I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

I've never read the book Treasure Island so I can't compare this 1934 adaptation to the source material but rather give a point of view as someone who watched the film out of admiration for the stars involved. Treasure Island doesn't have the unmanufactured feel or the neo- realism of the pervious pairing of Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper of The Champ (then again few films do) but I was satisfied to get my fill of another Beery-Cooper pairing. The chemistry they share, what a pure and natural delight.For me Cooper's performance in Treasure Island is priceless; a little kid trying to act tough. I can't help but let out an "awwwww!!" at any moment when he's in over his head. I can see how his performance would rub others the wrong way but I can't get enough of it. Cooper's relationship to Beery in reality was nothing like it was in fiction but watching him on screen you would never think otherwise. You can see the admiration Jim Hawkins has for Long John Silver on his face and likewise, when he discovers the truth about Long John, just look at the pure horror that bestows his face. Wallace Beery on other hand looks just like a true, rugged seafarer and a beast of a pirate. Being an actor of the silent era he has a beat up face which says so much. Beery simply had the look this role required. Treasure Island saw the return of the swashbuckler to Hollywood, popular during the 1920's but almost nonexistent during the pre-code era. Coming from MGM, the production values are second to none, even throwing some exotic animals into the mix and a taster of what was to come in MGM's Mutiny on the Bounty.Before Beery appears on screen Lionel Barrymore as Billy Bones steals any scene he's occupies and when I say steals, I mean steals. I can't determine whether or not his performance is supposed to be funny or not but his scenery chewing grounceness, rambling and his constant desire for rum cracks me up ("Bottle of rum ya old hag!!").The ending is an emotional punch to the gut albeit one of mixed emotions. It's not clear during the film whether or not Long John has any affection for Jim or is just manipulating him and taking advantage of his naivety. Regardless watching Jackie Cooper crying his little heart out as Beery embarks of the ship, you would need to have a heart of stone not to be moved.

Hollywood vintage adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson pirate adventure from an eyeball-rolling Wallace Beery and a splendid Jacke Coogan . Again we live the roaring adventure of men against the sea . We share the struggles, the heartaches, the laughter of courageous souls who leave their houses they love to dare the wrath of the angry pirates. Upright men and greedy pirates in conflict with their destiny enacting the Robert Stevenson's most thrilling story. Jim Hawkins (an appealing acting by Jackie Coogan) encounters the map that lead to a distant island where is a buried treasure. Then , the young boy join forces with captain Smollett (Lewis Stone), Squire (Nigel Bruce), Doctor Livesey (Otto Kruger) and of course a boisterous Long John Silver(a brilliant triumph by Wallace Beery who is notably snarly , though relatively subdued) journey to isle of hidden bounty. The young cabin boy Hawkins has a treasure map and a boatload of kill-crazed pirates eager for the riches hidden on Treasure Island . Jim Hawkins matches with peg-legged Long Silver and adventures go on .Fun story of high seas adventure plenty of intrigue , fights and action. The whole piece of adventure teems with emotion , thrills , humor , atmosphere and being pretty amusing . Appropriately adventurous rendition of Robert Stevenson's often-filmed and spine-tingling tale , in which Wallace Beery hands perfectly the role as rogue pirate and gives a memorable acting, as always. Jackie Coogans as sympathetic naive Jim is fabulous and appealing . Delightful performance by Charles Chic Sale as Ben Gunn, as well. At the film appears usual and notorious secondary actors in several Hollywood productions, such as Lionel Barrymore as Billy Bones , Otto Kruger as Doctor Livesey , Lewis Stone as Captain Smollett , Douglass Dumbrille as Pirate of the Spanish Main and Watson's Nigel Bruce as Squire . The motion picture was well directed directed by Victor Fleming . This production is powered by the great Wallace Beery and likable Jackie Coogan. Also available in horrible colorized version . Rating : Above average . Well worth watching , you'll be on the edge of your seat . Other renditions -being multitudinous remakes , as there are many films made of it- based on this classic novel are the followings : Disney take on (1950) by Byron Haskin with Robert Newton , Basil Sydney and Bobby Driscoll , respectable full-blooded second-best the classic Fleming version ; European retelling (1974) by John Hough with Orson Welles , Angel Del Pozo , Lionel Stander and Kim Burfield ; Teasure Island (1999) by Marc Charlesbois with Jack Palance , Patrick Bergin and Kevin Zegers ; TV recounting by Fraser C Heston with Charlton Heston , Christian Bale and Richard Johnson ; and cartoon-Sci-Fi version Treasure planet (2002) directed by John Musker and Ron Clemens . Furthermore , Muppet's Treasure island and recent rendition (2012) starred by Eddie Izzard .

Yes, the pacing of this Metro picture may be a bit awkward but it's my favorite TREASURE ISLAND simply for the wonderful cast. Beery is just great as Silver, especially when compared to the truly horrible Robert Newton. Otto Kruger, Nigel Bruce and Lewis Stone add some genuine swashbuckling enthusiasm to their roles (Bruce did play a wonderful ass). And the collection of pirates - from Douglass Dumbrille to Ed Pawley to James Burke (for once, not an Irish cop!) to J. M. Kerrigan - really adds depth to the cadre of criminal seamen. My only complaint is that Harry Cording got short shrift. By the way, some trivia - the foppish singing pirate was played by Harry Bailey, who sang "Hooray For Charlie Kane" in CITIZEN KANE. Herbert Stothart's score makes great use of "Fifteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest", an early-century song based on the lines in Stevenson's novel. A winner.

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.