wilson, Chuck has lived his life following FedEx's motto “We live to deliver” this becomes his salvation and his strength. During his stay, he also makes several attempts to repair the damaged raft. Chuck (Tom Hanks) takes shelter inside the cave and survives for four years. And one fine day, he is rescued by passing cargo ship.

Tom Hanks gained 50 pounds (23 kg) during pre-production and lost a significant amount of weight and bring the character and suffering of Chuck Noland to life. The scenes were shot at the island of Monuriki.