The spiffy new DVD cover
I’ve read Treasure Island many times, both for my own enjoyment and to my kids. It’s a great novel, an exciting story and a terrific basis for a film. But only one of the many film versions gets it right: 1990’s version for television, directed by Fraser Heston and starring his father Charlton and a young Christian Bale. For years this has been inaccessible except for premium-priced VHS versions, but now it’s finally on DVD in a splendid widescreen transfer.
In the popular consciousness, Treasure Island the novel labors under two misconceptions. One is that it’s a story for children; it’s not. It’s written from the perspective of a grown man remembering his adventures as an adolescent, not as a preteen. So in both the MGM and Disney versions, casting Jim as a small boy fundamentally alters the story’s dynamic. Christian Bale, on the other hand, is just right here. His adventures mark the transition from boyhood to the adult world, and he’s a good enough actor even at age 14 to anchor the film.
The other misconception is that the pirates are merely colorful but essentially harmless rogues, especially Long John Silver. Wallace Beery is friendly to distraction in the 1934 film, and it’s impossible to take Robert Newton’s hammy portrayal in the 1950 Disney film seriously. But what else could be done with Jim cast so young? Silver in the book is a dangerous man, a real flesh-and-blood pirate, fond of Jim but still willing to kill him if it helped get the treasure.
Charlton Heston proves just right for the part. With his history of larger-than-life roles, he’s got the stature and charisma to make the audience share Jim’s affection for him. And he’s a good enough actor that we buy him as a pirate, one vicious enough to intimidate the others.
The rest of the cast is just as solid. Oliver Reed nails the part of Billy Bones, while Julian Glover and Richard Johnson do solid turns as Jim’s compatriots. Even Jim’s mother, a thankless part as she’s the only woman in the story, is given a fiery presence by Isla Blair. The other pirates, from Blind Pew (a scary Christopher Lee) to Israel Hands (Michael Halsey), provide the constant menace that the story requires.
But what makes it work so well is that writer and director Fraser Heston treats the story as a serious life-and-death adventure. Knives cut, shrapnel rips, blood flows and people die. The island is no tropical amusement park, but a dark and sweaty place where buccaneer ghosts might still prowl the shadows. Even the late Captain Flint, the man who buried the treasure and who is usually no more than a name, is given a sense of presence and reality.
This version of Treasure Island is the real deal: well-acted, exciting and faithful to both the letter and spirit of Stevenson’s book. For those who’ve mistakenly considered this a tale for little children, first check out this film, then go back to the novel. You’re in for a pleasant surprise.
9 Comments on “Review: Treasure Island (1990)”
Brilliant review. Thank-you.
Couldn’t have put it better myself. Outstanding review for a brilliant film
Bravo on the great review, twas a brilliant film. Thank god!!
I wonder how the BBC 2012 version compares. Eddie Izard plays John Silver. I might buy it. It’s a great story and introduced themes that have been used ever since in pirate stories.
Excellent review, a book that’s a treat (at least twice a year) to read and a film that does it justice. Spot on review on many levels.
Yes, an excellent review indeed! For an excellent movie. I saw it the other day. All actors seemed right for their roles, especially Charlton Heston (Long John Silver), Christian Bale (14-year-old Jim) and Oliver Reed (Billy Bones). I gotta read the book again – soon!
Absolutely concur. Easily the best and most faithful screen version of the story. Really enjoyed Charlton Heston’s performance – he was definitely the Long John of the book. Could not disagree more with Tom Shales’s review in the Washington Post – has he ever read the book?
Just watched last night.- terrific! What movie did Tom Shales watch?
Tom Shales is clearly a Heston hater, one of many who loathe his role with the NRA But when I watched it back in 1990, I was impressed by both Heston and Christian Bale, and also the serious tone, far from a children’s book More than once, after a grim or even shocking scene I went back to the book and saw that it was all right there in Stevenson’s hand — even when one pirate tried to molest Jim. And Heston was the first to show why the other pirates feared Long John. Who could be afraid of Wallace Beery?