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    Treasure Island (Remastered)

    Buena Vista/Buena Vista . R4 . COLOR . 91 mins . G . PAL

      Feature
    Contract

    This was Walt Disney's first-ever live-action movie, when he used those often-annoying real actors made of flesh and blood instead of the characters who tumbled out of ink-pots.

    Treasure Island was a fine start to a splendid tradition. I always found the Disney cartoons pretty wet. Yes, some of the feature-length stuff was admirable, and Snow White was a treat. But forget the rest of the stuff - MGM with its Tom and Jerry series and Warner Bros with its Looney Tunes were where the real Saturday matinee action was.

    But with the live action material, Disney was on a winner. Treasure Island, Davy Crockett, Pollyanna, The Parent Trap - these were (and still are) movies which can capture generation after generation.

    And Treasure Island is amongst the best. Admittedly, the little star, Bobby Driscoll, is a soppy American kid (though there have been worse), but all is forgiven once the character of Long John Silver explodes on the screen, played with unforgettable and inimitable brio by the always-wondrous Robert Newton.

    I guess Robert Newton would find it hard to accept that he is best remembered today for his over-the-top role as a pirate in a kid's movie, rather than for something as fine as his passionate dying artist in Odd Man Out. But those are the breaks. That's cinema.

    There was a time when Newton's Long John Silver had passed from cinema into folklore. When everybody thought they could put on that Yorkshire-esque accent and be Newton as Long John. But there was only one Newton. Or two - in real life comedian Tony Hancock did a better impersonation of Newton than Newton himself.

    That's to digress. What I meant to say is that you should forget that this is meant to be a kid's movie. Give yourself a treat and travel back to a simpler time, when treasures were buried and rediscovered, and when pirates were ready to slit your gizzard in the black of night. It's a great flick, and I'd even say it was suitable for children of all ages, if that wasn't such an over-used cliche.

      Video
    Contract

    This is supposed to be a 'remastered' edition, but it looks identical in every respect to the former Region 2 and 4 transfer - except that there's a new Buena Vista logo placed ahead of the original RKO movie banner.

    It's a serviceable transfer from what seems to be a print preserved in only reasonable condition. There are a few flecks and scratches throughout, but things settle down after fairly dirty opening-credits. Colour values seem pretty variable, with tonal shifts between studio and exterior shots. But most of the time the colour is reasonably rich and pleasing.

    It's good enough to allow for pleasurable viewing. I'm surprised though that Disney didn't decide to give their historic first-ever live-action flick the same kind of loving restoration they lavished upon the DVD issues of Pollyanna and the original Parent Trap. The restoration/transfer of Pollyanna in particular shows just what would have been possible. Treasure Island deserves the same sort of treatment.

      Audio
    Contract

    The two-channel mono soundtrack is strong and clear and is quite adequate for its purpose in this dialogue-biased movie. There seems to be no harshness or distortion; it's a very clean presentation.

      Extras
    Contract

    There are no extra features.

      Overall  
    Contract

    It's a wonderful family movie and even if your kids get a bit bored, you'll love it. So get it.

    You will have to get it again if Disney ever decides to bring out a properly-remastered version, but don't hold your breath for that... this is not a brilliant transfer, but it's adequate.


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      And I quote...
    "Robert Newton is set to thrill and chill a new generation, as the most deadly, rapacious (and downright loveable) pirate this side of the Spanish Main. "
    - Anthony Clarke
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