

” He says the same thing to the volleyball, Wilson, when he is planning their escape off the island. Never allow ourselves to commit the sin of losing track of time. He states “We live or we die by the clock. The impact time has on his life is also evident when he is admonishing FedEx employees. His determination and faith serve to evoke optimism within the responder and it gives them hope that Chuck will continue to survive until he gets off the island. Like the wings package she becomes his symbol of hope and his motivation to get off the island. He stares at the watch for long periods, not because of time but because of the picture of Kelly in it. He finds himself alone with a limitless amount of time but with nothing to do during it. While on the island the importance he placed on time fades, as his life is now run by nature. The gift his girlfriend, Kelly, gives him is a pocket watch with her picture inside and it is one of his only possessions on the island. He believes organisation and time management is the key to his happiness. Clocks are effectively placed in the mis en scene, demonstrating that Chucks’ life is controlled by time.

Would the contents of the box have changed the outcome of Chuck’s life? Time is a motif that is heavily emphasised in this film.

This fosters a sense of mystery and intrigue in the responder. The audience never find out what was in the parcel. The wings package raises Chuck’s spirits and gives him hope that one day he will be able to deliver the package to its owner. Wings are symbolic of flying and being lifted. This package is one that washes up on the island with Chuck and is the only package he does not open. This personifies the package and gives the responder the impression that this package will be almost like another character. The parcel becomes the first person as we follow it to the destination. During the film we see the package with the angels wings painted on it frequently. By leaving the ending open to interpretation, Zemeckis leaves the responder debating over which direction Chuck would have headed both in his car, and in his life. The audience can be certain of one thing his choices in life will be forever influenced by his ordeal. The responder is left in a state of deliberate uncertainty about which path he has chosen.
Ending of cast away movie#
Order custom essay Castaway Movie Analysis-Journeys The film ends with a close up of Chuck’s face as he gazes down his chosen path. He moves out into the middle of the crossroads and considers which of the four roads he wants to travel knowing that whichever option he takes will lead to a different destination both physically and internally. As a result of his years spent on the island is undecided about where he is heading so he pulls over and is given directions. They symbolises that the unknown protagonist is going to come to a point in his life where he will be unable to decide where he is going.Īs a result of the cyclic structure of the film, we see Chuck both physically and mentally arrive at the same crossroads from the opening scene. Immediately, these images of the road and the crossroads connote that a journey is going to take place. The first shot of the film is that of an old road and as the camera pans to the left we see a van driving towards a crossroads. The director has purposefully included an array of different signs that convey various meanings and concepts within the film. Castaway’ is a film that is rife with symbolism. Chuck’s imagination is also taken on a journey when he creates a companion out of a volleyball, whom he shares all his ideas and secrets with. After he returns home he must learn to adapt to normal society and overcome his traumatic ordeal. On the island his inner journey of self discovery is about learning what is really important in life. The physical journey in ‘Castaway’ is Chuck’s struggle to survive all the obstacles of living on the island and his journey to get home. Zemeckis is deliberate in his obvious manipulation of the responder as he uses a multitude of filmic techniques to create a connection between the audience and Chuck.

Chuck Noland is a filmic representation of the philosophy of time equals money equals fulfilment. ‘Castaway’ explores three different journeys physical, inner and imaginative. He must adapt to his new life on the island overcoming many obstacles in order to survive. Hanks stars as Chuck Noland, a FedEx delivery man whose life is headed in the ‘right direction’, until his plane crashes and he is stranded on an island. ‘Castaway ‘, directed by Robert Zemeckis, is a 2001 film starring Tom Hanks.
