Swiss Family Robinson

Imagine you and your family are fleeing Switzerland, where war is breaking out, and sail on a ship bound for New Guinea, an island north of Australia.  In a horrible storm, the entire crew abandons ship and you and your family are the only survivors of the wreck.


"What if we put up a distress flag?" asks Ernst.
"Don't you think we look distressed enough?" answers Father.  

All you have is each other, a tropical paradise, a shipload of things to scavenge from, and your own creativity, intelligence, and raw power to build a new life.


"Well, I guess the first thing we've got to do is to unload the raft, and then put up some sort of shelter for the night," says Father.
"Not the first thing," says Mother, and they all get on their knees to pray.

This is the movies' first great lesson: GRATITUDE.  Despite all they've been through, they are alive and safe and they have each other.

They have a rough first night, on the beach under a simple lean-to, in a rainstorm.  But the next day they waste no time in getting what supplies they can from the wreckage of the ship.  This is the second great lesson: RESOURCEFULNESS.

The men quickly start working on the house, which is built in a tree.  These are some of my favorite scenes in the movie, watching the men (with no shirts :) WORK TOGETHER to build their new home.

"You've probably never seen such a house as this is going to be," says Father.
"I'm sure of that," says Mother.

Mother kind of gets on my nerves here, thinking of New Guinea and getting worried that all this building means that they are going to be there for awhile.  And they can't light a signal fire because of the pirates.

"We can't just sit on the beach waiting for a ship to come by," says Father.

This is another great lesson, MAKE THE BEST OF THE SITUATION.  Even when Mother chews them out about how dangerous the house is, the men continue to work hard on the house.  by the time they bring her back, they have created an absolute dream home.  There's a kitchen with "all the latest innovations,"
                                                             including running water, a cooler, and a water wheel.  He takes her

       up to the living room, where there's a captains wheel that pulls up
       the stairs, and then up to their bedroom, which has a beautiful bed,                    
       even curtains.  Finally, Mother's stony heart is softened and she
       cries with gratitude, in awe of everything her men have done to
       make their house a home.

       The family settles nicely into their new life for awhile, riding ostriches,
       swimming in the lake by the waterfalls, swinging on vines.
     
Father muses, "Don't you sometimes feel that this is the kind of life we were meant to live on this earth?  Everything we need right here, right at our fingertips.  You know, if only people could have all this and be satisfied, I don't think there'd be any real problems in the world."

But Mother points out that they don't have everything, (like wives for her sons).  And this is the small incentive she needs to let the older sons, who have been anxious to explore their surroundings further, attempt to sail around the island- to SEE WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE.

It's funny to watch the way the brothers' relationship changes once they rescue Bertie, and discover she's actually a woman.  They go through some hairy adventures before finally making it home, the night the family is celebrating Christmas.  There are more adventures after that- pirates, the rescue, love.  In the end, everyone doesn't get what they first thought they wanted, but they all get what they really need.  Perhaps that is the greatest lesson of all.