Francis Ford Coppola executive produced this mini series adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure novel about a boy who’s kidnapped and sold into slavery while searching for his rightful inheritance. From the family-oriented “Timeless Adventures” series.
When Scottish young gentleman David Balfour’s father dies, he leaves school to collect his inheritance from uncle Ebenezer, who in turn sells the boy as a future slave to a pirate ship. When staunch Stuart dynasty supporter Alan Breck Stewart accidentally boards the ship, he takes David along on his escape back to Edinburgh. They part and meet again repeatedly, mutually helpful against the Redcoats and respectful, although David is loyal to the English crown, but learns about its cruel oppression. Both ultimately face their adversaries. – Written by KGF Vissers
I purchased this DVD in order to watch it with my kids (youngest is 10). They were initially unsure whether they would like it, but after mentioning that it was based on the Robert Louis Stevenson book, and that Mr. Stevenson had written Treasure Island and Jekyll and Hyde, the kids’ interests were piqued. As the DVD is also rather long (in terms of current films), I was concerned whether their interest would hold. However, the movie kept their interest captive without any problem. First of all, let me say that the scenes and scenery are great. One really gets a feel for the time and place of the story. Costumes, villages, landscapes, etc. are generally high quality. Moreover, the acting (including accents) were fine all around. I found the film engrossing, while my kids were very excited to find themselves so involved in the story. Of course they have seen a plethora of films that “transport” the viewer elsewhere, but many of these films have some feeling of artificiality – that is, they are too far out of our own experience to truly feel “real”. I found, and I think that my kids found, the scenes in this DVD believable and approachable. Having experience in historical reenactment, I know that portraying a sense of another time and place in such a way as to encourage “viewers” to participate is a sort of magic and I felt that there was some of this magic in the movie. As far as the story goes, there are issues that may be a bit complicated for younger viewers to understand. Additionally, there is some violence (particularly the ship scenes), but nothing too brutal. The worst scenes are the death of a few minor characters (gunshot and hanging), as well as a view of a pool of blood after a battle. This movie isn’t for very young viewers, but I would guess that most kids over the age of 10 wouldn’t have a problem with the film. The level of violence is really fairly minor in comparison to much of today’s fare. I have been describing the movie in terms of a family film, but I also think that it is a good companion to the book. Teachers, students, lovers of literature, etc. will likely find this a welcome addition to their collection. – Viewer
May be suitable for older children.
Starring Armand Assante, Patrick Malahide and Michael Kitchen.