Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

JohnHowardReid Copyright 7 August 1934 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. New York opening at the Capitol: 17 August 1934. U.K. release: 22 December 1934. Australian release: 19 December 1934. 11 reels. 109 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Young Jim Hawkins tackles vicious Long John Silver.VIEWERS' GUIDE: Suitable for all.COMMENT: Young Cooper is not an overly convincing Jim Hawkins, but everyone else is absolutely brilliant in this outstandingly entertaining version of the Stevenson novel we all studied so assiduously at school. Why didn't they lighten our little hearts by showing us this terrific movie, for heaven's sake? Just plain mean, I guess. No doubt to-day's students have merely to call up the movie on the Internet — making sure they specify this one and not the Robert Newton or Orson Welles interpretations. For fine as those actors are, they can't compare with Wallace Beery. In fact, Long John Silver was the role Beery was born to play. He is charmingly superb.But Beery's is not the only performance-of-a-lifetime in this masterfully directed account of a Boy's Own mutiny and piracy. Lionel Barrymore's is the other really stand-out piece of acting. And we should also make a special laudatory mention of both William V. Mong's Pew and Charles McNaughton's Black Spot.The rest of the players are no laggards either. What a cast! What a cast!Maybe Chic Sale is a bit too "in character" as Ben Gunn. But as 99% of "Treasure Island" viewers will never have seen the old Chic before (even though he made at least a dozen other pictures), this is a ridiculous quibble.At least director Victor Fleming is not an unknown quantity among school kids. Yes, this is just as good as Gone With The Wind or The Wizard of Oz or Captains Courageous or Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. In fact it's a darn sight better. Maybe I'm prejudiced because I'm a direct descendant of Robert Stevenson, Robert Louis Stevenson's grand- father, so bear that in mind! AVAILABLE on an excellent Warner DVD.

ma-cortes Hollywood vintage adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson pirate adventure from an eyeball-rolling Wallace Beery and a splendid Jacke Coogan . Again we live the roaring adventure of men against the sea . We share the struggles, the heartaches, the laughter of courageous souls who leave their houses they love to dare the wrath of the angry pirates. Upright men and greedy pirates in conflict with their destiny enacting the Robert Stevenson's most thrilling story. Jim Hawkins (an appealing acting by Jackie Coogan) encounters the map that lead to a distant island where is a buried treasure. Then , the young boy join forces with captain Smollett (Lewis Stone), Squire (Nigel Bruce), Doctor Livesey (Otto Kruger) and of course a boisterous Long John Silver(a brilliant triumph by Wallace Beery who is notably snarly , though relatively subdued) journey to isle 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 . Jim Hawkins matches with peg-legged Long Silver and adventures go on .Fun story of high seas adventure plenty of intrigue , fights and action. The whole piece of adventure teems with emotion , thrills , humor , atmosphere and being pretty amusing . Appropriately adventurous rendition of Robert Stevenson's often-filmed and spine-tingling tale , in which Wallace Beery hands perfectly the role as rogue pirate and gives a memorable acting, as always. Jackie Coogans as sympathetic naive Jim is fabulous and appealing . Delightful performance by Charles Chic Sale as Ben Gunn, as well. At the film appears usual and notorious secondary actors in several Hollywood productions, such as Lionel Barrymore as Billy Bones , Otto Kruger as Doctor Livesey , Lewis Stone as Captain Smollett , Douglass Dumbrille as Pirate of the Spanish Main and Watson's Nigel Bruce as Squire . The motion picture was well directed directed by Victor Fleming . This production is powered by the great Wallace Beery and likable Jackie Coogan. Also available in horrible colorized version . 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 : Disney take on (1950) by Byron Haskin with Robert Newton , Basil Sydney and Bobby Driscoll , respectable full-blooded second-best the classic Fleming version ; European retelling (1974) by John Hough with Orson Welles , Angel Del Pozo , Lionel Stander and Kim Burfield ; Teasure 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 ; and cartoon-Sci-Fi version Treasure planet (2002) directed by John Musker and Ron Clemens . Furthermore , Muppet's Treasure island and recent rendition (2012) starred by Eddie Izzard .

James J Cremin One classic studio director is Victor Fleming. If 1939 was Hollywood's greatest year, he directed most of the scenes for the two most famous motion pictures of that year: THE WIZARD OF OZ and GONE WITH THE WIND.He was considered a man's director. It is ironic that the two previously mentioned essentially starred a female protagonist. Nevertheless, back in 1934, he was the one chosen to direct a film version of Robert Stevenson's 1883 novel, TREASURE ISLAND. It is available on DVD currently through Warner Brothers who owns the classic MGM film library.The story has been remade several times since and there's even a popular Las Vegas hotel with the name of Treaure Island. Elements of the story can be found the most recent Disney trilogy PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN.In this version, Wallace Beery stars as Long John Silver, then literature's most famous pirate. His co-star is Jackie Cooper as Jim Hawkins, the protagonist in Stevenson's novel. These two were teamed previously three years earlier in THE CHAMP. Berry shared the Best Actor Academy Award that year with Frederic March, who starred in another Stevenson story DR. JEKYLL AND MR HYDE, for his performance in CHAMP. It's generally conceded he would not have won without Cooper's strong performance. There two together again practically guaranteed a hit, which it was.The movie' beginning actually doesn't have Berry at all. It is actually dominated by the great character actor Lionel Barrymore. As Billy Bones, he bullies people in the inn to drink rum with him and forcing them to sing. Unfortunately he dies before having any scenes with Silver but not before he reviews a treasure map to Hawkins. It is what launches the story.Hawkins shares the map with Doctor Livesay (Otto Kruger) and Squire Trelawney (Nigel Bruce as his usual slightly goofy Englishman role). Through family connections, he lands a ship's mate position under Captain Smollett played no nonsense style by another familiar MGM character actor Lewis Stone. Silver connives his way through the boy's grace and gets a position as the ship's cook.I found neither Beery or Cooper entirely convincing here though both are fun to watch when together. There's actually a Jerkyll/Hyde aspect with Silver's character. It's almost transparent and possibly unintentionally comical how Silver lies through his teeth with Hawkins, explaining misdeeds that after some resistance, Hawkins just takes in. At times, Beery is just too hammy and Cooper just too wooden.It's revealed rather quickly what was a merciless thief and murdering mastermind Silver actually is. He takes advantage of everything that's afforded to him and it is these scenes that how what a great villain Beery could be.I must add here and this problem is shared with other American movies made in this time period. Douglass Dumbrile and his crew make very unconvincing Spanish pirates. It's sad evidence showing how segregated Los Angeles was at time.However, for the movie sake, they're great antagonists for Stone and his crew and allows Silver and his pirates escape the ship for the island. Fleming shows what a great action director he can be in the ultimate showdown where Silver gets outmaneuvered and captured.Which goes to the ending. Does Hawkins wise up or does he let Silver go? You'll have to watch to find out.

RebHarkness Yes, 9 stars from me, certain I am! This version's my favorite treasure-hunt-pirate movie, it ought to be on DVD just as it is, not colorized. I know, Beery's basically the same guy he played in most of his talkies. But someone at MGM had a flash of casting genius cuz Beery is the spittin' image of the Sea Cook in Winslow Homer's illustrations for the novel, and he wears the role like his favorite pair of--um--shoe. And even if the only English accents seem to come from Nigel Bruce (most prominently) and (who else? can't recall), somehow this cast makes their variety of UnitedStatesian accents work. They pull it off. There are a few differences between the novel and this movie version, but darn few and so what. There's no shortage of remakes & won't be. I'll take this version! Saw it on TV three or four times in my teen yrs, having read the novel when I was 12, and the differences were never significant to me. I've seen Disney's, which I liked on the Disneyland telecast, but, while Robert Newton is a definitive Long John Silver and the quintessential adventure-tale pirate--people today say Arrrr! because of his performance--Bobby Driscoll's Jim Hawkins never quite did the job in my opinion. (And Jack Palance is another great actor and his Long John Silver terrific but the version he's in is embarrassingly bad. Haven't seen the Charlton Heston.) Gotta go with this MGM version, Jackie Cooper's pout and all (but does Cooper have Presence!). From the opening scene, in which we are introduced to Jim Hawkins and Billy Bones (Lionel Barrymore having the time of his life! and setting the standard for the rest of the cast), and the unfolding story giving us as motley & mangy a bunch of pirates as ever were--among them Charles McNaughton as Black Dog, Charles Bennett as a creepy Dandy Dawson, Douglas Dumbrille as Israel Hands, and "Chic" Sale as loony Ben Gunn--to the last frame of the last scene this is a downright exciting adventure, and I think it does Robert Louis Stevenson proud (yep, even w/the minor differences). To your kids: I suggest finding an edition of the novel w/ Winslow Homer's illustrations, read that first, cuz there's nothing like the original, with justright illustrations for a bonus, and your imagination. Then sit your parents down & watch this MGM version with 'em. You'll have a fine family evening. Yes, you will, sez I!! Now get me a noggin' o' rum!!!