Paradise (1982)

If only it could have been forever.

“No two people have ever come so close.” Romance and adventure abound in this lyrical story of two teenagers who come of age in the isolation of a lush desert oasis. In the nineteenth century Middle East, David (Willie Aames, TV's Eight is Enough) and Sarah (Phoebe Cates, Fast Times at Ridgemont High) are the only survivors of a caravan massacre carried out by an infamous slave trader known as the Jackal (Tuvia Tavi, Sahara), who is obsessed with Sarah's beauty. Fleeing the Jackal, they stumble on a magical place they will come to know as "Paradise," where they discover refuge, sustenance...and each other.

Paradise was shot on picturesque locations across Israel by cinematographer Adam Greenberg, whose impressive credits include the Terminator films, Near Dark and The Big Red One. Notable as the screen debut of Phoebe Cates, the film built a sizable audience via pay cable and videocassette distribution. Out of circulation for decades, Paradise is available for the first time on Blu-ray, in a new 4K restoration from its original 35mm camera negative. This version contains several minutes of never-before-seen footage, as well as the chart-topping theme song sung by Phoebe Cates.

Directed by: Stuart Gillard
Starring: Willie Aames, Phoebe Cates, Tuvia Tavi, Richard Curnock
1982 / 101 min / 1.85 / English Mono