January 25, 2000. Copyright, 2000, Graphic News. All rights reserved

IN SEARCH OF PARADISE
By Julie Mullins

LONDON, January 25, Graphic News:  INNOCENCE NEVER lasts forever, runs the tagline of Leonardo di CaprioÕs latest vehicle, ÒThe BeachÓ, based on the 1996 debut novel from Alex Garland about a young backpackerÕs adventures on an idyllic Thai island.

Richard (di Caprio), a pop-culture buff with a penchant for video games and Vietnam War movies, winds up at a cheap hotel in Bangkok, where he meets an older traveller ravaged by years of sun and drug abuse. The next morning Daffy (Robert Carlyle), slits his wrists, but not before leaving Richard a map indicating a legendary island paradise. Richard promptly sets off, accompanied by a young French couple, Etienne (Guillaume Canet) and Francoise (Virginie Ledoyen). Reaching their destination, they are welcomed into a small, like-minded community and the island becomes their home. But they soon find their modern day Eden holds more than a few deadly secretsÉ

ÒThe BeachÓ is the fifth collaboration by the remarkable trio of director Danny Boyle, producer Andrew Macdonald and screenwriter John Hodge, whose debut in 1994 Ð the low-budget, box-office hit ÒShallow GraveÓ Ð was followed by ÒTrainspottingÓ, considered a milestone in recent British cinema. From there Hollywood beckoned, with ÒA Life Less OrdinaryÓ their first U.S. venture. Among admirers of their work was Alex Garland, who felt Boyle, Hodge and Macdonald were the right team to film his book.

Much of the movie was shot on the tiny island of Phi Phi Le, near the popular tourist destination of Phuket. ÒIt was ideal in that the beach was enclosed by a sea wall of cliffs and the lagoon was beautiful,Ó says Macdonald. ÒThe beach was quite neglected but it had exquisite white sand.Ó

The movie has attracted massive publicity, due less to di CaprioÕs steamier scenes than the furore over supposed environmental damage to Phi Phi Le.

A group of Thai businessmen and local officials is prosecuting Twentieth Century Fox and Thai government ministries, which allowed the studio to level sand dunes on the beach, uproot natural vegetation and plant (non-local) palm trees, which were subsequently removed after filming. But locals and environmental activists say landscape changes for the $40 million movie left dramatic erosion scars after the monsoon season and are demanding $3 million to restore the beach to its natural beauty.

The trial began in November but, given the slow pace of ThailandÕs legal system, could go on for years.

ÒThe BeachÓ has its world premiere on February 2 at MannÕs Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, before opening in Asia on February 3 and across America and the UK on February 11.
/ENDS

Sources: Internet Movie Database, (us.imdb.com) Fox Movies (www.thebeach.com), Footsteps on the Beach (www.thaistudents.com) BBC

International release dates:
Hong Kong February 3
Malaysia: February 3
Argentina: February 10
USA: February 11
UK: February 11
France: February 16
Germany: February 17
Italy: February 18
Spain: February 25
Netherlands: March 2
Norway: March 2
Denmark: March 10
Australia: March 30
Estonia: March 31
Iceland: March 31
Japan: April 1