The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993)

In Missouri, during the 1840s, young Huck Finn fearful of his drunkard father and yearning for adventure, leaves his foster family and joins with runaway slave Jim in a voyage down the Mississippi River toward slavery free states.

Director:

Stephen Sommers

Writers:

Mark Twain (novel), Stephen Sommers (screenplay)

Stars:

Elijah Wood, Courtney B. Vance, Robbie Coltrane

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elijah Wood	...	Huck Finn
Courtney B. Vance	...	Jim
Robbie Coltrane	...	The Duke
Jason Robards	...	The King
Ron Perlman	...	Pap Finn
Dana Ivey	...	Widow Douglas
Anne Heche	...	Mary Jane Wilks
James Gammon	...	Deputy Hines
Paxton Whitehead	...	Harvey Wilks
Tom Aldredge	...	Dr. Robinson
Laura Bell Bundy	...	Susan Wilks (as Laura Bundy)
Curtis Armstrong	...	Country Jake
Mary Louise Wilson	...	Miss Watson
Frances Conroy	...	Scrawny Shanty Lady
Danny Tamberelli	...	Ben Rodgers (as Daniel Tamberelli)

Storyline

Huckelberry was a young boy , who runs away from home, and floats down the Mississippi River. He meets a run away slave named Jim and the two undertake a series of adventures based on the Picaresque novel by Mark Twain. As the story progresses the duo exploit an array of episodic enterprises, while Huckleberry slowly changes his views of bigotry. Along the way, Huck and Jim meet the King and Duke, who ultimately send the protagonists towards a different route on their journey. As Huck begins to have a change of heart, he gradually begins to distinguish between right and wrong, and conclusively, Huck is faced with the moral dilemma between the world's prejudice, of which he's grown up with, and the lessons Jim has taught him throughout the story about the evils of racism.

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Plot Keywords:

slave | river | boy | runaway | runaway slave | 

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Taglines:

For anyone who has ever dreamed of running away from it all.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

2 April 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Filming Locations:

Jefferson Military College - Highway 61, Washington, Mississippi, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,033,029, 4 April 1993, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$24,103,594

Company Credits

Production Co:

Steve White Productions,Touchwood Pacific Partners 1,Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jason Robards played Mark Twain himself in Mark Twain and Me (1991).

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Goofs

Huck's raft is rammed (at around 49 mins) by a ship with a high bow, designed for rough/open seas. But when the camera angle changes, we see a typical Mississippi paddle steamer with the characteristically low bow, steaming by the wreckage.

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Quotes

Huck Finn: So kick off yer shoes, if yer wearin' em', and git ready for a spit-lickin' good time!

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Connections

Version of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1984)

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Soundtracks

String Quartet No.17 'Jagd' in B-Flat major, K.458
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Arranged by Dante Progliese
Courtesy of Hollywood Film Music Libraly

User Reviews

A worthy film adaptation of a great book

If you haven't read Mark Twain's book already, I highly recommend you read it, for it is a truly great and compelling read. While not 100% perfect, this is a worthy film adaptation. As people have pointed out, the film is true in spirit if not in the details to the book, but it is really not bad on its own merits. For one thing, it's beautifully filmed, with crisp cinematography and beautiful scenery. Then there is a wonderful score, very fitting with what was going on on screen. Also a decent script, good direction and even better performances. Elijah Wood does a good enough job in what I consider one of his best performances in the title role, while Courtney B.Vance plays Jim with such feeling and finesse he was perfect. Ron Perlman is suitably brutish, while Jason Robards and Robbie Coltrane come close to stealing the film as the roguish King and Duke. Plus the ending was heart-rending. My only problems were some parts that were too overly-modernised, its length and how Tom Sawyer was written but other than that this is a worthy film and adaptation. 7/10 Bethany Cox