Robert Louis Stevenson is the author of a number of interesting stories including the \u201cStrange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,\u201d \u201cKidnapped\u201d and \u201cTreasure Island.\u201d I\u2019ve always thought Treasure Island is one of the best boy\u2019s stories ever written. I give a copy to each of my grandsons when he reaches the age where he can read it. It is one of the best.<\/p>\n
Treasure Island has been made into a movie several times by Hollywood but for my money the best by a mile is the 1934 version with Victor Fleming directing. It stars Jackie Cooper as the boy hero Jim Hawkins and Wallace Beery as the pirate chief Long John Silver. Cooper was a kid actor in the Little Rascals series and also known for melodramatic roles in some big movies. Beery was a big star of the time who appeared in both comic and dramatic roles. The idea of using American actors in this British story seems ridiculous. Cooper doesn\u2019t even pretend to use a British accent. He speaks in an obviously 20th century American accent. Beery uses a very stagey 18th century English accent. This is also the case with the rest of the cast. There is one actual brit Nigel Bruce (of Sherlock Holmes\u2019 Doctor Watson fame) in the cast but he doesn\u2019t come off any more authentic than any of the other actors. On the face of it, it seems impossible that anything good would emerge. But it does. It\u2019s the best.<\/p>\n
The story entertains at every turn. Boys from six to a hundred and six love this movie because it has everything they want. Treasure, pirates, sailing ships (the Hispaniola), desert islands, battles with flintlocks and cutlasses, and all manner of exciting adventure. The movie version takes some liberties with the book (mostly to put Long John Silver in a slightly better light) but the adaption is faithful to the spirit of the story and it remains solidly entertaining.<\/p>\n
One of my favorite scenes is Jim Hawkins confronting the pirate, Israel Hands, while Jim is stealing the Hispaniola from the pirates to forestall the use of the ship\u2019s cannons against his friends in the besieged blockhouse. In that scene Jim needs to be brave and resourceful and no adult is there to help him against a deadly adversary. In other scenes, the comedy inherent in his conversations with the ruthless but personable Long John Silver are memorable.<\/p>\n
I guess what makes it timeless is the young protagonist proving himself a heroic and resourceful figure in the company of men, both good men and truly evil men. Basically it\u2019s the same formula in the greek myths and every other hero coming of age story.<\/p>\n
If you have a son or a grandson or a nephew or other boy who enjoys adventure (as most boys do) buy him the book and after he\u2019s read it give him the movie to watch. And make some popcorn and watch it with him. You\u2019ll enjoy it and so will he. Certain he will matey. Certain he will.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Robert Louis Stevenson is the author of a number of interesting stories including the \u201cStrange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,\u201d \u201cKidnapped\u201d and \u201cTreasure<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[239,238,237],"tags":[68,333,43,191,334,331,332],"class_list":["post-1423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-movie-reviews","category-classic-movie-reviews","category-reviews","tag-book-review","tag-jackie-cooper","tag-movie-review","tag-ocf-classic-movie-review","tag-robert-louis-stevenson","tag-trasure-island","tag-wallace-beery"],"yoast_head":"\n