"Treasure Island" Novel & Movies Page at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store

The Story
Originally serialized in October 1881 to January 1882 issues of the British children's magazine Young Folks, under the title "The Sea Cook, or Treasure Island",
then published as a book in 1883. The story was written in sequence by Robert Louis Stevenson and chapters were mailed off as they were completed.

Sometime after the year 1757, young Jim Hawkins is living on the west coast of England at the Admiral Benbow Inn, which is run by his parents. An old sea captain, Billy Bones, takes a room at the inn, and after some time he is visited by Black Dog; the two have an argument and Billy knifes Black Dog, who flees but is found dead of a stroke. Jim's father dies, and next day a blind seaman named Pew appears to present Billy with an ultimatum (in the form of 'The Black Spot'). Billy dies of a stroke that night, and Jim and his mother go thru Billy's sea-chest, in hope of finding payment for Billy's many months of unpaid lodgings. They find money, but less than the due amount; Jim snags a wrapped packet thinking it may make up the difference. They hear noises outside and hide as Pew sets a gang of seamen to ransack Billy's room and the inn, looking for 'Flint's list'. Alerted by neighbors, local police arrive and chase the men away; Blind Pew is trampled by horses, the others get away by small boat.

           Believing the packet to be the object of the gang's efforts, Jim takes it to gentry of the area, Dr. Livesey and Squire Trelawney. They find an account book and a treasure map inside the packet, and conclude that it will lead to the treasure of Captain Flint. Trelawney mounts an expedition, aboard his ship Hispaniola, and in ignorance & naiveté hires several men that were pirates with Flint, including the ship's cook, peglegged Long John Silver. Once at sea, good Capt. Smollett is overruled by Trelawney on several issues, in favor of the unsavory members of the crew; but Jim happens to hide in an apple barrel and eavesdrop on a meeting on deck where Silver explains his plan to mutiny and proceed to Flint's island as captain. Jim reports his news and Smollett regains full command.
           Arriving at the island, Smollett 'allows' the rebellious crewmen to go ashore first. Jim hides in the pirates' small boat and goes with them, then witnesses Silver kill a crewman who refuses to mutiny; Jim runs deeper into the tropical jungle that covers the island, and finds Ben Gunn, marooned there three years prior by Capt. Flint and driven mad in the isolation. Smollett and the loyal crew go ashore and find a stockade left by Flint, losing one man during a skirmish with the pirates. Jim seeks refuge in the stockade, then Silver tries to negotiate a deal; but Smollett refuses, and an hour later the pirates attack; the pirates lose several men and retreat.
           Jim sneaks away to set the ship adrift (preventing the pirates' escape), then climbs aboard to find that Mr. Hands has killed his fellow watchman while both were drunk. Jim takes control of the ship while Hands feigns helplessness; Hands then tries to kill Jim; Jim wins the fight by killing Hands, but is injured. After safely grounding the ship, Jim returns to the stockade without realizing that the pirates have taken it from the crew. Silver holds Jim hostage, and when the restless men present him with a 'Black Spot' and depose him as leader, Silver uses Jim and the treasure map to regain leadership (saving both Jim and himself from the twice-mutinous pirate crew).
           The next day, Silver leads the last five pirates (along with Jim) to the treasure trove, but find it already excavated and removed, except for two guinea coins. The pirates are enraged, and about to turn on Silver, when Dr. Livesey and Ben Gunn and others open fire, killing two pirates and running three others off. Silver is allowed to rejoin the crew, for having saved Jim's life at least once, and the loyal crewmen carry the Flint treasure from Ben Gunn's cave to the ship (a job of three days). The three mutineers beg to be taken aboard, but are left marooned on the island. Homeward bound, the ship stops at a Spanish port, where Silver sneaks away, taking along a small portion of the treasure.
           The further return voyage is uneventful. Dr. Livesey and Squire Trelawney settle back into country life, their new wealth not visible to others. Capt. Smollett retires from the sea; Benn Gunn spends all his fortune in nineteen days, then accepts a small pension and a cottage from Trelawney. Jim Hawkins runs the inn by himself, haunted at times from the adventure on Treasure Island, sometimes waking at night from dreaming that he heard Silver's parrot squawking "Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!".

"The Adventures of Ben Gunn" [1956] by R.F. Delderfield
which follows Ben Gunn from parson's son to pirate

"The Curse of Treasure Island" [2001 sequel] by Frank Delaney {writing as Francis Bryan}

John Drake's Prequels to "Treasure Island"
Announced 2/2008: Material Entertainment of U.K. made a deal with author John Drake for movie rights
to his three prequel novels to "Treasure Island" • no longer listed at IMDb (2011)

"Treasure Island" 1-reel silent short [Edison Company May 1912]
Directed by J. Searle Dawley; starring Addison Rothermel, Ben F. Wilson, Charles Ogle, Mary Fuller, Laura Sawyer,
Richard Neill, James Gordon, Charles Sutton, William R. Randall • DVD/Blu-ray not available • credits at IMDb

"Treasure Island" silent feature [Fox Jan 1918]
Directed by Chester M. & Sidney Franklin; scenario by Bernard McConville; starring Francis Carpenter, Virginia Lee Corbin,
Violet Radcliffe, Lloyd Perl, Lewis Sargent, Buddy Messinger & Gertrude Messinger • DVD/Blu-ray not available • credits at IMDb

"Treasure Island" color-tinted silent feature [Paramount March 1920]
76-minute {at 18 FPS} color-tinted silent feature; produced & directed by Maurice Tourneur; scenario by Jules Furthman;
starring Shirley Mason, Charles Ogle, Josie Melville, Al W. Filson, Wilton Taylor, Lon Chaney, Joseph Singleton, Bull Montana,
Harry Holden, Sydney Deane & Charles Hill Mailes • {this film is considered lost} • credits at IMDb

"Treasure Island" [BBC-TV series May-June 1951]

still photo of Bernard Miles as Long John Silver in the 1951 BBC-TV series

Basically an 8-episode mini-series, half-hour each & in b&w Written & directed by Joy Harington; narrated by Brian Haines; starring John Quayle {as Jim}, Bernard Miles {as Silver}, Valentine Dyall, Raymond Rollett, Reginald Hearne, Derek Birch, Patrick Crean, Howell Davies, Robin Cull, Roddy Hughes, Norman Osborne, Douglas Blackwell, Peter Jones, Stanley Lemin & Toke Townley
video/DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb

"Treasure Island" [CBS-TV May 1952]

Treasure Island 1952 episode of "Westinghouse Studio One"

hour-long episode of "Westinghouse Studio One", with commercials
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner; teleplay by Donald Davis; hosted by Betty Furness; starring Peter Avarmo {as Jim}, Francis L. Sullivan {as Silver}, Albert Dekker, Rex O'Malley & Richard Purdy
DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb

"Return To Treasure Island"
[United Artists June 1954]

Filmed in Pathécolor; a girl finds a treasure map and gets help from a hunky beach boy to fend off Capt. Flint, Long John Silver, and their gang of modern pirates. Written & produced by Jack Pollexfen & Aubrey Wisberg; directed by Ewald André Dupont; starring Tab Hunter, Dawn Addams, Porter Hall, James Seay, Harry Lauter, William Cottrell, Lane Chandler, Henry Rowland, Dayton Lummis & Robert Long (as Long John Silver}
MGM Home Video DVD [6/2011] for $19.98
full credits from IMDb

"Treasure Island" [National General Oct 1972]

Directed by John Hough; based on the R.L.S. novel {above}; co-written by Wolf Mankowitz; co-written by & starring Orson Welles [1915-85] {as Long John Silver}; also starring Kim Burfield, Walter Slezak, Rik Battaglia, [blacklistee] Lionel Stander, Ángel del Pozo, Jean Lefebvre & Maria Rohm
Region 1 DVD not available; Warner color VHS [9/98] out of prodn/rare
full credits from IMDb

"Treasure Island" [U.K. TV movie 1982]

Directed by either Judith de Paul or Dave Heather; co-written by & starring Bernard Miles; co-starring Frank Gorshin, Christopher Cazenove, Piers Eady, Harold Innocent, John Judd, David Kernan, Norman Rossington & Christopher Wren
Trinity Home Ent. color DVD [4/2006] for $7.99
full credits at IMDb

"Treasure Island" [1984] /tt0090199/
Chilean filmmaker Raúl Ruiz [1941-2011] also produced the book "In Pursuit of Treasure Island" that is both a prelude
and a continuation to his film, and presents itself as the follow-up, or rather a pursuit, of Stevenson's novel.
http://www.amazon.com/Pursuit-Treasure-Island-Raul-Ruiz/dp/2914563418/

Ken Russell's "Treasure Island"
[U.K. Channel 4 TV movie Dec 1995]
A rather skewed version, with a Marilyn Monroe-like 'Long Jane Silver' and much music; written & directed by
Ken Russell; starring Hetty Baynes {Russell's then-wife), Gregory Hall, Michael Elphick, Charles Augins, Bob Goody,
Georgina Hale & Stephen Tiller; video/DVD not available; credits at IMDb

"Search For Treasure Island" [7 Network Australia 1998 TV series] /tt0182741/

"Die Schatzinsel (The Treasure island)" [2007]
A loosely adapted version, in German, starring German and Austrian actors

"Flint & Silver" [status unclear Jan 2011]

British book cover for Flint & Silver novel by John Drake

Announced 2/2008: Material Entertainment of U.K. (a joint venture of Entertainment Film Distributors and New Line International) made a deal with author John Drake for movie rights to his three prequel novels to "Treasure Island", beginning with "Flint & Silver" • no longer listed at IMDb (1/2011)

"Treasure Island" [British Sky Broadcasting/R.H.I. May 2012?]
Announced 1/2011: Already filming on location in Ireland & Puerto Rico; adaptation of the classic novel intended for broadcast at Christmas 2011
on Britain's Sky 1 TV channel; actors involved include Philip Glenister as Captain Smollet, Donald Sutherland as Capt. Flint, Eddie Izzard
as Long John Silver, Daniel Mays as Dr. Livesey, Rupert Penry-Jones as Squire Trelawney, and Elijah Wood as Ben Gunn, with Toby Regbo,
David Harewood & Keith Allen. Added 3/2012: The four-hour telefilm will premiere in a special one-night only movie event on
Saturday 5 May 2012 • full credits at IMDb

two other confusing "Treasure Island 2012" entries at IMDb: credits #1 from IMDb • credits #2 from IMDb [now 2014]
Either above might be the Warner Bros. "Treasure Island" project announced in June 2012; Paul Greengrass is replaced by Guy Ritchie
to direct the script by Alex Harakis • not listed at IMDb (11/2012)

	classic 1883 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson Kindle Edition from S&S/Aladdin [4/2012] for $4.99 Kindle Edition from Bantam Classics [2004 edition] for $1.99 Kindle Edition from HarperCollins [6/2010] for $1.99 Bantam mass pb [5/82] for $3.95 Penguin 7¾x5 pb [12/99] for $8.00 Penguin Classics 8¼x5 hardcover [3/2010] for $13.60 Bookcassette UNABR audio [6/93] out of prodn/used Tantor UNABR MP3 audio CD [7/2008] for $13.59
	"Treasure Island" book illustrated by N.C. Wyeth [1882-1945] Atheneum 9¼x7¼ hardcover [10/81] for $19.79 12x18" book cover by N.C. Wyeth art print available at Amazon for $12.67 20x30" book cover by N.C. Wyeth art print available at Amazon for $25.85
	"Treasure Island" from DVD Bookshelf [2007] DVD Bookshelf presents the classic children's novel thru dramatic narration and full- screen text, with classic illustrations by Edumnd Dulac, Lyle Justis & N.C. Wyeth; reading time is 6 hours Ryko Music widescreen color DVD [6/2007] for $11.49

	"Treasure Island (Classic Starts Series)" [ages 7 & up; 2005] 'Retold' by Chris Tait, Illustrated by Lucy Corvino Stevenson's classic novel rewritten with the intention of getting youngsters excited about reading books Sterling 7¾x5½ hardcover [3/2005] for $5.95
	"Silver: Return To Treasure Island" [2012] by Andrew Motion Jim Hawkins's son and John Silver's daughter organize a return to Treasure Island to bring back the pirate treasure left behind forty years previous. Kindle Edition from Random House Digital [8/2012] for $11.99 Jonathan Cape 9x6 pb [8/2012] out of print/used Crown Books 9½x6½ hardcover [8/2012] for $16.32

	"Flint & Silver: A Prequel to Treasure Island" [2008] The pirate partnership of cunning John Silver and sadistic Joseph Flint is threatened upon the arrival of the beautiful runaway slave Selena, who is wanted for murder. S&S 9x6¼ pb [5/2010] for $11.25 S&S 9½x6½ deckle-edge hardcover [5/2009] out of print/many used
	"Pieces of Eight" [2009] "High seas. High adventure. And the lowest treachery imaginable." Marooned on the treasure island by Flint, Silver and his loyal men prepare for Flint's return; Flint is being hunted by the Royal Navy for treason while he gathers an army of pirates to reconquer the island. HarperCollins 7¾x5 pb [7/2009] out of print/used HarperCollins 9¼x6 hardcover [7/2009] out of print/used
	"Skull & Bones" [2010] Flint is captured by the Royal Navy, and on his way to England for trial and hanging. Silver has command of Flint's old ship Walrus and is headed to London to rescue Selena. HarperCollins 7½x5 pb [3/2011] out of print/used HarperCollins 9x6¼ hardcover [5/2010] out of print/used

Magic Lantern Video & Book Store'Treasure Island' Novel & Movies

Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
'Treasure Island' Novel & Movies