Robinson Crusoe (1954)

Director:

Luis Buñuel

Writers (WGA):

Daniel Defoe (novel)
Hugo Butler (screenplay) (originally as Philip Ansell Roll) ...
(more)

Release Date:

5 August 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

EVERY THRILL-SWEPT PAGE BLAZES TO LIFE ON THE SCREEN! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

The classical story of Robinson Crusoe, a man who is dragged to a desert island after a shipwreck

Plot Keywords:

Island | Cat | Shipwreck | Cannibal | Mutiny

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 6 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Dan O'Herlihy	...	Robinson Crusoe / Crusoe's father (as Daniel O'Herlihy)
Jaime Fernández	...	Friday
Felipe de Alba	...	Captain Oberzo
Chel López	...	Bosun
José Chávez	...	Pirate
Emilio Garibay	...	Leaders of the Mutiny

Directed by
Luis Buñuel

Writing credits (WGA)
Daniel Defoe		(novel "Robinson Crusoe")
Hugo Butler		(screenplay) originally as Philip Ansell Roll and
Luis Buñuel		(screenplay)

Produced by
Óscar Dancigers	....	producer
Henry F. Ehrlich	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Anthony Collins

Cinematography by
Alex Phillips

Film Editing by
Carlos Savage
Alberto Valenzuela		(as Alberto E. Valenzuela)

Production Design by
Edward Fitzgerald

Set Decoration by
Pablo Galván

Makeup Department
Isaac Jurado	....	hair stylist
Armando Meyer	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Federico Amérigo	....	production manager
Jorge Cardeña	....	production chief
Antonio de Salazar	....	production manager (as Antonio Salazar)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ignacio Villareal	....	assistant director

Art Department
Italo Tomassi	....	construction department head (uncredited)

Sound Department
Teódulo Bustos	....	sound editor
Javier Mateos	....	dialogue recordist
Javier Mateos	....	sound
Galdino R. Samperio	....	sound re-recordist (as Galdino Samperio)

Music Department
Jesús González Gancy	....	music recordist (as Jesús González G.)

Other crew
Luis Alcoriza	....	screenplay by

Production Companies

• Oscar Dancigers Production
• Producciones Tepeyac (presents) (as Production Tepeyac)

Distributors

• United Artists (1955) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cosmopol-Filmverleih- und Vertriebs-K.G. (1955) (Austria) (theatrical)
• VCI Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD) (remastered)
• Versátil Home Vídeo (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Kinokuniya (2006) (Japan) (DVD) (box set)
• Dynit (2009) (Italy) (DVD)
• Distribuidora Mexicana de Películas S.A. de C.V. (1954) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1954) (Belgium) (theatrical) (as Les Artistes Associés S.A.B.)

Other Companies

• Screen Time Images  film restoration

Also Known As:

"The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" - USA (alternative title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Mexico

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-8 | Sweden:Btl | UK:U (cut) | West Germany:6 (f)

Filming Locations:

Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico

Company:

Oscar Dancigers Production

Trivia:

The three lead actors all died in 2005.

Goofs:

Continuity: While Robinson always wore goatskin moccasins everywhere, when he first encountered the cannibal footprint on the sand beach, he compared his bare footprint to it without taking off the moccasin.

Quotes:

Robinson Crusoe:How wrong I had been. Friday was as loyal a friend as any man could want. With his many different skills he enriched my life on the island. We had found ht two working together could do much more than working separately.

Movie Connections:

Version of Robinson Crusoe (1933)

Bunuel's rare optimism

Defoe is not obvious Bunuel material in the way that Wuthering Heights is but the very tension between director and writer makes it the more interesting film. One scene especially should be viewed by anyone who holds that Bunuel's brilliance lies primarily in his surreal imagery marvelous as this. Crusoe in despair at his his solitude calls out 'The Lord is my shepherd' at the hills. As he he hears only the echo of his his voice even the lush tropical landscape appears to mock him. Once seen and heard(Dan O'Herhiley's voice is wonderful here) the VCR and DVD become redundant. The ending low key and unrhetorical is one of the rare moments of uplift offered by Bunuel. Relish it! Bunuel's adaptation of Defoe is one his rare films,others are 'Cela s'appelle l'aurore','The Young One' and 'Nazarin' in which some sense of optimism in human solidarity moderates the general bleakness of his view of the human condition.