Tuesday, Film4, 6:55pm
Before Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, before The Mummy made adventuring sexy again, there was Romancing the Stone—a film that took the DNA of classic pulp adventure and injected it with 1980s rom-com energy. Directed by Robert Zemeckis (in his pre-Back to the Future days), the film stars Kathleen Turner as Joan Wilder, a reclusive romance novelist who suddenly finds herself living out one of her own stories, dodging Colombian drug lords, searching for a priceless emerald, and, of course, clashing with Michael Douglas' rugged, opportunistic mercenary, Jack Colton. The result is a near-perfect blend of action, comedy, and genuine chemistry, with Turner and Douglas crackling like a golden-age screwball duo. Throw in Danny DeVito as a bumbling, self-serving antagonist, and you've got a film that set the template for adventure romps for decades.
The film's score, composed by Alan Silvestri, is a revelation. Before Romancing the Stone, Silvestri was primarily a TV composer, known for CHiPs, but Zemeckis saw potential—and what a call that turned out to be. His synth-heavy, jazz-infused adventure score is pure 1980s gold, adding a playful yet dramatic pulse to the film's escapades. The main theme is both grand and cheeky, a perfect match for a film that never takes itself too seriously but still delivers on thrills. This collaboration between Silvestri and Zemeckis would, of course, lead to the iconic Back to the Future score, cementing Silvestri as one of Hollywood’s most reliable composers.
Romancing the Stone remains a delightful watch, an artifact of an era when adventure films had charm, wit, and an unmistakable sense of fun. It’s also a reminder that Turner and Douglas were, for a time, one of Hollywood’s most electric on-screen duos—so much so that they reunited for the sequel, The Jewel of the Nile (which, alas, lacked the same spark). If you’ve never seen it, rectify that immediately. If you have, then perhaps it’s time to revisit Joan and Jack’s bickering, bantering, and swashbuckling through the jungle, all while Silvestri’s synths remind you why the ’80s were a peak time for adventure cinema.
- Noel Chambers