Robinson Crusoe (1997)

Robinson Crusoe flees Britain on a ship after killing his friend over the love of Mary. A fierce ocean storm wrecks his ship and leaves him stranded by himself on an uncharted island. Left ... See full summary »

Directors:

Rod Hardy, George Miller

Writers:

Daniel Defoe (novel), Christopher Lofton (screenplay),

Stars:

Pierce Brosnan, William Takaku, Polly Walker

Cast

Credited cast:
Pierce Brosnan	...	Robinson Crusoe
William Takaku	...	Man Friday
Polly Walker	...	Mary McGregor
Ian Hart	...	Daniel Defoe
James Frain	...	Robert / Defoe's Publisher
Damian Lewis	...	Patrick Connor
Ben Robertson	...	James / Patrick's Brother
Martin Grace	...	Captain Braga
Sean Brosnan	...	Cabin Boy
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lysette Anthony	...	Mrs. Crusoe
Tim McMullan	...	Crusoe's Second (as Tim McMulian)
Mal Tobias	...	Patrick Connor's Second

Storyline

Robinson Crusoe flees Britain on a ship after killing his friend over the love of Mary. A fierce ocean storm wrecks his ship and leaves him stranded by himself on an uncharted island. Left to fend for himself, Crusoe seeks out a tentative survival on the island, until he meets Friday, a tribesman whom he saves from being sacrificed. Initially, Crusoe is thrilled to finally have a friend, but he has to defend himself against the tribe who uses the island to sacrifice tribesman to their gods. During time their relationship changes from master-slave to a mutual respected friendship despite their difference in culture and religion.

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Plot Keywords:

island | ship | tribe | stranded | ocean | 

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Genres:

Drama | Adventure

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for adventure violence, and some sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 June 1997 (Singapore)

Also Known As:

Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe

Filming Locations:

Papua New Guinea

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, RHI Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min 91 min (dvd release)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

It was originally made as a U.S. television film for Hallmark in 1994. Miramax then bought the rights to capitalize on Pierce Brosnan being named the latest James Bond, with a plan to distribute it as a theatrical release. It was finally released on television in the U.S. in 2001.

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Goofs

Friday refers to Crusoe by name before Crusoe tells it to him.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Daniel Defoe: I am a journalist Robert, I assure you. I have very little interest in your flights of fancy.
Robert: You Daniel Defoe are a writer. It's your destiny as such to bring this remarkable man's story, a story of intense struggle, extraordinary friendship, and undying love to the world.

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Connections

Version of Robinson Crusoe (1925)

User Reviews

Bad accent, but fairly fun.

The Scottish accent is horrible, and obviously a person trying to do a Scots accent instead of someone who actually has one; and some scenes tied to the Scottish side are bad, too. But at the same time, none of the scenes in this film are nearly as boring as many of the scenes in the book, which - though a classic, and rightly regarded as such - suffers badly from age and its role as the "first novel", in that nobody had quite figured out things like pacing just yet.

In short...it's an average movie, not good, and not bad either. Worth a watch if it comes on TV, and not as inclined to bore you out of your skull as the book. And to those who truly love the book...I applaud your patience. As a child of the digital age, my tolerance for descriptions of fence-building is extremely lacking.