The film earned close to $80 million at the global box office, the eighth highest-grossing release of 1984 - not bad for a year that included Ghostbusters, Beverly Hills Cop, Gremlins, Footloose and the first Indiana Jones sequel. The winning chemistry between lead actors Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas cemented their status as major stars of the decade. It also gave director Robert Zemeckis his first bona fide blockbuster hit after his feature debuts: the affable but hardly stellar I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978) and Used Cars (1980).
Following her sizzling debut in Body Heat (1981) and first comic turn in The Man with Two Brains (1983), Turner played against her sexpot image as a New York-based author of steamy romantic thrillers whose real life is anything but steamy, romantic or thrilling. A desperate call from her sister takes her to South America to retrieve a priceless jewel. Failure means her sister's certain death.
Completely at sea in the world she's been summoned to, she hooks up with a rough-and-tumble adventurer and smuggler of exotic birds (Douglas). The dangerous animals, dastardly villains, corrupt officials, physical hardships and sexual heat building between the mismatched pair may well remind viewers of The African Queen (1951), updated for the more frank 80s.
The soldier of fortune role was reportedly offered first to Clint Eastwood, Jack Nicholson and Christopher Reeve. Douglas, at the time known mostly from his work in the TV cop series The Streets of San Francisco, had made a cinema breakthrough with important parts in Coma (1978) and The China Syndrome (1979), but his role here brought him to the forefront of bankable leading men. Over the next 10 years he made the hits Fatal Attraction (1987), Basic Instinct (1992) and his Oscar-winning role in Wall Street (1987).
Turner followed this with acclaimed performances in Prizzi's Honor (1985) and Peggy Sue Got Married (1986).
According to Turner's memoir, Debra Winger was considered for the role of the author but Turner got the part when Winger allegedly bit Douglas, who produced the picture, in the Mexican restaurant where they met to discuss the production.
Although set in Colombia, the movie was filmed mostly in Mexico, except for opening scenes in New York City. A few scenes were filmed in Utah.
The film got positive reviews overall. It won Golden Globe awards for Best Picture - Musical or Comedy and Best Actress - Musical or Comedy. Turner also won Best Actress from the Los Angeles Film Critics, along with her performance in Ken Russel's Crimes of Passion (1984).
Upon its release, some reviewers compared Romancing the Stone - mostly unfavorably - to Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). The script, however, was actually written in 1979. This was the first and only credit for screenwriter Diana Thomas, who was killed in an accident in a car given to her by Douglas. The Turner-Douglas sequel, Jewel of the Nile (1985), was dedicated to Thomas. Ironically, at the time of her death she had reportedly completed a draft of a Raiders sequel.
Like his two stars, Zemeckis went on to great success in the 1980s, directing all three Back to the Future movies and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) , featuring the voice of Kathleen Turner as Jessica Rabbit (despite their clashes during the filming of Romancing the Stone). He later won the Best Director Academy Award for Forrest Gump (1994).
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Producer: Michael Douglas
Screenplay: Diane Thomas
Cinematography: Dean Cundey
Editing: Donn Cambern, Frank Morriss
Art Direction: Agustin Ituarte
Original Music: Alan Silvestri
Cast: Michael Douglas (Jack Colton), Kathleen Turner (Joan Wilder), Danny DeVito (Ralph), Zack Norman (Ira), Alfonso Arau (Juan), Manuel Ojeda (Zolo)
By Rob Nixon
