Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Very disappointing...

Crappy film

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Based on R.L. Stevenson's classic tale, especially aimed at boy readers. At one level, it's a reluctant buddy story between a devious, sometimes piratical, one-legged rascal(Long John Silver) and a naïve imaginative boy(Jim Hawkins) who worships the charismatic knowledgeable man. It's Jim who found the map to Captain Flint's buried treasure chest, and it's Silver who schemes to steal the map from the gentleman adventurers allied with Jim, and eventually the treasure as well as the ship that takes all to the island. Silver serves as cook aboard the ship, and was given the honor of selecting most of the crew, who will serve as his henchmen. Eventually, Jim overhears Silver talking to his gang about his plan of action, and relays this information to the gentlemen adventurers. Later, on the island, at one point, the other mutineers want to kill Jim, but Silver intercedes. On the voyage home, in reciprocation, Jim releases Silver from custody, so that he may sail off into the unknown, and avoid the hangman's noose that the gentlemen adventures had in store for him.....Wallace Berry makes an appealing charismatic Long John, but it's inevitable that he will be compared with Robert Newton, who took the same role in the 1954 Disney remake. Newton's rascally, but charismatic, Long John is more distinctive from Berry's version, but Berry is also very good. I would say hope to catch both versions some day. Of course, kids these days usually demand color movies, which is where Disney's version shines....Other charismatic characters include Lionel Barrymore as Billy Bones, who supplies the treasure map among his post-humus things., William Mung, as blind Pew, Charles McNunington as Black Dog, and ,of course, skeletal Ben Gun.

It only made sense that with the successful pairing of Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper, that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios would try their luck again with "Treasure Island." Wallace Beery adds his own unique charm to his portrayal of Long John Silver, that I found very amusing and he is actually pretty good on one leg. Jackie Cooper's acting is a little wooden as Jim Hawkins, but he does manage to shine and is most endearing in his many scenes with Beery. Lionel Barrymore must be mentioned for his excellent performance as the menacing Captain Billy Bones. Watching Charles 'Chic' Sale, will make you feel "itchy" as he plays poor Ben Gunn, who has lived alone on the deserted island for a few years. Otto Kruger, Lewis Stone, Nigel Bruce, Charles McNaughton, Dorothy Peterson, all provide fine performances in this Victor Fleming directed film, that was produced with the highest production values for a 1934 film. This above average adaption of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson story, still remains a very entertaining family film to watch.

One classic studio director is Victor Fleming. If 1939 was Hollywood's greatest year, he directed most of the scenes for the two most famous motion pictures of that year: THE WIZARD OF OZ and GONE WITH THE WIND.He was considered a man's director. It is ironic that the two previously mentioned essentially starred a female protagonist. Nevertheless, back in 1934, he was the one chosen to direct a film version of Robert Stevenson's 1883 novel, TREASURE ISLAND. It is available on DVD currently through Warner Brothers who owns the classic MGM film library.The story has been remade several times since and there's even a popular Las Vegas hotel with the name of Treaure Island. Elements of the story can be found the most recent Disney trilogy PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN.In this version, Wallace Beery stars as Long John Silver, then literature's most famous pirate. His co-star is Jackie Cooper as Jim Hawkins, the protagonist in Stevenson's novel. These two were teamed previously three years earlier in THE CHAMP. Berry shared the Best Actor Academy Award that year with Frederic March, who starred in another Stevenson story DR. JEKYLL AND MR HYDE, for his performance in CHAMP. It's generally conceded he would not have won without Cooper's strong performance. There two together again practically guaranteed a hit, which it was.The movie' beginning actually doesn't have Berry at all. It is actually dominated by the great character actor Lionel Barrymore. As Billy Bones, he bullies people in the inn to drink rum with him and forcing them to sing. Unfortunately he dies before having any scenes with Silver but not before he reviews a treasure map to Hawkins. It is what launches the story.Hawkins shares the map with Doctor Livesay (Otto Kruger) and Squire Trelawney (Nigel Bruce as his usual slightly goofy Englishman role). Through family connections, he lands a ship's mate position under Captain Smollett played no nonsense style by another familiar MGM character actor Lewis Stone. Silver connives his way through the boy's grace and gets a position as the ship's cook.I found neither Beery or Cooper entirely convincing here though both are fun to watch when together. There's actually a Jerkyll/Hyde aspect with Silver's character. It's almost transparent and possibly unintentionally comical how Silver lies through his teeth with Hawkins, explaining misdeeds that after some resistance, Hawkins just takes in. At times, Beery is just too hammy and Cooper just too wooden.It's revealed rather quickly what was a merciless thief and murdering mastermind Silver actually is. He takes advantage of everything that's afforded to him and it is these scenes that how what a great villain Beery could be.I must add here and this problem is shared with other American movies made in this time period. Douglass Dumbrile and his crew make very unconvincing Spanish pirates. It's sad evidence showing how segregated Los Angeles was at time.However, for the movie sake, they're great antagonists for Stone and his crew and allows Silver and his pirates escape the ship for the island. Fleming shows what a great action director he can be in the ultimate showdown where Silver gets outmaneuvered and captured.Which goes to the ending. Does Hawkins wise up or does he let Silver go? You'll have to watch to find out.

Victor Flemming, famous helmer for bigger films such as Gone With The Wind, conducts this adventure story with a pleasant, confidant ease, if not a touch of true inspiration.Wallace Beery is brilliant as Long John Silver while Jackie Cooper as Jim plays the perfect sounding board to Beery's loud, large, charismatic performance.Faithful to Mr. Louis Stevenson's chirography of the same tile; in this writer's humble opinion this incarnation of the film captures, most closely, the tone of the original novel - maybe it being closest to the novel chronologically can account for that.Beery delivers a truly classic American performance here, that anyone, even the most media jaded of our day, should have fun following the old tar and his young friend in their adventures across this terraqueous globe.