Treasure Island
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Movie Reviews of Treasure Island
Movie Review: Classic Adventure (With Pirates-- ARG!)
Summary: 4 Stars
Treasure Island is one of the several films that the dream team of Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper made together. This one seems to illustrate their relationship off-screen much better than others in the past. Cooper plays the main character, a boy who works in his father's tavern. His life is changed when one day, a sailor called Captain walks in (Lionel Barrymore). His appearance sets off a series of events leading to pirates entering the area, leader of all being Long John Silver (Beery). They come to seek the treasure indicatd on a treasure map the Captain leaves at the tavern when he dies suddenly. However, the map is in the hands of loyal British subjects under the orders of an honest man (Lewis Stone), so the pirates have to resort to trickery to get their way.
What is disturbing about the movie is how evil one man can be to a boy who looks up to him as a friend and as a father-figure. One can only imagine that this was the way Beery really treated Cooper in life, especially from hearing Cooper tell how much he hated his constant co-star. This information makes the film all the more powerful and heartbreaking at times. Otherwise, it is a wonderful adventure story, something that never goes out of style.
Also included on the DVD is the trailer for the film and a few short subjects including an early color short.
Movie Review: Great, yet flawed...
Summary: 4 Stars
This 1935 version of Treasure Island has all the hallmarks of a cinema classic and yet is somehow not terribly engaging. The only aspect I can identify that stopped me from enjoying it to the fullest was the casting of Jackie Cooper as Jim Hawkins. His performance is stiff and quite two-dimensional. In later life the guy himself admitted that he really wasn't a very good child actor. Wallace Beery however is so incredibly effective in his role of Long John Silver that he redeems the film and makes it worth watching.
The picture and sound quality of this release are as superb as we have all come to expect from Warner Home Video releases of films of this age.
Movie Review: Treasure Island
Summary: 4 Stars
Great Stuff for Adults who love the classics. Wallis Berry and Jackie Cooper do a great job of providing swashbuckeling entertainment. My 5 and 7 year old found it somewhat "boring" after seeing Pirates of the Caribbean more than a few times - although, my 7 year old has requested seeing it again and enjoyed it more the second time. You might have to turn up the sound on this copy as some of the old english may be hard to follow. Otherwise a very good buy. Enjoy!Movie Review: Treasure Island a classic
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a true classic sea adventure. This 1934 movie defines the words "Treasure Island". I really enjoyed Wallace Beery as Long John Silver.Movie Review: Good enough for the time...
Summary: 3 Stars
I collect film versions of Treasure Island, and from that perspective, this was a good buy. A very early version that shows the first appearances of various plot changes that have been copied by later films. (i.e., Long John giving Jim his parrot, Jim helping Long John escape at the end, etc)
From an "viewing pleasure" perspective, this version included one of the worst characterizations of Jim Hawkins I've ever seen, and I've seen quite a few. In a (poor) attempt I believe to act like Shirley Temple, Jim pouts, whines and cries through the entire movie, with extremely juvenile lines. Even the defiant speech he gives to the pirates after being captured sounds whiny and childish. He is also far less intelligent than Jim was in the book or in other film versions, believing even the most obvious of the pirates' lies.
Speaking of that, Long John was also less charismatic and intelligent than I expected. The pirates got away with their scheming as far as they did more due to the stupidity of the "gentry" than because of any cunning on Long John's part, and Long John seems more like just an average poor sailor than the intelligent, cunning Long John most people are used to.
Most of the other roles were very well played, Ben Gunn and the squire in particular were excellent, but their characters were rather dim to begin with. Overall, the film was reasonably true to the book, and interesting from a historical perspective, but bogged down by the general low IQ level of the characters. If you're looking for a film that's accurate to the book and actually fun and exciting to watch, I suggest the Bale/Heston version.