Josef Tura-2

(2012-04-28 22:31:50)

By far the best adaption

The care taken in this movie to remain true to the spirit and words ofRobert Louis Stevenson's novel is rare for the adaption of any novel. Ireadthat this was the director's favorite book as a child and his passion foritis immediately obvious to the audience.The characters are presented exactly as the novel describes them. Theinfamous Long John Silver is not simplified or turned into a hero butpresented as complex as Stevenson wrote him. A ruthless pirate, capable ofgreat generosity and Machivellian cruelty. Heston gives one of the bestperformances of his career and considering his past performances that issaying a great deal.Jim Hawkins is played to perfection by Christian Bale. The characters thatthey actors create actually seem capable of the actions that they take, arare trait in a film.It is too bad that this film was not released in theaters, I feel that itshould have been nominated for several academy awards for acting, directionand, without a doubt, best adapted screenplay. Anyone who believes thatgreat books can't be translated into films will be pleasantly surprised bythis anomaly.

ateelah

(2012-04-28 09:09:23)

My favorite version

I have to agree with everyone who has lauded this film as the bestadaptation of Stevenson's novel. "Treasure Island" has long been one ofmyfavorite books and this is the first version that comes closest to myvisionof the story. Fraser Heston obviously knew and loved this book, it'sevident in every frame. The costumes, the sets, the actors and the musicallcombine to create an unforgettable cinematic adventure. When I firstheardthat Charlton Heston was going to play Long John Silver, I was skeptical,but his performance was spot on. He was able to communicate the moralambiguity of Stevenson's character without making him comical. He comesacross as a man who is at once dangerous and compelling.Christian Bale was a great Jim Hawkins, coming closer to the way Ipicturedhim in the book than any actor previously. The scene on the ship whenIsrael Hands is chasing him up the rigging was exactly the way Ienvisionedit, with all the urgency and tension it required.Let me just take this opportunity to say that, while I wasn't familiarwithPete Postlethwaite before this film, his portrayal of George Merry reallymade me pay attention. All the supporting actors were perfect.ChristopherLee's Blind Pew is the stuff of nightmares and Oliver Reed as Billy Boneslooked closest to the way I had always envisioned him.The musical score by the Chieftains is one of the most perfect for any TVmovie I have ever seen, and better than many for big screen films. It'soneof the few scores I purchased on CD so that I could just listen to themusic.In spite of a few continuity errors, this film captured perfectly the lookand feel of Stevenson's tale. It's one film I never tire of watching andIhighly recommend it.

bryankendallm

(2012-04-22 19:16:20)

Excellent - Top Drawer

I have read the book many times and have every version of this classicavailable. I am a devotee of pirate history as well so I hope to speakwith some qualification.This is, without doubt, the finest, richest version of Treasure IslandI have ever seen. The director seems to capture the mood of the storyand the broad strokes are well directed making for a well told tale.But, the movie is marvelously rich in detail.The ensemble acting is .......with good chemistry. No one actor stepsout as a soloist ......as it should be. And the young man acts a ladshould.Why, why, oh, why is this not on DVD?

oscar-35

(2012-04-22 15:20:14)

A rather good updated version

*Spoiler/plot- 1990, A boy and his mother have a country inn on theocean cliffs. An old sailor moves into the inn and is dying. Hebefriends the son of the inn keeper with is stories of living on ships.One night a strange blind man arrives and marks the old sailor fordeath from a pirate brotherhood with the 'Black Spot'. During a cutlassfight, the boy finds a treasure map in the sea chest of the dyingsailor. He takes the map to the local authorities that know about itand set up a ship and crew to find the treasure. Once the ship,'Hispaniola' leaves the port with mostly a secret pirate crew aboard;they arrive at the Treasure Island. The crew takes over the ship andattacks the obedient crew members trying to get the treasure for them.A marooned sailor helps the obedient crew members to find and stow thehidden treasure aboard the ship to go back to England for justice.'Long' John Silver shows that he is an able conman, pirate, liar,double-crosser, and schemer through this whole treasure huntingexperience.*Special Stars- Charlton Heston. Dir: Frasier Heston*Theme- Men will look for treasure even if they suffer for it.*Based on- Robert Louise Stevenson's famous pirate novel*Trivia/location/goofs- TV series remake condensed into a feature film.The "Hispaniola" ship used for the film is actually the "Bounty" a shiporiginally built for the MGM classic film with Clark Gable and CharlesLaughten. The pirate dialog is a joy to hear and understand.*Emotion- A rather good updated version of the Stevenson pirate movieusing Mr. Heston's strong leading man charisma and acting talents. Thisfilm is a very nice example of Heston's later screen appearances andexcellent casting with an authentic West Country English accent andlanguage colloquialisms of the 17th century seamen. Well worth yourtime and very entertaining.

ers-11

(2012-04-12 18:59:59)

Treasure Island (1990 version_

If you hated watching Robert Newton and his ARRRRR, Matey! approach tothe role of Long John Silver, and you hated watching a brat (Bobby D)play Jim Hawkins, and you like to watch a movie about boats and shipsfeaturing actors who actually know something about sailing, this one'sfor you. It's the best version of Treasure Island ever filmed. Not onlyare you treated to a charismatic, cunning and completely amoral LongJohn, and a young man coming of age playing Jim, you get to hear anincredible soundtrack by the Chieftans! Wish I had a copy of thescore...The Chieftans build the perfect OST for this movie. You may not likeCharlton's politics, but who cares-- it's just a movie. I'm pretty surethe director is Heston's son, and he does a good job. From the openingmoments when Captain Billy Bones comes in to the harbor close hauled,you know you're seeing real sailors. No other film version even comesremotely close to this one. Check it out. A bit hard to find, but outthere.

cannyelshie

(2012-04-12 12:49:58)

I'm as silent as a grave!

Treasure Island! One of the best movies of all time. Ok, just one of myfavorites.Have watched it millions of times and don't get tired of it. My brotherworks withfishermen and tugboat fellas and they all love this movie. If theseafarin'folkslove it, well then, as a seafarin' tale goes it must be good, eh? Sort ofacult filmamongst 'em. Well, at least the sea farin' folks of Ballard and maybe itsjust thatthe damp has gotten into their brains.Speaking of Israel Hands sinking into the depths of the Carribean, tryrewindingit while it is playing to see him magically rise from the depths, do anexpert backflip and land on the crow's nest. It's really quite funny.Ok, so why the wierd "one line summary"? It is one of my favorite linesfrom themovie where Squire Trelawney (sp?) is swearing secrecy to the wholetreasureexpidition. We all know how well he kept it. But his face when he says itisquitecomical. "I'm as silent . . . as a grave!"Good job Christian Bale, you'll always be Jim Hawkins to us whether youlikeitor not. Billy Bo-nes, few can cough and die as disgustingly as you.If you like Treasure Island, watch "Yellow Beard". Sort of spoofs it in aMontyPython fashion.

ishmael-18

(2012-04-04 22:39:01)

I don't think it's so good

In the same way as Kevin Costner played Robin Hood in the movie withthe money, while Patrick Bergin did a far better job in the other Robinmovie of the same year (1991), and in the same way that Carrol Read'sOliver! (1968) was a film of Lionel Bart's musical (1960), itself atreatment of David Lean's film Oliver Twist (1948), this TreasureIsland fails to match up to the BBC version of 1977, which seems tohave inspired it.Imagine the scene; the Hestons viewing the 1977 tape, not a star to beseen, and Charlton lamenting his never yet having played the Sea Cook;surely Junior could write the script - and direct it, no point inletting someone else stick their oar in - and with Charlton's nameinvolved, surely they could get some real stars, and make a much bettermovie; after all, they'd have more money.And there's the first rub, Oliver Reed never quite gets beyond OliverReed (and who decided Billy Bones was a Scot?), Christopher Lee is ashade gratuitous as Pew (did we have to be shown the true horror behindthe mask?), and Julian Glover (Livesey), so accomplished as a villain,is a little too much like a villain with nothing bad to do today, thana truly good man. There's lots of star quality, but not much depth.As to the script, it's not bad, though the BBC influence is definitelythere, the trouble is that while the BBC adaptor, John Lucarotti had afine grasp of RLS's pirate idiom, Fraser Heston hasn't.It's forgivable for an American writing UK English to make the mistake,but 'Bugger', Bloody Hell' and 'Bastard' were not common C18 nauticalcurses, and 'Blighter' is definitely Victorian; Heston's pirates slipinto 1940s far too often, and it jars. (And Trelawney habituallydrinking tea; where did that come from? Is it just to underline thatthis story happens in England not America?) Having said all that, Christian Bale is extremely good as Jim, andHeston's Silver is all it should be (the pity is that we just don't seeenough of him), Michael Halsey is splendidly nasty as Israel, StephenMackintosh does a highly effective cameo as Dick, and John Benfield isa really scary and violent Black Dog.It's not a bad film by any means, just not nearly as good as it shouldhave been.

Jason Brown

(2012-04-04 13:43:45)

Best Treasure Island EVER

This wonderful new adaptation of Treasure Island is clearly the best ever.Truly remarkable performances and great action make this film a MUST SEE.Charlton Heston and Juilian Glover truly carry the cast. This easily gets onmy top 10 list!*****/*****5 / 5

Steve

(2012-03-28 07:38:58)

Treasure Island is itself a treasure

This version of the classic Treasure Island novel is without a doubt aclassic. It is not only the best film based on the Stevenson classic,but it is also the best pirate film ever. What makes it good enough tobe given such honors? Listed below from order of most important toleast important are some of the reasons. 1. I would say the most important factor would be this: the piratessounded and looked like real pirates. In a pirate movie, this is themost crucial piece in making the movie worthwhile. If the pirates arenot believable, then the movie really seems cheesy and unrealistic.Seriously- take a second to think this to yourself: "What is apirate?". There is nothing romantic about them. A pirate is nothingmore than a rogue on a ship who has turned to a life of crime andmurders and loots and spends all day on a ship surrounded by othercrude, dirty, vulgar ruffians. It stands to follow then, that theywould be dirty, unsightly, muscular, coarse people with ruff voices.This movie did the best job of any pirate movie in portraying them asjust that. 2. This movie also had amazing actors. With a cast thatincludes Charlton Heston, Christian Bale, Oliver Reed, and ChristopherLee, how could the acting not be superb? All the actors, whether in asupporting role or a leading role, were amazing. 3. The script writersnailed the attitudes of all the characters perfectly. When you heardCaptain Smollet you could easily find yourself believing that you werehearing a captain from the olden days speaking to you. 4. The props andcostumes were excellent. While I was terribly disappointed by manyversions of Treasure Island for their bad costumes, this had perfectcostumes. 5. The musical score was absolutely incredible. The music(performed by The Chieftains) was not only beautiful, but it fit themood of every scene perfectly. I would say more, but then I'd need to add a spoiler alert, and since Idon't want to do that I'll content myself with giving only that smallamount of praise.

daria84

(2012-03-27 13:20:52)

An awesome book turned into a great movie!

I remember the first time I saw this movie, it was on TV a long timeago, I didn't even know what it was about but started seeing it and Itotally loved it.Well I guess most of you are familiar with this book, but anyhow, thestory is about pirates! aaargh! The map of a treasure that falls in thehands of a boy, handed by an old pirate. Anyways the boy then gets afew people to go get the treasure. But the adventure starts when theysail to seek for the treasure and find out that most of the ship's creware not willing to share the treasure and have a dark past.This movie is great, I had no idea Christian Bale played Jim Hawkings,i just saw it right now. He was great, not as great as he is now, buthe's good in this movie. Charlton Heston is awesome as Long JohnSilver, the coolest pirate ever. All the others actors are good, andthe dialogues are fun, pirate's dialogues.I love adventures, I thought this movie was excellent. If you feel likewatching a fun adventure involving pirates and treasures, this moviewill do! ***** out of *****.

blackhawk66

(2012-03-20 04:33:29)

Vote for a DVD release at TCM

More superlatives from me are not necessary. I will only say that Iagree with the other commenters who consider this the best version ofTreasure Island made so far. What would make a difference is for it tobe released on DVD. If you would like to see this version of TreasureIsland released on DVD, as I do, then please go to this link:http://tcmdb.com/title/title.jsp?scarlettTitleId=14882 and vote for it (on the right hand side of the screen).If the link does not work or you don't care to use it, then do a Googlesearch for Turner Classic Movies, then search on the site for TreasureIsland (1990). Maybe if enough people vote for it, it will actually bereleased on DVD. It can't hurt.

eringobragh-1

(2012-03-19 08:42:15)

Beyond any shadow of a doubt, the single greatest adaptation available!

I read the book about 20 times a week as a kid. I saw every adaptationfor the screen. Disney's was crap! Muppet was a joke. Every animatedversion was dumbed down. Only this one was faithful to the book. Evenbetter, the actors were perfectly cast across the board. Each and everypirate was terrifying. Each and every good guy seemed nice enough untilthe fights started, at which they were badass!This movie made me investigate the actors and I was so disappointedthat they were all so wonderful in this, but they never had any betterroles afterwards.All actors were great, but the standouts were Julian Glover as Dr.Livesey, Richard Johnson as Squire Trelawney, Clive Wood as Capt.Smollet, and Nicholas Amer as Ben Gunn. Christian Bale, CharltonHeston, and Christopher Lee were fantastic and perfectly cast(surprise, surprise!)For any kid, whether an actual kid or a kid at heart, let them watchthis, rather than every other one (they are, to a one, crappy).

wboldys

(2012-03-17 16:24:26)

The best yet

This is probably by far the best adaptation of R. L. Stevenson's novelyet.It is the one most loyal to his book, it has beautiful scenery, and superbacting. No wonder it was made for TV. There is violence and there somefightscences in this movie too but that's okay I guess. It could have been alotworse. I have seen the other two versions of Treasure Island. They werepretty good but they don't come close to this one. This movie is perfectforshowing in school if you have read the book. See it now!

h-l-workman

(2012-03-17 06:22:38)

A wonderful adaptation that should be on DVD

This is easily and by far the best film version of Treasure Island evercreated (I think I've seen them all since Treasure Island is one of myfavourite books). Even being, as I am, critical of movies based onbooks, especially historical books, I can't find any fault with it. Thehistorical accuracy is spot on, the sets are wonderful, the fact thatit was filmed on location perfect, the use of an actual ship showing adie-hard loyalty to the book, the cast is excellent, the costuminggreat, and equally important to all of this, the soundtrack isriveting! I've long been a fan of the Chieftains and this film helpedto further raise my respect for them. The scene in which Jim is pittedagainst Israel Hands would be nothing without that wild tapping as Jimruns up the rigging! One of the things I particularly love is howrealistic the fight scenes are. Things are slowed down by there-loading of the guns or complicated by the powder getting wet. Andthe film doesn't have the silly dancing about with rapiers thatprevious film versions of the book have, but furious slashes with heavycutlasses and vicious, ungentlemanly kicking. The fight between BillyBones and Black Dog is hilariously clumsy, but in a terrifyinglife-like way. I simply cannot say enough good things about this film.There is only one question that I have: WHERE IS THE DVD VERSION!!???

TheLittleSongbird

(2012-03-12 21:10:20)

For those who say this is the best version of Treasure Island...I agree!

I have always loved Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, it issuch a great story and a real page-turner. Of the four versions I'veseen so far- this, 1950, the Muppet film and the recent one aired overthe Christmas break- I do agree with those that say this is the bestone.The wonderful story is still as compelling as before, throughout hereit is well paced and interesting. The dialogue is witty and complex aswell as maintaining the basic feel of the book's prose. Add to thatassured direction, authentic locations that are rich in atmosphere,sumptuous costuming and photography, energetic action sequences and amusic score that is both rousing and with a Celtic lilt and you have atreasure. But you cannot mention the cast mentioning this TreasureIsland. To me at least three cast members are definitive, they areCharlton Heston as Long John Silver, Christian Bale as Jim Hawkins andNicolas Amer as Ben Gunn.Heston is perfectly cast in a role he was born to play, hisinterpretation is charismatic and complex being both menacing andhuman, and it is easily one of my favourite performances of his.Likewise with Bale, whose appealing, never overly-sentimental andeasy-to-identify-with Jim Hawkins has only been surpassed I feel by hisperformances in American Psycho and Empire of the Sun. Amer's Ben Gunnis both amusing and poignant, a perfect balance and the onlyperformance of the character so far I've seen to have that perfectbalance.That's not all. We also have Richard Johnson's generous Squire Trelawnyand Julian Glover's gutsy Dr Livesey, as well the most vivid and mostdangerous Billy Bones in Oliver Reed, a genuinely scary Blind Pew inChristopher Lee, an excellent Clive Wood as Captain Smollet andstandout turns from Pete Postlethwaite, Isla Blair and Michael Halsey.Overall, a fantastic version, both as an adaptation and on its ownterms with a wonderful cast especially. 10/10 Bethany Cox

helpless_dancer

(2012-03-12 13:43:38)

Ye olde Jolly Roger flies again

In many ways this was a slicker version than the 1950 film; the acting andmany of the props and settings were superior. Given all this I stillpreferthe old picture: it had a grittier feel to it, more like a crusty oldbuckaneer. I especially appreciated the big ship in the earlier version:this one was simply too clean and tidy. The 2 movies followed closely toeach other, even to using a bit of the same dialogue. Heston gave a niceperformance as the rogue Silver but couldn't surpass that done by RobertNewton 40 years earlier.

(2012-03-07 11:44:25)

Rousing Adaptation Follows Novel Closely

This version of Stevenson's masterpiece is probably the one that mostclosely follows the novel.It appears that they must have had a copyalongside when they were writing the script.Oh,we can certainly havecriticisms,of inaccuracies,and diversions,but they're so small.Bale is someflat as Jim Hawkins,and he does appear a little dull-witted(which is NOT thesame as being stupid)but what of it.He's the closest in age of anyinterpreter.I've heard people complain of Heston being cast against type asSilver,stating that he's not doing a hero.Nonsense!Silver happens to be anevil hero!Wood's Smollet is a little too young for the character,and Halseyand Coyle are both much too young for theirs(Hands and Morgan are describedas rather elderly pirates)but what of it?They do a fine job.The fight at thestockade is much more elaborate than was described in the book,but can wehave a Heston film that doesn't have an epic battle?Besides,it's so muchfun.And Silver's escape is not as described in the novel,but it's sooriginal,and so much in character,that we have to cheer the old blackguardin his resourcefulness.Get the video,stock up lots of beverages,make lots ofpopcorn,and settle back for a rousing,rollicking good time.

boll-weavil

(2012-03-06 17:28:07)

BestVersion

Most of the comments expressed so far have correctly pointed out thisversion as the best and, unlike someone's reference to George C Scott'sScrooge, it does actually come directly from the book and not fromyears of ingrained television adaptations.The reason it is so good isbecause it echoes correctly the strata of fear that the book is basedon. As a child, Jim Hawkins is scared of everyone from the physicallyhideous Blind Pugh to the men of bloodthirsty reputation - Israel Handsand Blind Pugh and that fear is shown by the pirates in their reverencefor Captain Flint and of course, Long John, who commands by reputationalone.In preserving this intact, the whole book and thus, the film, isbelievable.I know people question some of the language (incorrectly inmy view as all those words were spoken by landsmen not natural sailorsand were very much in use in that time - the word 'bugger' for example,appears in the diaries of Pepy's hundreds of years earlier).Its easy tosay that the film draws influence from early versions but that'sinevitable. The Chieftans soundtrack and a very fine cast make it farsuperior and much more believable. As someone said earlier, you need aproper Silver who can both turn on the charm to convince a young ladbut also control a band of cutthroats and Heston achieves that superblywell. You can see clearly how easily intimidated the pirates arebecause they are uneducated and that's obvious from the exchangesbetween them and Long John. Postlethwaite is brilliant in these andtotally convincing ! Finally, I think someone mentioned a continuityproblem earlier.Although having run off, Jim does see a pirate killed,this is only after he has jumped off the jolly boat and run inland.Thetwo aren't connected.He does that for devilment I think and there areother examples of his reckless behaviour elsewhere in the book. What agreat story though - the triumph of the stereotypical English gentlemenover the bloodthirsty pirates.I think we all agree on here, thisinterpretation is spot on !

Jackson Booth-Millard

(2012-03-06 01:18:38)

Treasure Island

I have heard of many versions of this famous book by Robert LouisStevenson turned into a film, the only other one I have seen is theMuppet version. But this only other version I have seen is actuallypretty good for action, adventure and actors playing memorablecharacters. I think you know the story, but I'll explain it anyway. JimHawkins (young Christian Bale) finds a treasure map and he gets thehelp of Dr. Livesey (Julian Glover), Squire Trelawney (Richard Johnson,and of course, Captain Smollet (Clive Wood) to take them to the islandof treasure. Only the one problem is that one member wants the treasurefor himself, one leg short Long John Silver (Charlton Heston). Alsostarring Oliver Reed as Captain Billy Bones, Christopher Lee as BlindPew and Pete Postlethwaite as George Merry. Good!

BadWebDiver

(2012-03-05 21:16:29)

Brilliant dramatization of a classic novel

This is one of the best adaptations of a classic novel, which I rank as onpar with the Disney version. Christian Bale and Charlton Heston are wellcast as Jim and Long John Silver respectively, and the the whole cast workto make a truly magnificent production. The production design and otheraspects also work wonderfully.There is one particular scene I would like to comment on. It's the one justafter the ship arrives at the island, and Jim and Long John are ashore. Jimis hidden in the undergrowth, and sees Long John trying to persuade anhonest sailor to join the pirates. The sailor refuses, so Long John knockshim out with his crutch and then stabs him in the back - literally. It's avery powerful scene from the original story, and one which most versionsomit (understandably). But I think it a) fully explains why Jim dashes offmadly into the interior and stumbles onto Ben Gunn; and b) reveals LongJohn's true personality and establishes him as a serious villainous threat. He may be able to butter people up and talk nice, but when push comes toshove he will kill you if you stand in his way. I think this productiondeserves wide commendation for keeping the scene in. It just one aspect ofa truly intelligently entertaining story. Top notch example of brilliantclassic storytelling; along with the Disney version of this story, THEADVENTURES OF HUCK FINN (1993) - also Disney, and David Lean's OLIVERTWIST.