Review of Overboard

I saw this 1978 "made-for-TV" film the first time it was aired, and once or twice since then (though not recently) and have never been able to forget it. It is one of the most haunting, beautiful, and chilling movies I have ever seen. Stunningly filmed in the Pacific and Tahiti, it is believably acted, and the story is original(though its theme is universal). This was made WAY before "Dead Calm," another favorite of mine, but in "Overboard" fate is the villain. The story involves an attractive, affluent married couple (Dickinson and Robertson in their primes) who -- at sailing fanatic Robertson's suggestion -- decide to sail their gorgeous yacht together to Tahiti (along with their cat) to recharge their relationship and add some spice and excitement to their somewhat dull upper-middle-class lives. Their adventure accomplishes both of these goals as it progresses from the ordinary and banal to its unexpected and chilling conclusion. It is especially fulfilling because it was made before American movies became dominated by crass taste, coarse language, and adolescent mindsets.