Buy Treasure Island Movie. Watch online or Download
Genres: Advent
Starring: Christian Bale, Charlton Heston, Pete Postlethwaite, Christopher Lee, James Cosmo, John Abbott, Julian Glover
Director(s): Fraser Clarke Heston
Available Quality: Hi Def
Country: USA, UK
Year: 1990
Available Quality: DivX, Hi Def, Hi Def
IMDB Rating: 7.2 out of 10 (1846 votes)
Young Jim Hawkins, while running the Benbow Inn with his mother, meets Captain Billy Bones, who dies at the inn while it is beseiged by buccaneers led by Blind Pew. Jim and his mother fight off the attackers and discover Billy Bones treasure map for which the buccaneers had come. Jim agrees to sail on the S.S. Espaniola with Squire Trelawney and Dr. Livesey to find the treasure on a mysterious isiand. Upon arriving at the island, ships cook and scaliwag Long John Silver leads a mutiny of crew members who want the treasure for themselves. Jim helps the Squire and Espaniola officers to survive the mutiny and fight back against Silvers men, who have taken over the Espaniola.
 |
Treasure Island (Hi Def) | Resolution: 1920x1036 px | Total Size: 8790 Mb |
|
|
 |
Treasure Island (Hi Def) | Resolution: 1280x720 px | Total Size: 1401 Mb |
|
|
 |
1 | Treasure Island (DivX) | Resolution: 624x352 px | Total Size: 700 Mb |
|
|
|
2 | Treasure Island (DivX) | Resolution: 624x352 px | Total Size: 700 Mb |
|
Movie Photos:
We have taken some photos of "Treasure Island". They represent actual movie quality.
Visitors Review
Hardwicke Benthow (16 June 2013)
Good old-fashioned storytellling
About a month ago, Robert Newton was Long John Silver to me. I thoughtyou just can't beat his portrayal, no way, no how. That was until I sawCharlton Heston in the 1990 version. He nailed it. It's one of thoseperformances of a literary character that is so good it's as if thecharacter walked off the page. I'm, talking about Jeremy Brett-SherlockHolmes, Hugh Laurie-Bertie Wooster, David Suchet-Hercule Poirotperfection here.Christopher Lee was perfect as Blind Pew, and used a surprising voice.I say surprising, because we all know what his voice sounds like. Deep,booming, and sophisticated. Well, as Blind Pew, his voice ishigh-pitched, and for lack of a better term "wretched-sounding", whichfor this character, is a good thing.The rest of the actors were all perfect as well, including ChristianBale as Jim Hawkins and Oliver Reed as Billy Bones. But it CharltonHeston who steals the show. His Long John Silver is gritty andfrightening, yet somehow we can't help but feel a little pity for him.Every second he is on screen, you feel like you are watching a realpirate. As much as I like Robert Newton, Jack Sparrow, etc, Heston'sLong John Silver is the real deal.The cinematography is excellent. It's colorful, and the exoticlocations are captured very well. There's no shaky-cam, no unneededcamera movements, no fancy stuff, just good old-fashionedcinematography.The music is performed by a band known as "The Chieftans". Although itis only a band, not a large orchestra, their Scottish-flavored musicfitted the atmosphere well, and occasionally was quite rousing in aswashbuckling sort of way.The plot, atmosphere, and characters are very faithful to the book, theeffect could be described as "deja-vu".Overall, this is a movie that doesn't try to be groundbreaking or pushlimits. It doesn't try to be modern, hip, or cool. It just tells a goodstory, and tells it well.10/10
Jason Brown (16 June 2013)
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
GulyJimson (11 June 2013)
Shiver-me-timbers, this is the best version of the Stevenson classic!
Shiver-me-timbers, this is the best version of the Robert LouisStevenson classic! In fact it is a model of cinematic adaptation.Closely following the book, with whole scenes and dialogue takenstraight from its pages, the film never bogs down into the kind ofstuffy lifelessness that sometimes afflicts adaptations attempting tobe faithful to their literary source. Indeed Frazier Heston'sscreenplay and direction capture the brisk, page turning pleasure ofthe book nicely. Add to his sure direction, wonderful locations, apicture-perfect cast and a rousing music score by the Chieftains andyou have one of the best pirate movies ever made. And for once theyreally are pirates and not watered down, sentimentalized versions ofthem. They're cut-throats all, a scurvy lot of thieves, superstitiousand dirty. You can just smell their stench under the hot tropic sun andlush vegetation of Skeleton Island. Oliver Reed as Billy Bones gets the movie going smartly. We first seehim with his granite visage at the head of the skiff, an old sea doghome from the sea. With his great hulk and whiskey whisper purr heexudes danger from every rum soaked pore of his being. Of course hisold shipmates, the remnants of the crew of the now dead Captain Flint,are pursuing him. Christopher Lee, almost completely unrecognizable, isBlind Pew, a spectral, skeletal figure of death, whose fury, fueled byblindness is like some great ravaging bird of prey. He is wonderful andlike Reed he creates a vivid, memorable characterization. A youngChristian Bale is the definitive Jim Hawkins. He narrates theproceedings and is at turns appealing, capable and wily. He is a boy onthe verge of young manhood who is about to have his mettle tested withthe adventure of a lifetime. There is not a trace of the Jackie Coopermawkishness about him. Richard Johnson as Squire Trelawney, JulianGlover as Dr. Livesey, and Clive Wood as Captain Smollet are allperfect in their roles. They beautifully capture the essence of quietcourage. Heroes without phony heroics, they are solid men of charactersure of themselves and quite capable of dealing with Silver and hisscurvy crew.This brings us to Charlton Heston as Long John Silver. Ultimately forany version of this work to succeed it rests on the shoulder of theactor portraying the Sea Cook. Happy to say, Heston gives one of thebest performances of his long career. Turning his stalwart, forthrightscreen persona on its head, he creates a monster that is complex,charismatic, and bloodthirsty. There is no Wallace Beery, Robert Newtonsentimentality here. This is a natural leader of men who can dazzlewith his bigger than life personality and tales of treasure, and thenext moment plunge his cutlass into the bowels of his victim withouteven missing a beat. Never has he used his toothy smile to bettereffect. It is the smile of a vicious carnivore-a shark. On a lighternote Nicholas Amer brings the right balance of levity and pathos as BenGunn, the poor maroon. He is amusing without becoming a caricature, andhis scene with Jim when describes his yearning for a piece of toastedcheese is wonderful. Both Pete Postlewaite as George Merry and MichaelHalsey as Israel Hands are perfectly nasty. Finally the music score by the Chieftains is superb. It captures byturns the lilting Celtic love of the sea, the grace and sweep of agreat sailing ship setting out for adventure and the exotic dangers ofburied treasure, pirates, flashing cutlasses, and midnight rendezvouson a far away island in the balmy tropics. Avast, me hearties, this isa film to treasure!
cannyelshie (10 June 2013)
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.
ewilgus (30 May 2013)
Captures the book !
I am a life-long fan of the book. This film captures wonderfully thebook's spirit (Adventure!). Prior to this film, I had always dislikedCharlton Heston for his pompous saintliness. In this film, however, asa villain, he is a WONDERFUL villain - refreshingly non-stereotypical,and a good translator of the author's ambiguous character (the amoralship's cook). And Israel Hands, the quintessential pirate-up-the-mast,with his, " Ahhh, Jim, you didn't keep your powder dry!" lends a greatflavor to the translation. Mr. Bale, as the hero, has good substance,though older than the original character. After thinking about thisfilm for years - both my thumbs up.
Adams Douglas (30 May 2013)
Great Movie, Great Score!
I just want to add a mention about the terrific score created for thisexcellent film by The Chieftains. They've created a sense of period usingtheir classic instruments while adding an orchestral score which trulyembodies the spirit of swashbuckling adventure.
TheLittleSongbird (30 May 2013)
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
boll-weavil (29 May 2013)
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 !
dragonteacher (28 May 2013)
The best-yet film adaptation of Treasure Island
The Christian Bale-Charlton Heston Treasure Island is considered by mostcritics (and this viewer) as the best film adaptation of the classic novel.Bale does a fantastic job (as always) as the young ship's boy who getsinvolved with Long John Silver (Heston). The pirates are mean, the goodguyswin, and even Long John Silver has a streak of honor after all. The PERFECTfamily adventure film, and a great literary film for teachers to show aclass. ALL ages will love the story.
wboldys (28 May 2013)
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!
rrichr (19 May 2013)
The current benchmark
In Fraser Heston's production of Robert Louis Stevenson's masterpiece, anobvious labor of love by all involved, the classic tale sidesteps anotherexcessively kid-friendly incarnation to live and breathe as Stevensonmeantit to. Although its made-for-TV scale pokes through now and then, it doessoonly momentarily in each case. These little blinks aside, this heartfeltreading of the classic adventure is a worthy piece of work. It's stillfamily-safe but this time there's real menace interwoven with the book'smore genteel sensibilities.How a film begins is often crucial and this `Treasure Island' begins sobeautifully, and correctly. A mournful pennywhistle solo ushers in anopening credit sequence that could have been filmed by the painter N.C.Wyeth, whose vision infuses many of the film's frames. I replay thissequence several times whenever I screen this film because it is soevocative. It also perfectly sets the tone for the entire movie;beautifullydone. But if they had just held the rousing, though excellent, music backabit longer and let the sequence walk through on its own legs, it wouldhavebeen one of the most perfect opening sequences ever filmed.Charlton Heston as Long John Silver? Don't laugh. His now-familiar voiceoccasionally surfaces through his 18th century pirate patois, but neverdetracts. Heston's portrayal is completely effective and is handled withrestraint and relish, a fact that is evident the moment his Silver firstappears. Silver emerges from the back room of his waterfront Bristol grogshop to confront Christian Bale's uneasy Jim Hawkins who, having walkedintoSilver's lair, is realizing that he may, quite possibly, not be walkingout.Assessing Hawkins through a world-weary expression that has seen it allseveral times, Silver weighs his options: hear the boy out or drag himintothe kitchen and slice him into the salt pork stew, at least.Heston's Silver is no buffoon. Instead, he is a dangerous man, not unlikethe Deke Thornton character in Sam Peckinpah's `The Wild Bunch'; anintelligent person who is forced to endure, and make use of, the humandregsof his time, the best of whom can hold only a dim candle to him. Cunning,quietly remorseless, always several moves ahead of everyone in sight, yetpatient in the face of relentless idiocy, this Silver is also a man whosesoul has not been completely flogged out of him, by circumstance or thewhip. His sincere respect for the innocent courage of Jim Hawkins givesthis`Treasure Island' much of its humanity. If you don't feel a pang asHeston'sLong John gazes chagrined at the loot, which, for the lack of morefar-sighted colleagues, would have been his, you may have the proverbialhole in your soul. `Ah bucko', says Silver to Jim Hawkins near the film'send, after Jim rebuffs Silver's last gentle attempt to manipulate him,`whata pair we would have made'. Oh yeah, absolutely.All of the book's heroes are portrayed with heartfelt competence; theblustering Squire Trelawney (Richard Johnson), the tack-sharp,impeccably-mannered Doctor Livesey (Julian Glover), the unflinchingCaptainSmollet (Clive Wood), and Jim Hawkins' arch-boy (Christian Bale in hismid-teens, filled out a bit post `Empire of the Sun', bearing noresemblanceto his homicidal yuppie in `American Psycho'). Arrayed against them arethescurviest sea dogs who ever weighed anchor, complete with terrifying teethand fierce, implied body odor: Oliver Reed's tragic Billy Bones,ChristopherLee's festering Blind Pew, Israel Hands (what a great name), Silver'smurderous, cobra-like shipmate, (Michael Halsey), who provides a taste ofwhat Silver himself may have been like in his younger days, and a mostconvincing Ben Gunn (Nicholas Amer). Peter Postlethwaite, the super-coolbig-game hunter in the first sequel to `Jurassic Park', plays thebewilderedGeorge Merry, a man who should always flee from even the slightestambition;someone who makes you happy to still be you, even if your 401K was ridingentirely on Enron.When the time comes for action, it's delivered with conviction. Early on,the tense, hateful confrontation in the Admiral Benbow inn, between therum-soaked Billy Bones and his scary former shipmate, Black Dog (JohnBenfield), is beautifully rendered, as is the berserk fight at the islandstockade later in the film. To its great credit, the film never tries tobefunny, or even light-hearted. It simply forges ahead, telling Stevenson'sgreat story. But near the end comes a scene in which Squire Trelawneyconfronts Silver, whose schemes are now hopelessly foiled, and attempts tocall the old pirate to account. What briefly transpires is the film's onlyreal yuk, but it's a peach.It's easy to over-romanticize the period in which `Treasure Island' isset;swashbuckling as it may now seem, it was a time before widespread bathing(the future George III's German fiancé had to be told to please take abathafter arriving in England), flush toilets, anesthesia, toothpaste, germtheory, and any notion of social justice. But it was also a time whenunbroken forests still covered most of North America, when Pittsburgh wasjust a rough-hewn, barely defensible French fort in the midst of atracklesswilderness (near the present site of the Pirates baseball stadium;Pirates?,hmmm), a time when, given the courage, adventurous spirits still had realroom to move. The slate was still largely clean. Many irreversiblemistakeshad yet to be made. Anyone with a taste for history and, perhaps, adiscernible distaste for certain aspects of our own `advanced' age willrelate well to this forthright `Treasure Island'. If you've appreciatedCharlton Heston as a movie star, you'll appreciate him even more as anactor. This `Treasure Island' is probably the best that will ever be made.Amore `updated' version could certainly be produced; one that spurts moreblood and exchanges more bodily fluids, with much of the book's periodstyleand manner stripped out, but it would no longer be Stevenson, justHollywood.
Josef Tura-2 (19 May 2013)
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.
ishmael-18 (16 May 2013)
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.
BadWebDiver (15 May 2013)
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.
Steve (10 May 2013)
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.
gfender (09 May 2013)
Very good movie for all ages and great performance by Heston
Although this was a made for TV movie, Ted Turner wanted, and got, agreat movie from an old story that has been shot on the screen manytimes. But none, in my opinion, as good as this.Charelton Heston's performance was magnificent. Had the movie beenproduced for theatrical release, I believe that Heston would havegotten nominated for yet another Academy award, as probably would havethe cinematography as well. I highly recommend this movie for a delightful evening that the wholefamily can and will enjoy. Go ahead, pop some popcorn and find out. Andfor you true Charleton Heston fans, I'd also recommend another obscuretitle, "Mother Load."
h-l-workman (07 May 2013)
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!!???
Jackson Booth-Millard (07 May 2013)
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!
poe426 (03 May 2013)
Superb...
Along with George C. Scott's performance as Scrooge in A CHRISTMAS CAROL,Charlton Heston's performance as Long John Silver will go down as one of thehighlights of 20th century television. In an utterly amazing turn, Hestonmetamorphosizes chameleon-like into one of literature's most enduringvillains. This is the kind of performance that needs to be seen to bebelieved- and believe it you will! Had Heston chosen, he could very wellhave become one of The Silver Screen's leading villains. (THE THREEMUSKETEERS and THE FOUR MUSKETEERS are also offered in evidence.) Superbwriting and direction by Fraser Heston in aid of must also be noted.Must-see telemovie.
eringobragh-1 (03 May 2013)
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).
Review total: 20, showing from 1 to 20