After a tragedy, John Ingram and his wife Rae are spending some time isolated at sea, when they come across a stranger who has abandoned a sinking ship.After a tragedy, John Ingram and his wife Rae are spending some time isolated at sea, when they come across a stranger who has abandoned a sinking ship.After a tragedy, John Ingram and his wife Rae are spending some time isolated at sea, when they come across a stranger who has abandoned a sinking ship.
- Awards
- 5 wins & 6 nominations
John Simmit
- Dog Owner
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBefore filming began, Nicole Kidman took lessons from the owner of the Storm Vogel on how to operate the ship. During the storm sequences near the end of the film, she is actually piloting the yacht.
- GoofsAt the beginning of the film in the Railway station, you can see Christmas decorations all around. If this is supposedly set in Australia (as John is in the Royal Australian Navy), then at Christmas time (summer in Australia) the sailors, including John; would be wearing their summer uniform. In the film, each man is wearing RAN Winter uniform.
- Quotes
[assuming it's her husband that is washing her hair]
Rae Ingram: You know what I'd love for lunch? Fresh asparagus, then, um, pasta - angel hair pasta with heaps of basil, garlic, olive oil and, um, apple pie. Yeah. Uh, John, have you got a towel?
- Crazy creditsThe producers wish to thank the owners of 'Storm Vogel' for the use of their yacht as the 'Saracen' and Keith Williams, the staff and management of Hamilton Island.
- Alternate versionsOriginal prints of the film omitted the current ending (see Trivia).
- SoundtracksWho Stole the Isopropyl Alcohol
Written & Performed by Tim O'Connor
Copyright © 1988 Kennedy Miller Productions Pty. Ltd.
Featured review
It Ain't a Pleasure Cruise
You've got three actors, two old boats, a big ocean, and ninety minutes to fill. So you better have your ducks in a row, otherwise the package is going to sink faster than the proverbial lead balloon. Fortunately, the folks in charge here know what to do, and the void turns into a real nail-biter. Darn near everything but the kitchen sink is thrown into the action, and I may have even seen that float by.
After a 100+ reviews, two comments might be helpful. Note that in the struggle to survive, Hughie's (Zane) main adversary is not the expected other male, John (Neill), Rae's husband. Instead, John spends his time trying to keep his head above water in that broken-down old schooner, a long way from the malevolent Hughie. No, it's up to the girl Rae (Kidman) to save the day any way she can, without the expected masculine help. Good thing, Hughie's got an eye for her "fine-boned head" and certain other features, otherwise she's a dead duck in the first five minutes. Thus, the real contest is a resourceful woman versus an unpredictable man that breaks with the long-established convention of combat "mano y mano". And this departure, I take, to be a reflection of a surging feminist movement then making its way into popular screenplays.
Another sign of the times is the anti-climax "add-on". In the old studio days, killing a guy once was usually enough. Then, after the bad guy was dispatched, the audience could relax and await a return to normalcy for the good guys. However, clever modern filmmakers found they could supply a surprise extra jolt by breaking with convention and bringing the menace back from the apparent dead. That way, the audience can never feel secure enough to relax, and suspense is kept on high right up to fade-out.
The price they pay, however, is moving from a semblance of reality into the realm of cartoon violence. Here, Rae hits Hughie with everything but a laser blast. So how does Hughie, who appears to be a mere mortal like the rest of us, survive to provide that extra jolt. As you might guess, only by departing from reality as the rest of us know it. Thus, the structure of the screenplay migrates from "what could happen" into "what happens only in the movies". And, for me, at least, I'm reminded that this is, after all, only make-believe. Nonetheless, the movie really does accomplish a whole lot with a surprisingly very little.
After a 100+ reviews, two comments might be helpful. Note that in the struggle to survive, Hughie's (Zane) main adversary is not the expected other male, John (Neill), Rae's husband. Instead, John spends his time trying to keep his head above water in that broken-down old schooner, a long way from the malevolent Hughie. No, it's up to the girl Rae (Kidman) to save the day any way she can, without the expected masculine help. Good thing, Hughie's got an eye for her "fine-boned head" and certain other features, otherwise she's a dead duck in the first five minutes. Thus, the real contest is a resourceful woman versus an unpredictable man that breaks with the long-established convention of combat "mano y mano". And this departure, I take, to be a reflection of a surging feminist movement then making its way into popular screenplays.
Another sign of the times is the anti-climax "add-on". In the old studio days, killing a guy once was usually enough. Then, after the bad guy was dispatched, the audience could relax and await a return to normalcy for the good guys. However, clever modern filmmakers found they could supply a surprise extra jolt by breaking with convention and bringing the menace back from the apparent dead. That way, the audience can never feel secure enough to relax, and suspense is kept on high right up to fade-out.
The price they pay, however, is moving from a semblance of reality into the realm of cartoon violence. Here, Rae hits Hughie with everything but a laser blast. So how does Hughie, who appears to be a mere mortal like the rest of us, survive to provide that extra jolt. As you might guess, only by departing from reality as the rest of us know it. Thus, the structure of the screenplay migrates from "what could happen" into "what happens only in the movies". And, for me, at least, I'm reminded that this is, after all, only make-believe. Nonetheless, the movie really does accomplish a whole lot with a surprisingly very little.
Helpful•00
- dougdoepke
- Aug 26, 2009
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Dead Calm: A Voyage Into Fear
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $10,400,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $7,825,009
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $2,463,551
- Apr 9, 1989
- Gross worldwide
- $7,825,135
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