Knoxville’s down-on-its-luck Bijou Theater recently began nightly screenings of 1980’s brilliant cinematic masterpiece The Blue Lagoon. With such memorable lines as “What are you looking at?” and “Your muscles,” this love story for all ages starring Brooke Shields and some guy has been drawing crowds of Knoxvillians to the Bijou for the past month.
Bijou’s spokesperson Paddy Button says that the movie has turned into such a profit making machine that they plan to expand on the theme. “We recently obtained rights to screen the entire Tales of the Gold Monkey television series. And we’re working on tracking down copies of My Brilliant Career and Gigli,” explained Button.
Most people who turn out to see The Blue Lagoon are not just looking for a chance to see Brooke Shields naked but slightly smudged out or covered by conveniently styled hair. “If I wanted to see her naked, I’d just rent Pretty Baby,” explained film fan Brandon Leek. “I just love this movie. The dialog. The continuity. The intense fishing sequences. It’s just fantastic,” he said.
As summer approaches, Knoxville can expect to be shown many more such works of art. Next month, there will be a screening of Return to the Blue Lagoon, starring Milla Jovovich, the Revlon model and ass-kicking star of Resident Evil and The Fifth Element. “If we’re lucky,” added Button, “we’ll be showing the classic John Lithgow film Raising Cain as well.”