Treasure Island
(1934)
109-110 mins | Adventure | 17 August 1934
Director:
Victor FlemingWriter:
John Lee MahinProducer:
Hunt StrombergCinematographers:
Clyde DeVinna , Harold Rosson, Ray JuneEditor:
Blanche SewellProduction Designer:
Cedric GibbonsProduction Company:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.Robert Louis Stevenson's novel first appeared in Young Folks from 1881 to Jun 1882 under the title The Sea Cook or Treasure Island. The opening title card reads, "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer presents Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island." The end title card of the viewed print was superimposed over an "NRA" membership emblem. According to contemporary news items, as well as the picture's presskit, portions of the film were shot on location on and around Santa Catalina Island and Oakland, CA. A pre-production news item also noted that some exteriors were to be filmed in Hawaii. Information provided by the Point Lobos Historical Society notes that some scenes were also filmed at Point Lobos, CA. In its review, MPH lists the running time as 95 min. "on the Coast," but all other sources list it as 109 to 110 mins. Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper had previously appeared together in the very successful 1931 film The Champ, and 1933's The Bowery. Although some reviewers noted their continued appeal in this picture, most said the film was too long to hold the audience's interest. According to modern sources, however, the film did become one of M-G-M's biggest hits of the year. A HR news item in 1938 noted that the picture was being re-issued that summer. Stevenson's story has been adapted for the screen many times, including the 1917 Fox version directed by C. M. and S. A. Franklin, with Francis Carpenter and Violet Radcliffe, and the 1920 Famous Players-Lasky, Maurice Tourneur directed version with Charles Ogle and Shirley Mason (see ...
Robert Louis Stevenson's novel first appeared in Young Folks from 1881 to Jun 1882 under the title The Sea Cook or Treasure Island. The opening title card reads, "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer presents Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island." The end title card of the viewed print was superimposed over an "NRA" membership emblem. According to contemporary news items, as well as the picture's presskit, portions of the film were shot on location on and around Santa Catalina Island and Oakland, CA. A pre-production news item also noted that some exteriors were to be filmed in Hawaii. Information provided by the Point Lobos Historical Society notes that some scenes were also filmed at Point Lobos, CA. In its review, MPH lists the running time as 95 min. "on the Coast," but all other sources list it as 109 to 110 mins. Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper had previously appeared together in the very successful 1931 film The Champ, and 1933's The Bowery. Although some reviewers noted their continued appeal in this picture, most said the film was too long to hold the audience's interest. According to modern sources, however, the film did become one of M-G-M's biggest hits of the year. A HR news item in 1938 noted that the picture was being re-issued that summer. Stevenson's story has been adapted for the screen many times, including the 1917 Fox version directed by C. M. and S. A. Franklin, with Francis Carpenter and Violet Radcliffe, and the 1920 Famous Players-Lasky, Maurice Tourneur directed version with Charles Ogle and Shirley Mason (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1911-20; F1.4550 and F1.4551). Subsequent to the 1934 M-G-M version, the story was made in 1950 by Walt Disney, directed by Byron Haskin with Robert Newton and Bobby Driscoll, and in 1954 as the Australian film Long John Silver, also directed by Haskin and starring Newton. Newton subsequently starred in an American television series of Long John Silver in 1957. Orsen Welles adapted the novel for his Mercury Theatre radio program in 1938, co-starring with Agnes Moorehead, and also appeared in a 1972 British-made film directed by John Hough. A television movie version of the novel was made in 1990, directed by Fraser Heston and starring Charlton Heston.
Young Jim Hawkins and his mother run the Admiral Benbow Inn near Bristol, England. During a birthday celebration, the mysterious Billy Bones arrives and drunkenly talks about treasure. Soon after, Bones is visited by Black Dog then Pew, and drops dead, leaving a chest, which he bragged contained gold and jewels. Instead of money, Jim finds a map that his friend Dr. Livesey realizes will lead them to the famous Flint treasure. Squire Trelawney raises money for a voyage to the treasure island and they set sail on Captain Alexander Smollett's ship. Also on board is the one-legged Long John Silver and his cronies. Even though Bones had warned Jim about a sailor with one leg, they become friends. During the voyage, several fatal "accidents" happen to sailors who disapprove of Silver and his cohorts. Then, the night before landing on the island, Jim overhears Silver plotting to take the treasure and kill Smollett's men. Jim goes ashore with the men, and encounters an old hermit named Ben Gunn, who tells him that he has found Flint's treasure. Meanwhile, Smollett and his men flee to the island's stockade for safety. Silver's men then attack the stockade when Smollett refuses to give them the treasure map. While the situation looks hopeless, Jim secretly goes back to the ship at night, sails it to a safe location and shoots one of the pirates in self-defense. When he returns to the stockade, Silver's men are there and Silver tells them that a treaty has been signed. The pirates want to kill Jim, but Silver protects him. Dr. Livesey comes ...
Young Jim Hawkins and his mother run the Admiral Benbow Inn near Bristol, England. During a birthday celebration, the mysterious Billy Bones arrives and drunkenly talks about treasure. Soon after, Bones is visited by Black Dog then Pew, and drops dead, leaving a chest, which he bragged contained gold and jewels. Instead of money, Jim finds a map that his friend Dr. Livesey realizes will lead them to the famous Flint treasure. Squire Trelawney raises money for a voyage to the treasure island and they set sail on Captain Alexander Smollett's ship. Also on board is the one-legged Long John Silver and his cronies. Even though Bones had warned Jim about a sailor with one leg, they become friends. During the voyage, several fatal "accidents" happen to sailors who disapprove of Silver and his cohorts. Then, the night before landing on the island, Jim overhears Silver plotting to take the treasure and kill Smollett's men. Jim goes ashore with the men, and encounters an old hermit named Ben Gunn, who tells him that he has found Flint's treasure. Meanwhile, Smollett and his men flee to the island's stockade for safety. Silver's men then attack the stockade when Smollett refuses to give them the treasure map. While the situation looks hopeless, Jim secretly goes back to the ship at night, sails it to a safe location and shoots one of the pirates in self-defense. When he returns to the stockade, Silver's men are there and Silver tells them that a treaty has been signed. The pirates want to kill Jim, but Silver protects him. Dr. Livesey comes for Jim, but the boy refuses to break his word to Silver not to run away. The next day the pirates search for the treasure hold and when they find it, it is empty. When some of the pirates mutiny against Silver, Livesey and Gunn join him in the fight. Smollett then sails home with the treasure, which Gunn had hidden in his cave, and with Silver as his prisoner. Unable to stand by and let his friend be hanged, Jim frees Silver. As he sails away, Silver promises to be good.
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