Romancing the Stone
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Romancing the Stone is a 1984 American romantic comedy-adventure film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Diane Thomas. The film stars Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito, and was followed by a 1985 sequel titled The Jewel of the Nile.
Romancing the Stone earned over $86 million worldwide at the box office. 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.
Joan Wilder is a successful but lonely romance novelist in New York City
whose editor believes she is waiting to meet a romantic hero like the
ones she writes about. Joan gets a call from her sister Elaine, who has
been kidnapped by antiquities
smugglers, cousins Ira and Ralph. As Joan leaves her apartment to meet
her editor, Gloria, she is handed a letter containing a map, sent to her
by her late brother-in-law, Eduardo, who had been murdered a few days
prior. While she is gone, a man tries to break into her apartment and
is discovered by her apartment supervisor, whom he kills. Returning to
her apartment, Joan finds it ransacked. She then receives a frantic
phone call from Elaine (held at knife-point by Ira), who instructs Joan
to go to Colombia with the map she received; it is Elaine's ransom.
| Romancing the Stone | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
| |
| Directed by | Robert Zemeckis |
| Produced by | Michael Douglas |
| Written by | Diane Thomas |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Alan Silvestri |
| Cinematography | Dean Cundey |
| Edited by | |
Production
company |
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| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date
|
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Running time
| 106 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10 million[1][2] |
| Box office | $86.5 million[3] |
Romancing the Stone earned over $86 million worldwide at the box office. 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.
Contents
Plot
Flying to Colombia, Joan is detoured from the rendezvous point by Colonel Zolo. He tricks her into boarding the wrong bus, heading deep into the interior of the country instead of to the coastal city of Cartagena, where Elaine is being held. When Joan distracts the bus driver by asking where they are going, the bus crashes into a Land Rover, wrecking both vehicles. As the rest of the passengers walk away, Joan is menaced by Zolo but is saved by the Land Rover's owner, American exotic bird smuggler Jack T. Colton. For getting her out of the jungle and to a telephone, Joan promises to pay Jack $375 in traveler's cheques.
Jack and Joan travel the jungle while eluding the military police and Zolo, who wants the treasure map. After spending a night hiding in a marijuana smuggler's crashed C-47 aircraft, they encounter a drug lord named Juan, who is a big fan of Joan's novels and helps them escape from Zolo.
After a night of dancing and passion in a nearby 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 Corazón (‘The Heart’). Unbeknownst to Jack and Joan, they 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, who are still holding Elaine, but the exchange is interrupted by Zolo and his men, who have also captured Jack, who in turn 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 begrudgingly lets it go when he sees that Joan is in danger. Zolo charges at Joan, who eventually dodges his wild knife slashes, knocking Zolo 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 to Gloria, who is moved to tears by the story and tells Joan she has another best-seller on her hands. 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 explains the crocodile died from ingesting the emerald and he had sold it, using the money to buy the boat of his dreams. They go off together, planning to sail around the world.
Cast
- Michael Douglas as Jack Colton
- Kathleen Turner as Joan Wilder
- Danny DeVito as Ralph
- Zack Norman as Ira
- Alfonso Arau as Juan
- Manuel Ojeda as Colonel Zolo
- Holland Taylor as Gloria
- Mary Ellen Trainor as Elaine Wilder
- Eve Smith as Mrs. Irwin
- Joe Nesnow as Super
- José Chávez as Santos
- Evita Muñoz "Chachita" as Hefty Woman
- Camillo García as Bus Driver
- Rodrigo Puebla as Bad Hombre
- Paco Morayta as Hotel Clerk
- Kymberly Herrin as Angelina
- Bill Burton as Jesse Gerrard
- Ted White as Grogan
Production
Casting
Sylvester Stallone was originally considered for the role of Jack T. Colton.[4][Note 1]Filming
Filming locations for Romancing the Stone included Veracruz, Mexico (Fort of San Juan de Ulúa); and Huasca de Ocampo, Mexico. Parts of the film were also shot in Snow Canyon, Utah.[7] The scene where Turner and Douglas get separated on opposite banks on a whitewater river, about two-thirds into the movie, was filmed on the Rio Antigua near the town of Jalcomulco, Veracruz.[8]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!'"[9] 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.[10]
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