Treasure Island (1934 film)

Last updated
Treasure Island
Poster - Treasure Island (1934) 02.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by Victor Fleming
Screenplay by John Lee Mahin
John Howard Lawson
Leonard Praskins
Based on Treasure Island
1883 novel
by Robert Louis Stevenson
Produced by Hunt Stromberg
Starring Wallace Beery
Jackie Cooper
Lionel Barrymore
Lewis Stone
Nigel Bruce
Cinematography Clyde De Vinna
Ray June
Harold Rosson
Edited by Blanche Sewell
Music by Herbert Stothart (original score)
Thomas Augustine Arne ("Rule Britannia")
Production
company
Distributed by Loew's, Inc.
Release date
  • August 17, 1934 (1934-08-17)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$825,000 [1]
Box office$2.4 million (worldwide rentals) [1]

Treasure Island is a 1934 film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone, and Nigel Bruce. It is an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous 1883 novel of the same name. Jim Hawkins discovers a treasure map and travels on a sailing ship to a remote island, but pirates led by Long John Silver threaten to take away the honest seafarers’ riches and lives.

Contents

Plot

Lobby card Treasure Island lobby card.jpg
Lobby card

Young Jim Hawkins (Jackie Cooper) and his mother (Dorothy Peterson) run the Admiral Benbow, a tavern near Bristol, England. One dark and stormy night, during a birthday celebration, the mysterious Billy Bones (Lionel Barrymore) arrives and drunkenly talks about treasure. Soon after, Bones is visited by Black Dog (Charles McNaughton) then Pew (William V. Mong), and drops dead, leaving a chest, which he bragged contained gold and jewels. Instead of money, Jim finds a map that his friend Dr. Livesey (Otto Kruger) realizes will lead them to the famous Flint treasure. Squire Trelawney (Nigel Bruce) raises money for a voyage to the treasure island and they set sail on Captain Alexander Smollett's (Lewis Stone) ship Hispaniola. Also on board is the one-legged Long John Silver (Wallace Beery) and his cronies. Even though Bones had warned Jim about a sailor with one leg, they become friends.

During the voyage, several fatal "accidents" happen to sailors who disapprove of Silver and his cohorts. Then, the night before landing on the island, Jim overhears Silver plotting to take the treasure and kill Smollett's men. Jim goes ashore with the men, and encounters an old hermit named Ben Gunn (Chic Sale), who tells him that he has found Flint's treasure. Meanwhile, Smollett and his loyal men flee to Flint's stockade on the island for safety. Silver's men then attack the stockade when Smollett refuses to give them the treasure map. While the situation looks hopeless, Jim secretly goes back to the Hispaniola at night, sails it to a safe location and shoots one of the pirates in self-defense. When he returns to the stockade, Silver's men are there and Silver tells them that a treaty has been signed. The pirates want to kill Jim, but Silver protects him. Dr. Livesey comes for Jim, but the boy refuses to break his word to Silver not to run away. The next day the pirates search for the treasure hold and when they find it, it is empty. When some of the pirates mutiny against Silver, Livesey and Gunn join him in the fight. Smollett then sails home with the treasure, which Gunn had hidden in his cave, and with Silver as his prisoner. Silver tells Jim a horror story of a slow death by hanging due to his one leg causing Jim to be unable to stand by and let his friend be hanged, Jim frees Silver. As he sails away, Silver promises to hunt treasure with Jim again some day, as Honest John Silver.

Cast

Production notes

Wallace Beery originally was cast as Israel Hands in director Maurice Tourneur's silent production of Treasure Island for Paramount in 1920 (now a lost film). Beery was replaced by Joseph Singleton but appeared that year in Tourneur's silent masterpiece The Last of the Mohicans .

The pirate ship Hispaniola was impersonated by Nanuk , which had been converted from a schooner to a full-rigged ship.

Reception

The film's box office performance was described as "disappointing" [2] although it was MGM's third biggest film of the season with rentals of $2,264,000. It was re-issued in 1937–38 and earned an additional $144,000. [1]

Writing for The Spectator in 1936, Graham Greene favorably compared the film to Midshipman Easy , describing Treasure Island as having "a deeper, a more poetic value", with characters and events providing rich symbolism and a palpable sense of good and evil. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Treasure Island</i> Novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson

Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, telling a story of "buccaneers and buried gold". It is considered a coming-of-age story and is noted for its atmosphere, characters, and action.

<i>Muppet Treasure Island</i> 1996 film directed by Brian Henson

Muppet Treasure Island is a 1996 American musical swashbuckler comedy film directed by Brian Henson and the fifth theatrical film featuring the Muppets. Adapted from the 1883 novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, similarly to its predecessor The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), the key roles were played by live-action actors, with the Muppets in supporting roles. The film stars Muppet performers Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson, Kevin Clash, Bill Barretta, and Frank Oz in various roles, as well as Tim Curry as Long John Silver and introduces Kevin Bishop as Jim Hawkins.

<i>The Legends of Treasure Island</i> British TV series or programme

The Legends of Treasure Island is a British animated television series. It had two series of 13 episodes each and each episode runs for 22–25 minutes.

<i>Treasure Island</i> (1972 film) 1972 live-action film adaption of Treasure Island

Treasure Island is a 1972 adventure film, based on the 1883 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film stars Orson Welles as Long John Silver, Kim Burfield as Jim Hawkins, Walter Slezak as Squire Trelawney, Rik Battaglia as Captain Smollett, and Ángel del Pozo as Doctor Livesey.

<i>Treasure Island</i> (1950 film) 1950 film by Byron Haskin

Treasure Island is a 1950 adventure film produced by RKO-Walt Disney British Productions, adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel of the same name. Directed by Byron Haskin, it stars Bobby Driscoll as Jim Hawkins and Robert Newton as Long John Silver. Treasure Island was Disney's first completely live-action film and the first screen version of Treasure Island made in color. It was filmed in the United Kingdom on location and at Denham Film Studios, Buckinghamshire.

<i>Treasure Island</i> (1990 film) 1990 television film by Fraser Clarke Heston

Treasure Island is a 1990 British-American made-for-television film adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 novel of the same name, written and directed by Fraser Clarke Heston, and also starring several notable British actors, including Christian Bale, Oliver Reed, Christopher Lee, Julian Glover and Pete Postlethwaite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Bones</span> Fictional character in the 1883 novel Treasure Island

Billy Bones is a fictional character appearing in the first section of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. Livesey</span> Character from Stevensons Treasure Island

Dr. David Livesey is a fictional character from the 1883 novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. As well as doctor, he is a magistrate, an important man in the rural society of southwest England, where the story opens; his social position is marked by his always wearing a white wig—even in the harsh conditions of the island on which the adventure takes place.

<i>Treasure Island</i> (1988 film) 1988 Soviet cartoon film

Treasure Island is a Soviet two-part live-action/animated adventure comedy television film adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island (1883). It was created by order of the USSR's state television company by the studio Kievnauchfilm. It is mostly traditional animation with some live action sequences, which are largely but not entirely separate.

<i>Treasure Island</i> (1973 film) 1973 animated film directed by Hal Sutherland

Treasure Island is a 1973 American animated adventure film directed by Hal Sutherland, produced by Filmation, and released by Warner Bros. In this adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel of the same name, Jim Hawkins travels with sidekick Hiccup the Mouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squire Trelawney</span> Fictional character

Squire John Trelawney is a supporting character from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island.

<i>Treasure Island</i> (1920 film) 1920 film by Maurice Tourneur

Treasure Island is a 1920 silent film adaptation of the 1883 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, directed by Maurice Tourneur, and released by Paramount Pictures. Lon Chaney played two different pirate roles in this production, "Blind Pew" and "Merry", and stills exist showing him in both makeups. Charles Ogle, who had played Frankenstein's Monster in the first filmed version of Frankenstein a decade earlier at Edison Studios, portrayed Long John Silver. Wallace Beery was supposed to play Israel Hands, but that role went to Joseph Singleton instead. The film was chosen as one of the Top Forty Pictures of the Year by the National Board of Review.

<i>Treasure Island</i> (1999 film) 1999 film by Peter Rowe

Treasure Island is a 1999 film adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel. It was written and directed by Peter Rowe and stars Kevin Zegers as Jim Hawkins and Jack Palance as Long John Silver.

Ben Gunn (<i>Treasure Island</i>) Fictional character

Benjamin "Ben" Gunn is a fictional character in the 1883 novel Treasure Island by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain Alexander Smollett</span> Fictional character

Captain Alexander Smollett is the fictional captain of the schooner Hispaniola in Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island. He plays an important part in disciplining the main characters on the ship as the story progresses, and helps the protagonists survive against the pirates later on.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Hawkins (character)</span> Fictional character

Jim Hawkins is a fictional character and the protagonist in Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island. He is both the protagonist and main narrator of the story.

<i>Pirates of Treasure Island</i> 2006 American film

Pirates of Treasure Island is a 2006 American comedy-drama film produced by The Asylum, loosely adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island.

<i>Treasure Island</i> (1978 TV series) 1978 anime

Treasure Island is a Japanese anime television series that aired in 1978 and 1979 in Japan and in the mid-1980s in Europe, Mexico, South America & Arab World countries, based on Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel of the same name. In 2013, the 1987 movie compilation was dubbed in English by Bang Zoom! Entertainment and available on the North American Hulu, but has since been removed. However, as of early 2016, TMS has made the compilation movie available to watch on YouTube for free.

<i>Treasure Island</i> (2012 TV series) British TV series or program

Treasure Island is a two-part British television drama adaptation of the novel Treasure Island (1883) by Robert Louis Stevenson. The screenplay was written by Stewart Harcourt, produced by Laurie Borg and directed by Steve Barron. It was made by BSkyB and first shown in the United Kingdom on Sky1 on 1 & 2 January 2012. It was re-released a year later on Pick on the 14 February 2013 and 21 February 2013.

<i>Treasure Island</i> (1918 film) 1918 film by Sidney Franklin, Chester M. Franklin

Treasure Island is a 1918 American silent adventure film based on the 1883 novel of the same name by Robert Louis Stevenson. This is one of many silent versions of the story and is noteworthy because it is almost entirely acted by child or teenage actors. The film was co-directed by brothers Sidney and Chester Franklin. The film is one of Fox's Sunset Kiddies productions following in the wake of previous Kiddie productions like Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp. This is a lost film.

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles, California: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  2. ↑ DOUGLAS W. CHURCHILL (Dec 30, 1934). "THE YEAR IN HOLLYWOOD: 1984 May Be Remembered as the Beginning of the Sweetness-and-Light Era". New York Times. p. X5.
  3. ↑ Greene, Graham (3 January 1936). "The Guv'nor/Midshipman Easy/Treasure Island". The Spectator . (reprinted in: Taylor, John Russell, ed. (1980). The Pleasure Dome . p.  42–43. ISBN   0192812866.)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.