GETTING THAT OLD SINKING FEELING

Island Pics’ “Robinson Crusoe” (Aidan Quinn plays Rob) has weathered more than shipwrecks on its journey to the editing room--including the near-death of director Caleb Deschanel.

The latest version of the Daniel Defoe survival classic began filming last December in the Seychelles Islands near Madagascar (interiors were done later in Yugoslavia). The picturesque, remote shoot incurred problems ranging from the logistics of shipping materials to a near-fatal accident involving cinematographer-turned-director Deschanel (“Black Stallion”).

Producer Andrew Braunsberg, contacted in London where the film is in post-production, said the island used for the filming provided all necessary locations within close proximity. But it could only be reached by boat, radically increasing shipping costs. And the wreck of Crusoe’s ship sank during filming. Worst of all, Deschanel stepped on a stone fish while filming an underwater sequence.

“Caleb’s accident could have been truly tragic,” said Braunsberg. “The stone fish have poison spikes and, while there’s an antidote, it wasn’t available. He became very ill and could not work for several weeks.”

Still, the film wound up costing about $6 million, less than $500,000 over the original budget, said Island president Russell Schwartz.

“Luckily,” said Schwartz, “the overrun had no effect on the film artistically. In a worst case scenario, the completion bond company (the people who guarantee that a film comes in on budget) could have come in and fired everyone and finished things cheaply to prevent cost overages.”