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For those of you who feel that only Johnny Depp and Walt Disney can effectively promote the rabid pirate craze, the British have a fairly long-winded rebuttal. Aw, screw it. Ahoy, mates! The folks over at BSkyB offer you the chance to ride alongside Jim Hawkins and a motley crew of mutineers aboard the Hispaniola on its way toward Treasure Island. Grab the rum and press play! Aargh!
Now, that I have that out of my system…know that this production (effects or otherwise) is never as cheesy as I just was. No, this Treasure Island is the real thing.
Originally airing here in the states on Syfy, this adaptation features fine performances from Eddie Izzard as Long John Silver and Elijah Wood as Ben Gunn. Really, it’s about time Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island received an updated look complete with heavy eyeliner and tattoos. The two-part four hour long miniseries also serves the breadth of the original story well. Leave it to the British to produce the most faithful adaptation of the source material yet.
Adapted by screenwriter Stewart Harcourt, Treasure Island is about Jim Hawkins (Toby Regbo) and his fateful encounter with Billy Bones (David Harewood) inside the Admiral Benbow inn. Intrigued by Billy’s seafaring stories and the map to buried treasure that Billy leaves behind after he passes away, Jim joins Dr. David Livesey (Daniel Mays) and Captain Smollett (Philip Glenister) aboard the Hispaniola as it leaves for Captain Flint’s (Donald Sutherland) buried treasure.
Or is the treasure Long John Silver’s (Izzard)? When it is discovered that the cook, Long John, has essentially filled the crew of the Hispaniola with former members of Captain Flint’s crew, a mutiny can not be far behind. They want the gold and silver that they were cheated out of so long ago.
Sutherland may be in it for all of five minutes, but his haunting presence is found both on and off the island. His performance isn’t over the top, but it is memorable. The same can be said Wood’s Ben Gunn. Marooned on the island for three years, his continued search for the treasure – in bizarre chalky white body paint – is both funny and sad. Izzard’s subdued take on the role of Long John Silver is effectively charming and lowdown. As much as we want to think otherwise, we cannot forget the Silver is, at his heart, a thief. How easily this could have become a cartoon. Thankfully, it is not.
Because the material is spread out into four hours, there’s a wonderful inclusion of Shirley Henderson as Meg Hawkins, Jim’s mother, and Nina Sosanya as Alibe Silver, Long John’s mulatto wife, back on solid ground. This isn’t Jane Austen soap, but their presence and their drama gives weight to the importance of the treasure and the role of females in a society driven by seafaring deeds.
Director Steve Barron (Merlin) and cinematographer Ulf Brantås keep the momentum forward and the action brisk. There are solid touches of artistry in the photography that extend beyond just looking pretty. Barron builds on our anticipation with great moments of suspense but can’t quite surprise the audience. He keeps things light as air but steadfast in delivery. Adventure is key in the pirate yarn and that spirited affair is what this miniseries is full of. Just don’t look any deeper and, really, why should you?
Full of interesting camera shots and solid performances from a gung ho cast, the only way Treasure Island won’t grab you is if your attention span has been seriously McDonalized by one too many commercials.
MPAA Rating: Not rated by the MPAA.
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