What would you take to a Desert Island. NO CHEATING!
OK, the ship you were on sank and you and the island partner of your dreams managed to make it safely to a remote island with no hope of immediate rescue. However, when you were jumping into the only raft that made it–with aforementioned castaway hottie–you were able to grab ONE book, ONE album, and ONE movie. (Fortunately, your raft had a generator, a CD player, and a TV with built in DVD player on it. WORK WITH ME PEOPLE!)
What would you take? Why? And no damn collected works or box sets allowed!
I’ll go first.
Book: A. S. Byatt’s Possession
It’s got it all: poetry, prose, extremely dense writing, and a serpentine plot. It’s not set in my world, so it wouldn’t constantly remind me of all the stuff I was missing. It values, above all, our honest hearts and reminds me of what really matters: home, love, family. And presumably this would inspire me to figure out how to get off the damn island and return to those who love me or it would convince me to create those things with my fellow refugee.
Album: The Very Best of Mozart
While I normally listen to modern music–by which I mean anything recorded from the year of my birth onward–I adore classical music, especially for thinking. I’ve always loved Mozart who I find more consistently accessible than Beethoven or Bach. There’s a variation in a best of disc that I think would help keep it from getting repetitive and perhaps listening endlessly to classical music would inspire me to write lyrics for the notes and that sounds like a good activity when stuck on a desert island.
Movie: Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki
I love this movie and, despite having seen it several times, always find something new to admire about it upon each viewing. It’s visually rather like spending several hours at a museum where all the art is gorgeous and its score is perfect. Much of what one sees on the screen has several layers of meaning making it endlessly intellectually engaging. And, again, it’s not the world I’d be currently severed from so I think it would be less likely to depress me.
How about you? What one book, movie, album would you take?
Book: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – I love the characters and themes
CD: Red by Taylor Swift – my favorite album of hers because it feels like a complete story and I like albums with a mix of ballads and faster songs
Movie: When Harry Met Sally – my favorite movie of all time
I considered both Little Women and When Harry Met Sally. This is hard AND thought provoking
I’d take:
My favorite move, Casablanca; it’s practically perfect in every way. (Singing in the Rain if Casablanca is unavailable for some reason.) My old CD I burned years ago and still use in my car filled with my 60 favorite 80’s songs. (The Hamilton soundtrack is a very close second.) For a book, I’d also take my Bible; I’m Christian, but also it has just about every kind of story/literature you might want and every time you read it you find something new or see something from a different perspective, or find something to stimulate/twist your brain. (The Goblin Emperor would be good, too. Also a book that makes you think hard and always has something new for me to find.)
I don’t mean to copy AlwaysReading but the Hamilton original cast album would also be my choice. I considered A Chorus Line and Jesus Christ Superstar but Hamilton wins.
Movie- Love, Actually. I watch it multiple times between Thanksgiving and New Years plus other times during the year when I need my British actor fix.
Book is definitely the hardest decision…I will go with Outlander. Voyager actually contains my favorite scene of all time (Clare surprising Jamie in the print shop) but Outlander grabs me for sheer romance and descriptions.
Oooh, all great mentions Lee! I hadn’t considered either Chorus Line or CJS for music but they would be awesome choices.
I’d struggle on which Outlander book to choose but agree about that print shop scene!!
Book–The Count of Monte Cristo for the motivation
Movie–The Goonies for the inspiration to be brave
CD–Greatest Hits of the 70s to remember my roots
I was going to pick the Riverside Shakespeare as my choice but Dabney is being tough (some even say mean) and not allowing that. As crazy as this sounds (because it’s not even for religious reasons) but I’d probably take the Bible then. The full, uncut translation. I need something enormous to occupy my brain for the rest of my life and I can’t think of another tome that large, involved and capable of generating so many thoughts and questions. I’m no theologian but I would need something to occupy my time on that desert island. Either that or one of those enormous books on how to survive anything.
Movie is a really hard one. I’d be inclined to take a series or mini series like Pride and Prejudice or North and South-or if that wasn’t allowed then something very long with tons of imagery like The Godfather.
Music? Again if I can’t pick one of those “best of” music compilations then Saint-Saens Carnival des Animaux.
ONE OF EACH!!! “cracks the whip”
But the Riverside Shakespeare IS one book…..It just has a lot of plays in it.
Well, if you find this assignment too difficult…. fine. Just fine. ;)
Book: It has to be something with plenty of pages, like Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings but since that is so often published as separate volumes Dabney might not count it ;-). That leaves things like Voyager by Gabaldon or Noble House by Clavell. But I think I have to go with Into The Wilderness by Sara Donati. Well-written, well-researched, and satisfyingly long. It’s about people who seek a better life, in challenging surroundings, and find a way to integrate themselves into an existing community without completely destroying it.
Album: Neil Diamond’s Hot August Night. It’s a double album with plenty of variety (some upbeat and some ballads, some danceable, some symphonic, and all singable), I’m horrible at memorizing anything but I know most of the words to most of the songs on this one. And it’s the first “grown up” album I ever owned, and it still holds up (for me) after many listens, all these years later.
Movie: since the “hottie” I’m with will almost certainly have something with plenty of car chases and gun shots, I’ll take Shakespeare in Love for all the feels: well-written, funny, and passionate.
Shakespeare in Love really is just divine. I could watch Judy Dench cross the street a hundred times and still smile.
Yes! And Geoffrey Rush’s assurances that everything will work out fine, even if he can’t explain why . . . that would be reassuring on a deserted island I think. ;-)
That, utterly randomly, made me think of this.
I have a one volume Lord of the Rings trilogy. I’ll let you borrow it. :-)
Lovely! Thank you!! LOL!
(Actually, I have it as a single volume on my shelves AND on my Kindle, cuz you never know when you might need to dip into it. I just didn’t think Dabney would allow it since they were originally published as separate volumes . . . ;-)
Book: An Accidental Goddess By Linnea Sinclair I can not read this enough!
Movie: Men in Black, again, I cannot watch this often enough
Album/CD: Night Moves by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band – Hellooo to my wild/wonderful teen years.
All above and someone to share with would be a DIK dream come true
I get chills just thinking about this song. It’s soooooo good.
And Men in Black is one the funniest/wise movies of my life. Just a blast!
Good choices!
I love your choices. Can we be stranded together?
Book: I’d love to bring the entire Harry Potter series with me, but seeing as Dabney might deem this to be cheating, I’ll go with Deathly Hallow:) Absolutely love how everything comes together in the final book. It’s really so hard to pick a book, because I have too many to choose from. Other close picks would be Jane Austen’s Persuasion, Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, The Anne of Green Gable Series by LM Montgomery, and Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Album: I’m a millennial and CDs were largely on their way out when I became interested in music. I also prefer listening to assorted songs from different artists, rather than whole albums. It’s a toss-up between the Hamilton (Original Cast) album, Iron and Wine, ‘The Shepherd’s Dog’, Phantom of the Opera, and Don McLean (because my dad, sister and I would sing Miss American Pie everyday when he picked us up from school). If I HAD to choose, I guess the Hamilton Soundtrack.
Movie: This is tricky, because I don’t really have a favourite movie that I would re-watch. Maybe The Devil Wears Prada?
Persuasion, Barry Lyndon and a CD of The Messiah.
Barry Lyndon? Wow, I haven’t thought about that movie in years. What ever happened to Marissa Berenson?
She was stunning and just huge as a model in that early 70’s period. She kind of defines that look for me with the big earrings and tons of paisley and prints. When everyone from Europe and the U.S. were obsessed with Morocco and India.
Marissa Berenson is still alive (she’s in her early 70s). She was part of a very accomplished family (her grandmother was Elsa Schiaparelli). Marissa’s sister, Berry Berenson, was a photographer and married to actor Anthony Perkins (best known as Norman Bates in “Psycho”). Sadly, Berry was killed on one of the hijacked planes on 9-11.
Barry Lyndon has earlier work of one of my favorite costume designers ever Milena Canonero. I think it’s a stunning work with its use of natural light and fidelity to a lot of 18th century customs and styles but I can’t say it’s one I can bear to watch over and over. I’m right with you on Persuasion though. It’s my favorite Austen novel and one of my favorite books.
I just though Barry Lyndon was visually so beautiful, the musical score wonderful and the various production values, eg lighting, etc. so exceptional. The plot and acting not memorable but it brought the 18th century alive to the senses. And it won several Oscars for these things.
Book: A really long Wilkie Collins novel, such as Armadale. I’ve been wanting to read that, and this island will give me my chance. Or maybe a Mary Elizabeth Braddon novel…
Another option might be a really long fantasy novel, such as Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings — because this might be the only time I have a chance to read that giant thing. (And it’s longer than Armadale!)
Movie: Would one of those six-part true crime documentaries be cheating? ;) Actually, this would be a great time to rewatch a silent movie or foreign classic, such as M with Peter Lorre or The Seventh Seal. I have trouble watching them now because of the distractions. My brain forgets that I have to look up at the screen and read the captions.
CD: The Phantom of the Opera — the two-CD set with Michael Crawford as the Phantom.
Book: Possum Living by Dolly Freed
Movie: Life with Father (1947)
CD: The Sound of Music (original movie cast recording)
I don’t have a single favorite book or movie, but these choices hold a lot of special memories for me. Also, I’m not much of an audio/album listener, but I also hold special memories of my The Sound of Music CD, which is one of the few music things I own.
I love the Sound of Music and the soundtrack! Julie Andrews must have the crispest, clearest voice in the world. Lisel (Charmian Carr?) doesn’t have the strongest voice but it’s so sweet and perfect for her role.
I loved that Brigita (Angela Cartwright) went on to play Penny in Lost in Space, Friedrich Nicolas Hammond became TV’s Spider-Man in the 70’s (he popped up in “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” recently too!) and Louisa (Heather Menzies) showed up on the TV series of Logan’s Run and was married to long time crush Robert Urich. My childhood brain in the 70’s sometimes had a hard time wrapping itself around the fact they were kids in the movie and adults on other shows but it was fun seeing them in other things.
Thanks for all the cool behind the scenes, and in front of the scenes, info. I love Julie Andrews’s voice too, and it’s a shame that she can’t sing anymore. :-(
Somewhat off-topic, but have you seen her in Victor/Victoria? It’s a delightful film directed by her late husband, Blake Edwards. I really enjoyed the DVD audio commentary too because you could feel the warm, loving chemistry between the two of them.
Still the touchstone movie of my life.
Dr. Feelgood had never seen it (!!!!!) and, several years ago, it came to the big screen in our town. We went. At the intermission he turned to me, somewhat goggle eyed and said “This is really good.” I just gazed at him.
Possession is one of my oldest’s favorite books of all time. I tried listening to it on audio years ago and at some point the author is describing the bathroom tiles in minute detail and I bailed. My ADHD brain just couldn’t handle it. I may have to try it again
Ok. I’ve never been one for a “favorite” of anything. Ask me the question an hour from now and my answers would probably all change. So no cheating, huh?
Book: I’m pretty unoriginal. Probably Pride and Prejudice. I’ve reread it numerous times and still get lost in the language and humor. But maybe Possession would be good! It would force me to read it and it is definitely full of details that are probably worth rereading to catch all of them.
Music: I’d cut my own CD with the best of P!NK and LP. Badass women who would get me through the tough times.
Movie: North and South miniseries based on the book by Elizabeth Gaskell. Is that cheating?
LP?
LP is a very different artist and I love her stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDjeBNv6ip0
Love this too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIVw7PPhBZ8
I love Possession! Skip the poetry first time around if you need to, but try again!
I’d want sunscreen, tweezers, and a working women’s razor (with some refill blades) before anything else!
If “book” can mean “collected works,” I’d probably take a collection/anthology of a writer who had a tremendous output—of which I’ve read enough to know I like them but still has many unread-by-me books. Possibly Trollope or Balzac (translated from the French—it would just be my luck to get Balzac in the original French unless I specified an English translation).
The CD would probably be something soothing. Since I couldn’t take my “EDM Chill” playlist from Spotify, I’d probably choose my “Pure Moods” CD collection which features everything from Enya’s “Orinoco Flow” to Enigma’s “Return to Innocence.” I have a feeling after a few days stranded with anyone, I’d need soothing music (or I’d wish I’d chosen the Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the U.K.” instead).
As for a movie, I’d probably choose “Moonstruck,” which is one of my reliable comfort watches (although Marian’s idea of an MST3K move sounds fun—“Manos: Hands of Fate” perhaps).
By the way, POSSESSION is one of my favorite books too. I call it a “literary romance” and I’ve often urged it upon friends who claim they don’t like romance.
No collected works allowed!!!
You’re mean! Lol
Well then, I’d probably choose one of my all-time favorites, KATHERINE by Anya Seton.
Not even Shakespeare?! That’s very unfair.
Sometimes, you have to make the hard choices…..
Lol
So… this is manos. ;-)
Hmm. For CDs, I’d grab my Enya collection, because I find her very easy to listen to, and her voice is soothing and calming, something I’d need if I was deprived of the Internet.
Movies are more difficult because I don’t watch many of them and I don’t have many DVDs either. Maybe a MST3K episode like “The Final Sacrifice”? That one always makes me laugh, even though I’ve watched it more than once. Something funny would help in a situation like this.
As for books, that one’s easy. I’d take my favorite book, GONE WITH THE WIND, because as God is my witness, Scarlett would inspire me to never stop working to get off the damn island!
But on a desert island who would be caught by your charm as the Tarleton twins were?
Be sure to take your mother’s curtains—just in case you need a new dress!
Well, a great thing about reading GwtW on a desert island is that you’d love your comfy rags because who wants to have to have a 17 inch waist….
If there’s not much to eat on the island, you might end up with one!
Well, I feel sure that my hot fellow strandee turns out to be a whiz at gourmet tasting meals made from foods we hunt and find. Because, you know, there probably wouldn’t be coffee so we need some taste bud joy.
So he’d be like the male version of Mary Ann on Gilligan’s Island? Whipping up coconut cream pies and other delicacies. Maybe the Professor will be there too and he can make you a palm tree car as well :0)
Oh well if we can pick our hotties…. I’m going with Jamie from Outlander. I’m picking him for his outdoor skills….
Excellent choice. Is there anything Jamie can’t do?
Well, look like crap does not appear to be in his skill set….
That’s a new one to me: “outdoor skills” . . . Although Claire and Jamie usually are out of doors, aren’t they? Continuing to LOL.