Cast Away: Encyclopedia II - Cast Away - Plot synopsis

Cast Away - Plot synopsis

Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks), a perpetually hurried FedEx executive, is the sole survivor of a harrowing plane crash. He is stranded alone on a deserted tropical island. After he lands on the island, Chuck's most immediate need is drinking water, which he satisfies by drinking coconut water and later by storing rain water in the discarded husks. His second immediate need is food. He attempts to fish, but is wholly unsuccessful at the start. As time progresses, his fishing skills steadily increase. Shortly after his first fishing attempt, he finds a compelling need to produce fire, which after great effort, many attempts, and some injury he succeeds in doing. Chuck takes shelter in a small cave for the majority of his stay on the island.

Luckily for Chuck, a few FedEx packages from the plane, and the body of one of the pilots all wash up on the shore shortly after he lands on the island. After some refitting, Chuck dons the pilot's shoes and improvises some tools from items he salvages from the washed-up packages. But his attempts to escape are thwarted by the high surf.

Four years later, a piece of a port-a-john appears on the shore. Chuck uses this fragment as a sail for the raft he makes to leave the island. It is revealed that in previous years he has considered suicide as an alternative to escape from the island. After construction of the raft, Chuck sets off into the ocean, desperately hoping for rescue. After sailing for an unknown period of time—when he is on the verge of death—he is rescued by a passing ship.

On returning home, Chuck must then come to terms with the fact that almost everyone he knew has irrevocably changed, including his fiancée who has since married and had a child with another man.

Cast Away - Wilson

One of Cast Away's notable characters is called Wilson, a volleyball from Wilson Sporting Goods (in real life, the dominant manufacturer of volleyballs). This volleyball plays the role of a mute, infinitely patient, non-living listener in the movie, providing Chuck with a companion for the 1,500 days he spends on the island. From a theatrical standpoint, Wilson also serves to realistically stimulate dialogue in an one-person only situation. Tragically, Chuck loses Wilson after the volleyball washes off the raft and drifts too far out to sea for Chuck to be able to retrieve him.

• Wilson the Volleyball at the Internet Movie Database

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Plot synopsis", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki