Long John Silver (aka Long John Silver’s Return To Treasure Island/1954)
Picture:
C Sound: C Extras: C Film: C+
Helmed by
the great genre director Byron Haskin in Australia, Long John Silver (aka Long
John Silver’s Return To Treasure
Island/1954) was a big color, widescreen production distributed by the
short-lived DCA and is a sequel to the 1950 Treasure Island. Robert Newton
reprises the tile role as he reunites with Haskin in a story about Silver
needing a medallion to find more treasure.
There is also the kidnapping of the daughter of a powerful governor and
a villain (Lloyd Berrell as “El Toro”) to contend with.
Grant Taylor and Rod Taylor (unrelated) also star.
Though
not brilliant and at 106 minutes not overly long, it is still not as good as
its predecessor, but is a fascinating early sequel production managed to make
it another in a series of high-profile genre films he would make into the late
1960s. He was a competent journeyman
director and even when the film does not work; it is always interesting and is
definitely worth a look no matter its flaws or age.
Though
VCI did their best to restore the film, this anamorphically enhanced 2.55 x 1
transfer still has detail and color issues.
Who knows what happened to the original CinemaScope camera materials,
but it is just watchable enough. Cinematographer
Carl E. Guthrie shot what was the first independent production in the new
format before it was cut down to the now-familiar 2.35 X 1 for soundtrack
space. Composition is not bad and is
certainly as interesting as anything in the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise, but only a thorough digital HD
restoration will do justice to the film.
Shot in EastmanColor stocks and developed by DeLuxe, the film’s trailer
credits it as being in “Storybook Color” as an amusing gimmick.
The Dolby
Digital 5.1 mix is on the weak side, but this was a magnetic 4-track stereo release
that was standard on most early CinemaScope productions. It is still interesting, if not a big success;
too bad VCI did not try to do DTS for the first time, as the results might have
been better. Extras include Text bios,
TV and theatrical trailers and restoration demo are included. Worth a look if you too have become
pirate-crazy.
- Nicholas Sheffo