Treasure Island (1934 film)

Treasure Island

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	1934
Headquarters	United States
Products	Adventure film

Treasure Island is a 1934 American adventure film helmed by director Victor Fleming, featuring performances by Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, and Lionel Barrymore. This adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel centers on Jim Hawkins, who uncovers a treasure map and sets sail for a distant island. Their expedition faces danger from pirates led by the infamous Long John Silver.

Plot

Jim Hawkins (portrayed by Jackie Cooper) and his mother (Dorothy Peterson) manage the Admiral Benbow inn near Bristol, England. One stormy evening, Billy Bones (Lionel Barrymore) arrives, intoxicated and speaking of hidden treasure before he dies, leaving behind a chest containing a map. Dr. Livesey (Otto Kruger) recognizes the map as the route to Flint's treasure. Squire Trelawney (Nigel Bruce) finances a voyage on the Hispaniola, captained by Smollett (Lewis Stone), with Long John Silver (Wallace Beery) among the crew.

As the journey progresses, several crew members opposing Silver perish under mysterious conditions. Jim overhears Silver's plan to claim the treasure by force and eliminate the loyal men. Upon reaching the island, Jim encounters Ben Gunn (Chic Sale), who has already discovered Flint's treasure. Smollett and his faithful men take shelter in Flint's stockade while Silver's pirates launch their assault.

Jim covertly pilots the Hispaniola to safety, defending himself against pirate attacks. Although Silver negotiates a truce, he secretly wishes Jim dead but ultimately protects him. When the pirates find the treasure cache empty, dissent arises among them against Silver. In the ensuing conflict, Livesey and Gunn ally with Silver. Smollett returns home with the treasure concealed by Gunn and Silver held captive. Before departing, Silver warns Jim of his bleak future but hints at further adventures under the name "Honest John Silver."

Cast

• Wallace Beery as Long John Silver
• Jackie Cooper as Jim Hawkins
• Lionel Barrymore as Billy Bones
• Otto Kruger as Doctor Livesey
• Lewis Stone as Captain Smollett
• Nigel Bruce as Squire Trelawney
• Charles "Chic" Sale as Ben Gunn
• William V. Mong as Pew
• Charles McNaughton as Black Dog
• Dorothy Peterson as Mrs. Hawkins
• Vernon Downing as Inn Boy
• As Pirates of the Spanish Main:
  • Douglass Dumbrille (Israel Hands)
  • Edmund Breese (Job Anderson)
  • Olin Howland (Dick)
  • Charles Irwin (Abraham Gray)
  • Edward Pawley (William O'Brien)
  • Richard Powell (Post)
  • James Burke (George Merry)
  • John Anderson (Harry Sykes)
  • Charles Bennett (Dandy Dawson)
• Harry Cording as Henry (uncredited)
• J. M. Kerrigan as Tom Morgan (uncredited)

Production notes

Wallace Beery was originally cast to play Israel Hands in director Maurice Tourneur's 1920 silent version of Treasure Island for Paramount, but was ultimately replaced by Joseph Singleton. That same year, Beery starred in Tourneur's critically acclaimed silent film The Last of the Mohicans.

The pirate vessel Hispaniola was represented by Nanuk, a ship that had been transformed from a schooner into a fully rigged ship.

Reception

Although the film ranked as MGM's third top-grossing release of the season, generating $1,164,000 in domestic rentals and $1,100,000 internationally, its overall box office results were regarded as underwhelming. A re-release during 1937–38 contributed an additional $144,000 in earnings.

In 1936, critic Graham Greene commended the movie in The Spectator, emphasizing its "profounder, more poetic significance" relative to other films of the era. He drew attention to its abundant symbolism and the distinctly defined moral opposition between virtue and vice.

External links

• Treasure Island at Rotten Tomatoes