Faithful adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's rousing tale of pirates and buried treasure on the Spanish Main, it is an action and adventure lovers treat and one the whole family can enjoy.
Starring the inimitable Wallace Beery in a great screen performance, as Long John Silver, a one-legged sailor who signs on as ship's cook. The adventurers try to hire a ship (The Hispaniola) and crew to search for buried treasure and newly-hired Beery offers to find the crew for them. What the honest men don't know is that Long John was first mate with the infamous Cap'n Flint, when they buried the treasure long ago on Treasure Island! The crew, waiting at Long John's tavern, is a gang of cutthroats just like the author so vividly described in the novel.
Jackie Cooper is the hero of the story, Jim Hawkins, a boy who finds the map among an old buccaneer's (Barrymore's) effects after he hastily departs this life without paying his bill at the Admiral Benbow, an inn kept by Jim's mother. Cooper was a blonde-haired child actor who made a number of very successful movies in the 30s, however, was little heard of afterwards.
Wallace Beery is stupendous as he wins his way into the adventurers' confidence, meanwhile plotting with the mutinous crew behind the scenes, finally resorting to out-and-out murder without batting an eye.
Supporting cast is comprised of some of the finest character actors from the golden age of Hollywood: Otto Kruger (Dr. Livesey), Lewis Stone (Capt. Smollett), Nigel Bruce (Squire Trelawney), and Lionel Barrymore(Billy Bones).
Needless to say, they find the treasure, but there are more pressing things on the adventurers' minds by the time they arrive at Treasure Island - pirate attack!
Watch Lewis Stone as the immovable Cap'n Smollet, refuse to give Long John a hand up after their parley at the redoubt. Silver has to crawl back to the pirate lines.
The movie has a happy ending, but there are plenty of plot twists and comic relief to keep you delighted. This is a five star adventure and holds up even in the colorized version. Watch it if you haven't seen it, or watch it again if you have!
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