Freddie Bartholemew is young David Balfour in this Robert Louis Stevenson story. He's at school, when he's told his father has died. He never really knew him too well and was never that close, so he wasn't too broken up, but his world does change dramatically because a letter (left by his father) requests him to go to his Uncle Ebenezer. David finds him living in a huge albeit neglected and run down castle. David learns real quick not to trust him and gets out of there, only to be tricked on to a ship bound for who knows where. David does run into an outlaw accused of murder, played by Warner Baxter, but his questionable allegiances to his king and country are what incite the people and the law against him. Add to this a young lass played by Arleen Whelan who is supposedly going to be with her fiancé, but will she fall in love with Warner instead, who is trying to get her out of the country to him? Will David be rescued and find a place to call home? With a bevy of recognizable faces and good actors, the story-telling of Stevenson, the director's flair and pace, and the presence of the Scottish moors and landscapes, this was one of the best adventures of the 1930s that I've seen in a long time. It may be one of the best adventure films you've never heard of, and can you believe there's no Errol Flynn in sight! Kudos to a job well done to all involved and in keeping the spirit of Stevenson alive!
Review of Kidnapped
