User Reviews

When Robert Louis Stevenson wrote TREASURE ISLAND in 1883, he probably thought that it was a good work, but hardly better than his TRAVELS WITH A DONKEY or SILVERADO SQUATTERS or his other coming fiction. It was a good early novel, and that was that. He would grow as a writer, but THE MASTER OF BALLENTRAE, DR. JECKYLL AND MR. HYDE, and WEIR OF HERMISTON were in the future, as was KIDNAPPED. So were the forgotten titles: PRINCE OTTO and THE WRECKERS and THE DYNAMITERS. But his best themes are in TREASURE ISLAND. Besides the expert handling of an adventure tale and a historical novel, there is also the issue of ambiguity in personality. Long John Silver is the first of a line of heroes/anti-heroes including Dr. Henry Jeckyll, Alec Breck Stewart, and James and Henry Durrie who while decent in some ways are weak or worse in other ways.

Long John is capable of organizing a mutiny, ordering the murder of a troublesome crew member who won't join his plans, or planning to steal a treasure that does not belong to him. But he is human - he sees young Jim Hawkins as a decent kid, and ends up becoming a surrogate father to him in the novel (even protecting the boy from his less pleasant associates). But Long John cannot avoid (even at his best) being at his worse. To protect Jim, John has to keep him from the other non-mutineers (the Squire, Captain Smollett, Dr. Livesey), so he lies to Jim that they have denounced Jim as a mutineer and won't have anything to do with him. Subsequently, of course, Jim does learn this is a lie - from Dr. Livesey.

Jim likewise finds ambiguity in his reactions. He can't help liking (even loving) the sea cook. But he realizes Silver is a bad man. Yet, in the end, he is glad that John escapes (even with some part of the treasure).

In his autobiography, Jackie Cooper admits that when he is approached to this day by fans they start asking him about Wallace Beery, and Cooper has to admit that he never was close to Beery socially. They worked well together (Cooper played Beery's son in THE CHAMP, the 1931 film that gave Beery his Oscar). But Beery's personality (in real life) was always "troublesome". Reputedly he left the budding film industry in Chicago in the teens of the 20th Century when he was in danger of a rape charge. In later years his failed marriage to Gloria Swanson was due to his jealousy of her success and his slower success. When he worked with Cooper, he was at his Hollywood zenith as a star and talent, but he was fully aware of it. At one point, Cooper mentions an incident where Beery, he, and some others were eating lunch, and some autograph seekers approached them. While several (including Cooper) did not hesitate to give autographs, Beery refused. Afterwards, when asked about this, Beery said that he was a big star and he did not have to be pestered by this kind of thing.

Yet, to the credit of both stars, their performances in TREASURE ISLAND are flawless. They get along very nicely in their roles - Jim Hawkins occasionally saying something kindly that raises the suspicious John Silver's spirits a bit. Beery and Cooper also perform well with the rest of the cast - check the scenes where Beery keeps his less and less friendly mutineer associates in line. He brings some dark humor to the situations (as when a treasure that they dig for is not in the spot they've waisted time at). Cooper's best moment without Beery, of course, is the sequence with Douglas Dumbrille as Israel Hands*, where they have a fight to the death (literally) in the rigging of the ship Hands was supposed to be guarding. Dumbrille, by the way, should be congratulated for his acting here - he manages not to show off that stentorian voice of his, but uses a more weaselly sounding voice quite effectively.

Note also Lionel Barrymore's noisy and frightening, but ultimately frightened Captain Billy Bones, forcing the civilians in the Admiral Benbow Inn to sing "Fifteen Men on a Deadman's Chest", but quivering when told the one legged sea cook has been seen nearby. Also note William Mong's "Blind Pew", a scary enough figure for awhile, but at the end rather pathetic given his bizarre fate. Chic Sale's Ben Gunn is properly silly from years of isolation. Otto Kruger's Dr. Livesay is properly heroic seeking to make sure that Jim is not harmed by the mutineers. The cast, in short, is first rate, and matched by Victor Fleming's well handled directing. So the film merits a "10".

*Historically, there was a pirate named Israel Hands, though he was dead by the time of TREASURE ISLAND (roughly 1740). Hands was one of Blackbeard's crew in 1716 - 1718, and was the only survivor of that crew from Blackbeard's last battle in 1718. The pirate chief shot him in the knee, wounding him severely enough to keep from fighting. Hands was put ashore before the battle, and watched while his mates were killed or captured (and eventually hanged). Hands died years later as a beggar in London. Oh, and the inn, "the Admiral Benbow" is named for Admiral John Benbow (died 1702) who was a hero of the Navy in the period of the War of the Spanish Succession.

It only made sense that with the successful pairing of Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper, that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios would try their luck again with "Treasure Island." Wallace Beery adds his own unique charm to his portrayal of Long John Silver, that I found very amusing and he is actually pretty good on one leg. Jackie Cooper's acting is a little wooden as Jim Hawkins, but he does manage to shine and is most endearing in his many scenes with Beery. Lionel Barrymore must be mentioned for his excellent performance as the menacing Captain Billy Bones. Watching Charles 'Chic' Sale, will make you feel "itchy" as he plays poor Ben Gunn, who has lived alone on the deserted island for a few years. Otto Kruger, Lewis Stone, Nigel Bruce, Charles McNaughton, Dorothy Peterson, all provide fine performances in this Victor Fleming directed film, that was produced with the highest production values for a 1934 film. This above average adaption of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson story, still remains a very entertaining family film to watch.

Robert Louis Stevenson has written a fine tale of adventure, life on the high seas, pirates, treasure chests, betrayal and intrigue, and all that. This was the first book I can remember being given as a child. I was too young to understand the vocabulary or even the general thrust of the narrative. Of course I knew Jim Hawkins (Jackie Coogan) hid in the apple barrel because the illustration showed that. But what was really needed was a glossary for kids and landlubbers. Some glosses in the margins, indicating that "the black spot" was what was left over after a Mexican meal. And informing the reader that "helm" was the opposite of "heavenm." And that "pole star" was an allusion to Paweł Wojciechowski, the Pole vaulter. Fortunately, the movie is couched in easily understood images and accompanied by dialog the meaning of which can be interpolated into the context.

Young Jim Hawkins and his mother come across a treasure map. Doctor Livesey (Otto Kruger), Squire Trelawney (Nigel Bruce), and Captain Smollet (Lewis Stone) hire a crew to sail the Hispaniola to Treasure Island and dig up the chests. Alas, half the crew are subordinates of the crafty, evil Long John Silver (Wallace Beery). There is a mutiny when the ship reaches the island. Jim is captured by one side and rescued by the other, and in-between he cuts the ships anchor lines and beaches her to save her from the pirates. A couple of fierce fire fights and one or two cutlass engagements ends with the good guys sailing away with the treasure and with Silver as a captive. Silver, cunning as ever, talks Jim into letting him go in Jamaica, rather than hang. We feel, though, that despite Silver's unsavory past, he genuinely likes Jim and Jim is optimist enough to believe what Silver says about reforming. Considerable sentiment in the scene, but not an excess.

No great acting skills are called for, and none are on display. Coogan isn't really believable. So few kids his age are. The most outrageous performance is given by Wallace Beery, with his big flabby mouth and his calculating eyes darting in all directions. Beery has been dismissed by critics as a big ham but I rather enjoy his overplaying, and he was in a couple of neat pictures, such as "China Seas." The story has been remade several times but this version strikes me as the best. Much of the humor depends on Beery's demeanor and Jim's naivte. Here's an exchange. Beery is the cook and is assembling dinner. Jim: "Doctor Livesy is no sailor but he can cut you up and sew you back together again." Beery: "That 'sewing up' part must be difficult." (The "cutting up" part doesn't faze him.) Jim: "But so's the cutting up." Beery: (Pauses a moment, looks thoughtful.) "Experience, Jim."

Stevenson's book still has the power to enchant a reader, even -- or maybe especially -- an adult. Jim Hawkins, the author of the narrative, is as naive as Candide or Matty Ross in "True Grit" and he misses some things an older person would pick up. Stevenson died young -- a tall, thin, ascetic-looking leptosome. He's buried now at Vailima, in Western Samoa, where he was known as "tusitala," which some have made sound like an honorific, whereas it just means "writer" or "someone who tells stories." (Good enough, I guess.) He borrowed some details of geography (eg., Spyglass Hill) from features of the terrain on the Monterey Peninsula, where he'd spent some time.

See the movie, and read the book too. It's short.

The 1950 Disney adaptation of TREASURE ISLAND is the most famous version, supplanting even the original novel in people's minds, but this 1934 version is no slouch. Wallace Beery is every bit as great a Long John Silver as Robert Newton, and Jackie Cooper absolutely blows the stiff Bobby Driscoll out of the water. Visually, the black and white looks marvelous, adding the right amount of gothic undertones and menace. Everyone is cast to perfection and director Victor Fleming portrays the swashbuckling action well.

There are a few drackbacks though: for one, Jim doesn't come of age much. In the book, by the end, he is aware of Silver's amoral nature, even if he can't bring himself to wish the man harm due to the odd father-son bond between the two. However, here Jim is much too childlike even up through the end and I didn't care for having him help Silver escape. The ending was much too weepy for what is essentially a child's adventure story. It strips Silver of his menace and strips Jim of his development from childhood to adolescence. However, as they did in THE CHAMP, Coogan and Beery possess a great chemistry that makes most of their interactions enjoyable.

Overall, this is a good adventure film of the old school.

Copyright 7 August 1934 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. New York opening at the Capitol: 17 August 1934. U.K. release: 22 December 1934. Australian release: 19 December 1934. 11 reels. 109 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Young Jim Hawkins tackles vicious Long John Silver.

VIEWERS' GUIDE: Suitable for all.

COMMENT: Young Cooper is not an overly convincing Jim Hawkins, but everyone else is absolutely brilliant in this outstandingly entertaining version of the Stevenson novel we all studied so assiduously at school. Why didn't they lighten our little hearts by showing us this terrific movie, for heaven's sake? Just plain mean, I guess. No doubt to-day's students have merely to call up the movie on the Internet — making sure they specify this one and not the Robert Newton or Orson Welles interpretations. For fine as those actors are, they can't compare with Wallace Beery. In fact, Long John Silver was the role Beery was born to play. He is charmingly superb.

But Beery's is not the only performance-of-a-lifetime in this masterfully directed account of a Boy's Own mutiny and piracy. Lionel Barrymore's is the other really stand-out piece of acting. And we should also make a special laudatory mention of both William V. Mong's Pew and Charles McNaughton's Black Spot.

The rest of the players are no laggards either. What a cast! What a cast!

Maybe Chic Sale is a bit too "in character" as Ben Gunn. But as 99% of "Treasure Island" viewers will never have seen the old Chic before (even though he made at least a dozen other pictures), this is a ridiculous quibble.

At least director Victor Fleming is not an unknown quantity among school kids. Yes, this is just as good as Gone With The Wind or The Wizard of Oz or Captains Courageous or Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. In fact it's a darn sight better. Maybe I'm prejudiced because I'm a direct descendant of Robert Stevenson, Robert Louis Stevenson's grand- father, so bear that in mind!

AVAILABLE on an excellent Warner DVD.

This movie holds up pretty well, in spite of acting styles and a general Thirties feel that may seem a bit off to the modern viewer.

But Stevenson's story is presented here overall with more authenticity than the later Disney version. The gruesome death of Blind Pew, and the murder of an honest seaman by Long John Silver, witnessed by the horrified Jim Hawkins, are presented unflinchingly.

The shipboard and island scenes are good, and the siege of the stockade is excitingly staged. Douglas Dumbrille turns in an incredibly malevolent performance as Israel Hands, pursuing Jim with a dagger around the ship, with them the only people on it. It's a really fascinating villain role for Dumbrille, in light of his usual portrayal of smooth, suave bad guys. With baggy seaman's trousers and a bandanna, stubbly beard and earring, and eyes that gleam with murderous delight, firing the cannon at the longboat of escaping good guys, and laughing diabolically, this may be Dumbrille's most memorable part.

The opening segment, with the old buccaneer Billy Bones arriving at the inn and lodging there, to terrorize the villagers into singing rowdy sea chanteys with him, scandalizing everyone by gleefully narrating tales of his bloodthirsty adventures, and telling Jim to keep one eye open for a seafaring man with one leg, is marvelous. Lionel Barrymore has a great time as the bad tempered, drunken old pirate who owns the mysterious chest, and lives in fear of being found by his old shipmates. The scene where the incredibly frightening Blind Pew forces Jim Hawkins to lead him to Billy Bones and deliver the Black Spot, is hair raising.. The look of abject misery and mortal terror on Barrymore's face, when he is confronted by the creepy blind man ,is unforgettable.

This movie is a lot of fun for anyone who loves the R.L.Stevenson story, and pirate movies generally. The emotional climax, though criticized as overly sentimental, still packs a wallop even today.

*Spoiler/plot- 1934, A boy and his mother have a country inn on the ocean cliffs. An old sailor moves into the inn and is dying. He befriends 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 for death from a pirate brotherhood with the 'Black Spot'. During a cutlass fight, the boy finds a treasure map in the sea chest of the dying sailor. He takes the map to the local authorities who know about it and 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 and attacks the obedient crew members trying to get the treasure for them. A marooned sailor helps the obedient crew members to find and stow the hidden 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 hunting experience.

*Special Stars- Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper

*Theme- Men will look for treasure even if they suffer for it.

*Based on- Robert Louise Stevenson's famous pirate novel

*Trivia/location/goofs- There is a obvious film goof when Jim (Cooper) Hawkins goes to the Hispaniola's galley to speak to Long (Beery) John and stands at the galley door. You will clearly see a long microphone boom with sound cable shadow that hovers over the actor and top of the galley. In later years during Jackie Cooper interviews, he tells about Wallace Beery's antagonism and drinking during their scenes in this film. It seems Mr. Beery was not a lover of child actors much like W. C. Fields. Copper was pretty green in this film when it comes to his role and acting style.

*Emotion- Another fine remake of this classic pirate film. MGM was clearly reaping the bonus ticket prices by pairing these two leading men (older and boy) by casting them in this story. It was a perfect fit and very popular. The ending of this film is when 'Long John' is sailing away free in a long boat from being held responsible for the deaths, maroonment, piracy, and theft of treasure.