Treasure Island (TV 1990)

Young Jim Hawkins, while running the Benbow Inn with his mother, meets Captain Billy Bones, who dies at the inn while it is besieged by buccaneers led by Blind Pew. Jim and his mother fight... See full summary »

Director:

Fraser Clarke Heston

Writers:

Fraser Clarke Heston, Robert Louis Stevenson (novel)

Stars:

Charlton Heston, Christian Bale, Oliver Reed

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlton Heston	...	Long John Silver
Christian Bale	...	Jim Hawkins
Oliver Reed	...	Capt. Billy Bones
Christopher Lee	...	Blind Pew
Richard Johnson	...	Squire Trelawney
Julian Glover	...	Dr. Livesey
Isla Blair	...	Mrs. Hawkins
Clive Wood	...	Captain Smollet
Nicholas Amer	...	Ben Gunn (as Nicolas Amer)
John Abbott	...	Joyce
James Cosmo	...	Redruth
James Coyle	...	Morgan
Michael Halsey	...	Israel Hands
Michael Thoma	...	Hunter
Pete Postlethwaite	...	George Merry (as Peter Postlethwaite)

Storyline

Young Jim Hawkins, while running the Benbow Inn with his mother, meets Captain Billy Bones, who dies at the inn while it is besieged 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 Hispaniola with Squire Trelawney and Dr. Livesey to find the treasure on a mysterious island. Upon arriving at the island, ship's cook and scalawag Long John Silver leads a mutiny of crew members who want the treasure for themselves. Jim helps the Squire and Hispaniola officers to survive the mutiny and fight back against Silver's men, who have taken over the Hispaniola.

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Plot Keywords:

mutiny | captain | treasure map | long john silver | ship | 

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Taglines:

Sail the high seas. Battle the pirates. Live the adventure.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime

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Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 January 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Ilha do Tesouro

Filming Locations:

Clovelly, Devon, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Agamemnon Films, British Lion Film Corporation, Turner Network Television (TNT)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Fraser Heston's commentary, Oliver Reed was afraid of heights and had to be rigged with a climbing harness in the scene when Billy Bones is looking out from the cove with the spyglass.

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Goofs

Just after going ashore on "treasure island" Long John Silver engages in a knife fight with a young man named "Tom". During the fight Silver's knife blade bends against the ground in a very rubbery prop knife like way.

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Quotes

Long John Silver: What a splendid thing it is to be young and have ten toes.

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Connections

Version of Ostrov sokrovishch (1972)

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Soundtracks

"The Star of the County Down"
(uncredited)
Traditional
[Heard in the background during the Bristol tavern scene]

User Reviews

Fond memories

Cudoes to all those involved. The Hestons (father and son) for daring to risk a lot (in terms of reputation) on so well known a project. A superb and faithfull re-telling that still manages to surprise (the cannon scene was a beautiful coup de theatre).

This loving adaptation is the only one I remember that includes the haunting image of Israel Hands slowly sinking out of sight in the water... A description I will always remember from the novel and echoed at the very end of Benchley's JAWS.

This television version of Stevenson's book brought back fond memories of a teen-age summer on Prince edward Island, reading the adventures of Jim Hawkins striding the razor's edge between the honest Captain Smolett, and that band of ruffians that follow Long John Silver.