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Treasure Island, starring Christian Bale as Jim


Hester

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Not sure if anyone's posted this yet, but some kind soul has put the entire 1990 TV movie version of Treasure Island up on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=6B19E3AEE70D2DFC

This version, starring Christian Bale as Jim Hawkins and Charlton Heston as Long John Silver, has never been released on DVD. VHS copies are rare and selling for quite a bit on Amazon & eBay.

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Sigh I wanted to see that version. Now I can! Thanks!!

I have the one withh Roert Newton which is charming

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Some days even my lucky rocketship underpants won't help....

Her reputation was her livelihood.

I'm a pirate, love. By nature and by choice!

My inner voice sometimes has an accent!

My wont? A delicious rip in time...

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Aye!

ROCK ON YOU WILD WOMAN!

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Jenny and Hester continue to say the most brazen thing at lunch with the ladies...

Some days even my lucky rocketship underpants won't help....

Her reputation was her livelihood.

I'm a pirate, love. By nature and by choice!

My inner voice sometimes has an accent!

My wont? A delicious rip in time...

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Thanks! I had always hoped this would be released on DVD because it is so well done!

As a side note: Stay away from "Pirates of Treasure island". You have been warned.

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Thanks! I had always hoped this would be released on DVD because it is so well done!

Aye! Music by The Chieftains -- how cool is that?

Speaking of pirate movies that aren't on DVD, I wish they'd release a DVD version of the 1983 movie The Pirates of Penzance, starring Kevin Kline, Linda Rondstadt, and Angela Lansbury.

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There is a DVD of the 1982 stage version (sans Lansbury), but the production values are truly awful -- muddy visuals and poor sound quality. Looks like it was filmed with a handi-cam by a member of the audience.

As a side note: Stay away from "Pirates of Treasure island". You have been warned.

Alas, your warning comes too late, Jib. I already have the DVD. I have not yet been able to watch the entire thing, despite trying to wash it down with copious amounts of rum.

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Thanks! I had always hoped this would be released on DVD because it is so well done!

As a side note: Stay away from "Pirates of Treasure island". You have been warned.

Alas, your warning comes too late, Jib. I already have the DVD. I have not yet been able to watch the entire thing, despite trying to wash it down with copious amounts of rum.

Oh it gets far far worse before the end.

Was it just me or was the ship/set they filmed all the deck shots on a completely different type of ship from the ariel shots of the ship sailing across the ocean?

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...and then I discovered the wine...

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(Re: Pirates of Treasure Island)

Oh it gets far far worse before the end.

Was it just me or was the ship/set they filmed all the deck shots on a completely different type of ship from the ariel shots of the ship sailing across the ocean?

Oh, I didn't get that far. But what I wonder is why the costumes look less authentic than the ones I've seen in the Hallowe'en display at the local dollar store.

And seriously, what's with Blind Pew?!!!

I think we need to invent a drinking game for PoTI... or audience participation scripts, like Rocky Horror.

Edited by Hester
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First off, that movie had the best billy bones ever who was probably the best pirate ever on the big screen. Second BOOOOOOOOOOTS!

Boots indeed, Suh !!! That should get the "Twillies" in an uproar !! laugh.giflaugh.giflaugh.gif Now let's sit back and watch.....

>>>>> Cascabel

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First time I've had the chance to see this version ......Not bad, I think the 1934 version with Wallace Beery was better and the Ben Gunn in that version was a better stir crazy maroon. I did enjoy Christopher Lee as Blind Pew. Heston just did not come off as the endearing scoundrel that Beery did.

That was one of my very favourite films as a boy, we got that at the village cinema nights at least 7-8 times that I recall and they would show it again Saturday afternoon for the kids; and usually my gran and some other ladies would make scones and tarts for us to eat during the films.

Edited by callenish gunner
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The 1990 TV Treasure Island is perhaps my favorite pirate movie of all time. The character actors who portray the pirates are wonderful, especially Oliver Reed as Billy Bones who is my favorite portrayal of a pirate in any movie. Of course playing this particular role wasn't much of a stretch for Reed as he was basically playing himself.

Other things that make this movie work for me are the costuming which is more period correct than any other pirate movie I have seen, the accents of the actors, all of which except for Heston are not faking the accent, and the fact that they use proper nautical terms, such as guns instead of cannons. This is also the most true to the original book of any of the Treasure Island movies so if you are a fan of the book you should really enjoy it.

You can VOTE at Turner Classic Movies to have this movie released on DVD, right column labeled "Home Video Vote". Can't believe someone at TCM did not have the brains to release this film on DVD during the height PotCs popularity. :D

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  • The Charles Towne Few - We shall sail... The sea will be our empire.

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Yeah, I agree. Talk about fubar marketing plans on their part.

I'm fairly certain we've talked about this movie here before... yeah... quite often... anyway, rumor has it that there was an extended version shown in Australia. I don't know if it is true or not, but if so, I'd love to see that one on video. Or at least a deleted scenes featurette.

My Home on the Web

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Can't believe someone at TCM did not have the brains to release this film on DVD during the height PotCs popularity. :(

I have met more than a few people in the entertainment industry that have an irrational hatred of Charlton Heston.

Because of his support of The Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the United States Constitution. But I can't understand

why anyone would turn down a chance to make a profit by re-releasing the finest version of Treasure Island ever made.

I have trouble believing that a DVD staring Charlton Heston and Christian Bale. With Oliver Reed, and Christopher Lee

would not do well on NetFlix and at Blockbuster.

Crazy TMC lah!

Edited by CaptainSatan

As we say in Ireland let's drink until the alcohol in our system destroys our liver and kills us.

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I did some serious information hunting about this a few years back. It turned out that the rights were not owned by Turner broadcasting, but rather by Agamemnon Films, which is owned by the Heston family. I'm not certain but it's a possibility that releasing the film may have required Heston's signature. Being that he had Alzheimer's disease, that may not have been possible, and rather low priority too under the circumstances.

Now that he has passed on, perhaps the issue can be re-opened. Maybe one of our California shipmates in the LA area can go by the Agamemnon Films office and check on it. Probably will be talking to an extremely cute and young receptionist that never heard of the movie, but it's worth a try !!!!

>>>>> Cascabel

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There may be contract issues with other cast and crew members as well.

A couple of years ago Joss Whedon wanted to release Once More, with Feeling

(musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as a midnight movie with a wide national release.

But because the original contracts did not specify anything about theatrical release the idea

was scrapped after some disputes with Screen Actors Guild.

There may also be some issues with their distributor. The low budget movies

that I often work on have wider distribution than Treasure Island. I bought

my VHS copy of Treasure Island for $1 back when Blockbuster bought out Sound

Warehouse and sold off their inventory of movies.

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Edited by CaptainSatan

As we say in Ireland let's drink until the alcohol in our system destroys our liver and kills us.

guns_boobies2.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sadly, YouTube has yanked these vids for 'copyright violation'. That's so annoying given that there is no legitimate source for viewing this film. It's never been released on DVD and the VHS tape is long OOP. The person who originally posted the vids noted that they were for research & study purposes (which should be a fair use), but to no avail. I wonder who complained? YouTube doesn't usually act on a copyright issue unless they receive a complaint from the copyright holder.

Copyright law should only ensure that a creator gets fair compensation for their work. It should not make it impossible for people to have access to material that has been previously published.

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Appears that Youtube pulled this video... darn! I only got a chance to see the first installment! I remember seeing it on TV long ago but wanted to see it again.

I wonder if legal reasons prevented the video from being viewed. I would be happy to buy a DVD of the movie if it was offered.

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  • 4 months later...

So, it's not been very long since the last post here, but has anyone found anything out about where one might procure a copy of this (for less than the $50 lowest price on Amazon), and if it's perhaps floating around somewhere on DVD? Hell, I'd take a reasonably copied bootleg at this point.

Captain Jack McCool, landlocked pirate extraordinaire, Captain of the dreaded prairie schooner Ill Repute, etc. etc.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"That’s what a ship is, you know. It’s not just a keel, and a hull, and a deck, and sails. That’s what a ship needs. But what a ship is… what the Black Pearl really is… is freedom."

-Captain Jack Sparrow

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