Treasure Island [1950]

Amazon.co.uk Review

Strap on your pantaloons and prepare to travel with Jim Hawkins and Blind Pew to one of the most famous fictional islands in history, Treasure Island. Walt Disney's 1950 adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's swashbuckling masterpiece has held up extremely well, with action and characterisations that feel freshly minted (although it's unlikely that the Mouse of today would sanction the high level of booze flowing throughout the picture). Great fun, with nary a wasted frame and, in the character of Robert Newton's much-imitated Long John, one of cinema's most boisterously crowd-pleasing villains ever. (Proving that you can't keep a good--er, bad man down, Newton would return with director Byron Haskins for the enjoyable sequel, Long John Silver.) Watching this classic is like having a flashback to some perfect Technicolor childhood. --Andrew Wright

Customer Reviews:

Long John Newton.......2006-07-27

There'll never be another. Robert Newton reigns supreme as Long John Silver in this terrific adaptation of Stevenson's great story. The tale is so good, and so well told, that when reading it you can almost hear the dialogue in your mind's ear. But this film version does the original proud. All the characterisations are superbly played by the actors, the settings are great, and the action is well-paced, dramatic and touching. Crazy old Ben Gunn has never been improved upon, either. Eat your hearts out, Pirates of the Caribbean!

Interesting and captivating.......2005-11-22

When Captain Billy Bones (played by Finlay Currie) give young Jim Hawkins (Bobby Driscoll) a pirate's treasure map, he sets him off on the trail of adventure. When Long John Silver (Robert Newton) gets wind of what's going down, he positions himself to be ship's cook, and fills the boat with his pirate friends. Befriending Jim, Silver plots to get the gold for himself. But someone will prove quite capable of foiling Silver's plans - young Jim Himself! [Color, released in 1950, with a running time of 1:36.]

This is a great movie, one that is surprisingly good in spite of its age. Indeed, for me this will always be the very touchstone of Treasure Island movies. Robert Newton does an excellent job of portraying Long John Silver, and to this day, whenever I imagine a pirate talking, I hear his voice and accent. Now, don't take this movie too lightly. Even though it was created by Disney Studios, it has a lot of gunplay, blood, men hit with swords, and just the sort of violence you would associate with pirates.

But, don't get me wrong, this is not a modern blood-and-gore movie; it's an interesting and captivating movie that you will want to watch with your whole family. My family loves this movie just as much as I do, and highly recommends it to your family!

Treasure Island / Classic Adventure.......2003-11-22

This is the treasure island that everyone remembers,and is the vehicle for the great Robert Newton as Long John Silver.There have been several versions but this is undoubtly the best ,true to the story and the first shot in technicolor,it imparts a real sense of adventure to the viewer ,and more particularly to anyone who has read the story by Robert Louis Stevenson It,s a Classic must and suitable for all ages

Incomplete, inconsistent and misleading version!.......2003-10-01

The only thing in this movie that relates to the book or the other movie versions is the Title.
Half of the characters are missing. Much of the dialog is missing. The whole point of the story is missing.
In an attempt to be cutesy Byron Haskin lost the mystery and the morals of Treasure Island. You definitely do not want to spend any money on this version (Bobby Driscoll)
A better choice is Treasure Island (1990) with Charles Heston

All Aboard With Long John Silver.......2003-08-29

Jim Hawkins is a tavern owner's son who acquires a map showing the location of buried treasure. He shows it to an adventurous squire who recognizes its value and outfits the good ship Hispaniola to set off in search of the prize. The squire hires Jim as a cabin boy and persuades his own physician to join the crew as ship's doctor. The gullible squire's first big mistake is to sign up a rascal named Long John Silver as ship's cook. His second mistake is to allow Silver a chance to recruit some of his old shipmates from his pirate days as members of the Hispaniola's crew.

TREASURE ISLAND is an excellent movie with plenty of realistic action and convincing settings. Robert Newton is brilliant as Long John Silver and Bobby Driscoll shines as young Jim Hawkins. A strong supporting cast includes Basil Sydney, Denis O'Dea, Ralph Truman, Walter Fitzgerald, Finlay Currie and Geoffrey Wilkinson.