Who Finds a Friend Finds a Treasure (1981)

On a small pacific island, Alan and Charlie try to find a war treasure left behind by the Japanese army in World War II.

Director:

Sergio Corbucci

Writers:

Mario Amendola (screenplay) (as Amendola), Sergio Corbucci (screenplay) (as Corbucci)

Stars:

Terence Hill, Bud Spencer, John Fujioka

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Terence Hill	...	Alan
Bud Spencer	...	Charlie
John Fujioka	...	Kamasuka (as John Fujoka)
Louise Bennett	...	Mama (as Luise Bennett)
Sal Borgese	...	Anulu
Kainowa Lauritzen	...	Ulla
Mirna Seya	...	Dimhea
Terry Moni Mapuana	...	Alua
Linda Prast	...	Linda, the barmaid
Kathy Lun
Herb Goldstein	...	Brady (as Herbie Goldstein)
Arnie Ross	...	Warner
Tom Tully	...	Major
Baba Subraniam	...	Healer

Storyline

Alan gets a map to some war treasure which the Japanese army left behind on a small Pacific island at the end of World War II. But some gangsters try to steal the map from him and so he hides on Charlie's boat which just leaves the harbor. He manipulates the ship's compass so that Charlie is not aware that he is sailing to the treasure island. But when they step on the island, they discover that it is not as abandoned as they believed: there are some natives - and a Japanese soldier still defending the treasure.

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Plot Keywords:

island | treasure | pacific | soldier | buddy | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Action

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Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

December 1981 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Banaanipojat Hula-Hula saarella

Filming Locations:

Key Biscayne, Florida, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Elpico Cinematografica, Take 1 Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The World War II Japanese tank seen was not a real life WWII Jap tank nor replica nor was it based on either. The tank was especially built for the film and was designed as some kind of generic tank but without any actual specific historical design.

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Goofs

In the scene where the natives lead Bud and Terence to the jap tank, they both wear parts of US uniforms they took from the abandoned WWII US military depot. Hill's shirt has US Air Force written on it, which is incorrect, as the USAF didn't exist before 1947, two years after the end of WWII.

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Quotes

Charlie O'Brien: There ain't no one here filled with more pure loathin', and hatred... than me.

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Alternate Versions

On the Spanish DVD the last shot freeze frames before the last dialogue (in which the title of the movie is out spoken). There is also no end credits.

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Connections

Referenced in The Catch (2007)

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Soundtracks

Movin' Cruisin'
(uncredited)
Written by Carmelo La Bionda and Michelangelo La Bionda
Performed by Carmelo La Bionda and Michelangelo La Bionda (as The Oceans)

User Reviews

The Three Stooges meet Jackie Chan on Gilligan's Island

This is pure escapist slapstick comedy. Don't try to find any hidden meaning in the simple plot. There isn't any. Terence Hill, in hock to gangsters, is given a map which purports to show the location of a hidden treasure on the mysterious island of Bongo Bongo. He stows away on a small motorsailer captained by bearlike Bud Spencer which is leaving on a circumnavigation. Despite the fact that the boat is only 30 feet long, the two blundering mutually antagonistic Hill and Spencer manage to keep out of each others way until well into the voyage. The stowaway scenes are the comedic highlight of the movie. The rest is slapstick bluster. The point of departure is obviously Miami, Florida but Bongo Bongo is located in the South Seas. Hill manages to rig the compass so that the boat heads for the island instead of on its intended course. During a tussle both fall overboard and swim for the island, a tropic paradise inhabited by natives who behave like the cast from a 1920s Harlem musical. The island is guarded by a Japanese WW2 soldier unaware that the war is long over. He fires shots randomly in all directions narrowly missing both protagonists. Naturally the treasure is hidden in his fort. Hill and Spencer demolish the fort and most of the other structures on the island with the help of an abandoned WW2 Japanese tank. At this point the Japanese soldier reveals a remarkable talent for English music hall comedy and the three become allies. Periodically the island is visited by slave traders and the gangsters who, having found a duplicate map, are also looking for the treasure. Like Gilligan's Island, everyone except Hill and Spencer seem to come and go as they please. Each visit results in a slapstick melee in which Hill and Spencer are uniformly victorious, performing Jackie Chan feats of derring do. The escape from the island is anti-climatic except for the surprise ending which is as improbable as the rest of the story.

I must confess that I watched this movie because I own the original boat that was featured in the first half. It is a 1974 Willard Horizon motorsailer and looks just as it did in the film. The previous owner was a technical consultant on the seagoing sequences for the producer. I'm a fan of the boat, not necessarily the actors - but the film is a good family diversion on a rainy night. The kids will love it.