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L'isola del tesoro (1934) - Treasure Island

Regia:
Victor Fleming

Sceneggiatura di:
John Lee Mahin,
John Howard Lawson (uncredited),
Leonard Praskins (uncredited)

Fotografia:
Clyde DeVinna, Ray June, Harold Rosson

Musiche di:
Herbert Stothart

Produzione:
Hunt Stromberg

Anno di produzione
1934

Stato di produzione
USA

Cast

Wallace Beery ..... Long John Silver
Jackie Cooper ..... Jim Hawkins
Lionel Barrymore ..... Billy Bones
Otto Kruger ..... Dr. Livesey
Lewis Stone ..... Capt. Smollett
Nigel Bruce ..... Squire Trelawney
Charles Sale
William V. Mong
Charles Bennett

Galleria fotografica


Jackie Cooper nei panni di Jim Hawkins	Billy Bones e Jim Hawkins

Avventure sull'isola	La cabina del capitano dell'Hispaniola

Jim e Long John Silver	Jim sulla nave

Opera di riferimento:

L'isola del Tesoro di R.L. Stevenson

Trama

Prima di morire un vecchio pirata affida al piccolo Jim Hawkins la mappa del tesoro appartenuta a un celebre e temuto filibustiere, il capitano Flint. Il bimbo la consegna a due gentiluomini sui amici il cavaliere Trelawney e il dottore Livesey i quali armano una nave l'Hispaniola, l'affidano al comando del capitano Smollet e con essa partono assieme con Jim per l'isola in cui è sepolto il tesoro Fra i membri dell'equipaggio, quasi tutti ceffi da galera spicca per l'autorità che dimostra di avere sui suoi compagni l'anziano John Silver un ex pirata privo di una gamba. Un giorno il piccolo Jim scopre casualmente che John e l'equipaggio, ai quali è noto lo scopo della spedizione, intendono ammutinarsi, impadronirsi della nave, della mappa e naturalmente, del tesoro. Fallito in partenza, grazie allo stesso Jim, il piano di Silver, Trelawney, Livesey, Smollet, tre fedelissimi servi del cavaliere e, infine, il bambino riescono, raggiunta l'isola a sbarcarvi e a rifugiarsi in un vecchio fortino, cui Silver e gli altri pirati che lo stringono d'assedio danno inutilmente l'assalto. Allontanatosi di nascosto per tornare a bordo dell'Hispaniola e farla arenare Jim cade, al ritorno sull'isola nelle mani di Silver che ha lasciato liberi gli occupanti del fortino, in cambio della mappa. Riuscito con l'astuzia a domare una ribellione dei suoi superstiti compagni e a impedire che uccidessero Jim, Silver arriva finalmente al nascondiglio del tesoro, ma lo trova vuoto. Credendo a una beffa di John, gli altri pirati imbracciano le armi contro di lui ma cadono fulminati, dagli amici di Jim, che si erano tenuti nascosti.

Young Jim Hawkins gets involved with pirates Billy, Black Dog, and Long John Silver who are searching for Flint’s buried treasure. When Billy dies of fright and gives the treasure map to Jim, Doctor Livsey and Squire Trawlaney hire a ship and crew to go for the treasure. Naively, they hire a crew of cutthroats under the command of Long John Silver. They sail under Captain Smollett. Long John befriends Jim. By accident, Jim overhears Long John’s plans at mutiny. When they arrive at the island, Long John leads a mutiny and tries to seize the treasure. The Squire, Livsey and Smollett try to fight them as best they can. Jim is caught in the middle. After several adventures and battles, all the mutineers but Long John are killed and the treasure recovered. They take the treasure aboard but Long John escapes.

Commento

The fifth film adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel of the same name, and the first version with sound, Treasure Island (1934) opens at a rowdy, sea-side pub where we are introduced to the young Jim Hawkins (Jackie Cooper). He is held spellbound by a tale of buried treasure told by a drunken Billy Bones (Lionel Barrymore) who also holds the map to the gold. After Billy Bones dies, young Cooper liberates the map and hooks up with Dr. Livesey (Otto Kruger) and Squire Trelawney (Nigel Bruce), promising them untold riches. The trio book passage on a ship run by Captain Smollett (Lewis Stone) and are befriended by none other than Long John Silver ( Wallace Beery). Quickly making friends with the map-holding lad, Silver secretly devises an elaborate double-cross, which begins as soon as they reach the island. First, he stages a mutiny with his gang of cutthroats against the unsuspecting captain and the three gold digging passengers. Then he steals the map. But there's a big surprise in store for Long John when he reaches the buried treasure site.

An adrenaline-pumping tale for boys that was popular long before the appearance of heroic adventurers like Indiana Jones, Treasure Island was altered slightly to please MGM chief Louis B. Mayer. Having never read the book or the shooting script, Mayer was distressed at the lack of a happy ending. To make matters worse, there was no scene of little Jackie Cooper crying - his signature in those days. Insisting that audiences wanted both a happy ending, and waterworks from Cooper, Mayer demanded re-shoots resulting in the film as seen today. But the re-shoots did not come easy. Beery, who was no walk in the park under the best circumstances, resented being summoned back to play a supporting role in Cooper's scene, so he did his best to be difficult. He would blow lines, and he would stall by hiding out in his dressing room, or excusing himself to the restroom immediately after he appeared on set. When all was said and done, Beery managed to stretch a two and a half page scene, scheduled for just one day of shooting, into nearly a week.

All in all, the film delivers on its promise of intrigue and imagination, fueled by John Lee Mahin's screenplay, and Victor Fleming's direction. Variety noted when the film was released that "Fleming's direction has some exceptionally fine photographic effects - effects that can't help but impress." This was no doubt excellent training for Fleming before going on to direct impressive spectacles like The Wizard Of Oz (1939), and Gone With The Wind (1939). And just like those later epics, Treasure Island is an awful lot of fun and appeals to the adventurer in all of us.

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Autore della scheda: Arato Alberto

Data di inserimento della scheda 06/05/2004

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