Treasure Island (1950)

The treasure seeking adventures of young Jim Hawkins and pirate captain Long John Silver.

Director:

Byron Haskin

Writers:

Lawrence Edward Watkin (screenplay), Robert Louis Stevenson (story)

Stars:

Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton, Basil Sydney

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bobby Driscoll	...	Jim Hawkins
Robert Newton	...	Long John Silver
Basil Sydney	...	Captain Smollett
Walter Fitzgerald	...	Squire Trelawney
Denis O'Dea	...	Dr. Livesy
Finlay Currie	...	Capt. Billy Bones
Ralph Truman	...	George Merry
Geoffrey Keen	...	Israel Hands
Geoffrey Wilkinson	...	Ben Gunn
John Laurie	...	Blind Pew
Francis De Wolff	...	Black Dog
David Davies	...	Mr. Arrow
John Gregson	...	Redruth
Andrew Blackett	...	Gray
William Devlin	...	Morgan

Storyline

Enchanted by the idea of locating treasure buried by Captain Flint, Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey and Jim Hawkins charter a sailing voyage to a Caribbean island. Unfortunately, a large number of Flint's old pirate crew are aboard the ship, including Long John Silver.

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Plot Keywords:

treasure map | sailing ship | treasure hunt | based on novel | child uses a gun | 

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Taglines:

a young cabin boy, a roguish buccaneer...match wits in a swashbuckling adventure!

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Genres:

Adventure | Family

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Howard Davies, who had starred with Robert Newton in Oliver Twist (1948), was sought to play Jim Hawkins.

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Goofs

Throughout the film the frizzens were often open and the flashpans exposed on the supposed flintlock pistols and muskets, but the guns fired anyway. These were obviously stage guns, but as a factual point the frizzen must be closed on the pan and there must be a poof of smoke before a flintlock gun will fire.

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Quotes

[Mr. Hands chases Jim Hawkins up the ship's rigging into the crow's nest, but Jim threatens him with a pistol]
Jim Hawkins: Not another step!
Israel Hands: Jim, I reckon I'll have to strike my colors. That comes hard from a master mariner to a ship's yonker like you, Jim. But you're like Silver said: smart as paint.
Jim Hawkins: One more step, Mr. Hands, and I'll blow your brains out!
Israel Hands: Now, now, matey.
[pulls a knife from his boot]
Israel Hands: Matey...
[...]

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Alternate Versions

There are two versions of the opening credits. In one, the letters of the title appear in "italic" font, and in the other they appear in "printed" font.

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Connections

Version of Treasure Island (1995)

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Soundtracks

Yo Ho Ho
(uncredited)
Written by Marcus Dods

User Reviews

One of the best adaptation of the classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson including a magnificent Robert Newton .

Fabulous and appealing adventures starred by two unforgettable characters , Jim Hawkins/Bobby Driscoll and Long John Silver/Robert Newton . Gorgeous and astounding adventure film with an outstanding and fantastic starring , Jim Hawkins, and a nasty as well as likable pirate called Long Silver in search of the buried treasure of the buccaneer Captain Flint . Entertaining and solid retelling from Walt Disney filmed in imaginative style with the literary heroes Jack Hawkins and the pirate Long John Silver . Again we live the roaring adventure , this time set in a far island . We share the struggles , the heartaches , the laughter of courageous souls who leave their houses they love to dare the wrath of the angry space pirates . Jim Hawkins encounters a map that leads to a distant Caribbean island where is a buried treasure . Enchanted by the idea of locating treasure buried by Captain Flint , Captain Smollett (Basil Sydney) , Squire Trelawney (Walter Fitzgerald) , Dr. Livesy (Denis O'Dea) and Jim Hawkins (Bobby Driscoll , he only had a 3 month work permit in England so all his scenes were filmed first, a long way out of continuity) charter a sailing voyage in a ship called La Española to a Caribbean island . Upright men and greedy pirates in conflict with their destiny enacting the Robert Stevenson's most thrilling story in search of the legendary loot of Captain Nathaniel Flint . Then , the young boy join forces with his friends and , of course , a boisterous , rogue Long John Silver (Robert Newton)) journey to island of hidden bounty . The young cabin boy Hawkins has a treasure map and a boatload of kill-crazed pirates eager for the riches hidden on Treasure Island . Unfortunately, a large number of Flint's old pirate crew are aboard the ship, including Long John Silver . Jim Hawkins matches with stick-legged , a notably snarly Long Silver and adventures go on . But even greater risks lie ahead when Hawkins finds out that his trusted colleague Long John is actually a nasty pirate with mutiny on his mind . As young Jim Hawkins is torn between his loyalty to his benefactors and his affection for lovable rogue Long John Silver in their struggle to recover a buried pirate treasure .

Fun story with plenty of adventure , intrigue , fights and action . The whole piece of adventure teems with emotion , thrills , humor , exotic atmosphere and being pretty amusing . Appropriately adventurous rendition of Robert Stevenson's often-filmed and spine-tingling tale . In the picture there is humor , rip-roaring adventures , swashbuckling and it's pretty funny . Top-notch acting by Robert Newton , his featured performance as Long John Silver is so iconic that it is thought by many to be the origin of today's stereotypical laced pirate patois . This was Disney's first live action movie ; Walt Disney started the project when postwar restrictions stopped him from transferring profits from his cartoons out of Great Britain , rather than set up a new animation studio, he used the profits and existing facilities to produce a conventional film . At the film appears usual personages from Stevenson's Treasure Island such as Billy Bones well played by Finlay Currie , George Merry splendidly acted by villain Ralph Truman , Nathaliel Flint , Capt. Billy Bones , Israel Hands , Ben Gunn , Blind Pew , Black Dog and Mr. Arrow . Colorful and glamorous cinematography by Freddie Young , filmed in England, not in the West Indies . Evocative as well as moving musical score by Clifton Parker . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Byron Haskin . Rating : Above average . Well worth watching , you'll be on the edge of your seat.

Other renditions -being multitudinous remakes , as there are many films made of it- based on this classic novel are the followings : Vintage version (1934) by Victor Fleming with Jackie Cooper , Wallace Beery and Lewis Stone ; this Disney take on (1950) by Byron Haskin , being a respectable full-blooded second-best the classic Fleming version ; it was followed by a sequel titled ¨Long John Silver¨ also directed by Byron Haskin with Robert Newton , Lloyd Berrell , Grant Taylor , Rod Taylor ; in addition , ¨Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on January 29, 1951 with Bobby Driscoll reprising his film role . Furthermore , European retelling (1974) by John Hough with Orson Welles , Angel Del Pozo , Lionel Stander and Kim Burfield ; ¨Treasure Island¨ (1999) by Marc Charlesbois with Jack Palance , Patrick Bergin and Kevin Zegers ; TV recounting by Fraser C Heston with Charlton Heston , Christian Bale and Richard Johnson . ¨Muppet's Treasure island¨ (1996) and recent rendition (2012) by Steve Barron , starred by Eddie Izzard , Rupert Penry-Jones , Daniel Mays , Donald Sutherland and Elijah Wood . Besides , "Treasure Island in Outer Space", TV miniseries (1987) set in space directed by Antonio Margheriti with Anthony Quinn as Long John Silver , David Warbeck as Doctor Livesy and Philippe Leroy as Squire . And Disney top-notch cartoon-Sci-Fi version Treasure planet (2002) splendidly directed by John Musker and Ron Clemens .

Details

Official Sites:

Disney's Official Site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 July 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island

Filming Locations:

Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Gross USA:

$4,087,500

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,419,657

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions, Walt Disney British Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1