With enough references to the original "Treasure Island", I didn't feel lost for not having seen that one yet. Robert Newton is a treat as the 'Arrgghh...ing' Long John Silver, planning one scheme or another to lay his hands on the fabled riches of the titled island.
Here's a question - how did Silver manage to get into Billy Bowlegs boat near the beginning of the story without being seen?
Here's another puzzler. When Silver lays out the plan to 'El Toro' Mendoza (Lloyd Berrell) to waylay Sir Henry's warehouse of jewels and rum, it called for two signal fires to send the governor's warships south as a diversion, while the pirates would head north toward the warehouse. However only one signal fire was lit, which was the signal for Henry's men to go north as well!
When I saw the opening credits and the garish bright blue and orange coloration of the De Luxe format I experienced some trepidation regarding the actual film's rendition. There were alternate sequences of mundane, almost muddy scenes, usually during night time or indoors, whereas outdoor vistas on the ocean, particularly those with Newton's bright red outfit contrasted against the ocean showing up superb. More than anything it probably shows how far camera technology has advanced over the years to even out those wide swings in light sensitivity.
With the present day popularity of the "Pirates of the Carribbean" series of films, it's both interesting and fun to see how little has changed in the pirate movie genre over a half century. They still employ treasure maps, secret medallions, skeletons and a character named Mendoza. To that I say - "Arrgghh...men!"
Here's a question - how did Silver manage to get into Billy Bowlegs boat near the beginning of the story without being seen?
Here's another puzzler. When Silver lays out the plan to 'El Toro' Mendoza (Lloyd Berrell) to waylay Sir Henry's warehouse of jewels and rum, it called for two signal fires to send the governor's warships south as a diversion, while the pirates would head north toward the warehouse. However only one signal fire was lit, which was the signal for Henry's men to go north as well!
When I saw the opening credits and the garish bright blue and orange coloration of the De Luxe format I experienced some trepidation regarding the actual film's rendition. There were alternate sequences of mundane, almost muddy scenes, usually during night time or indoors, whereas outdoor vistas on the ocean, particularly those with Newton's bright red outfit contrasted against the ocean showing up superb. More than anything it probably shows how far camera technology has advanced over the years to even out those wide swings in light sensitivity.
With the present day popularity of the "Pirates of the Carribbean" series of films, it's both interesting and fun to see how little has changed in the pirate movie genre over a half century. They still employ treasure maps, secret medallions, skeletons and a character named Mendoza. To that I say - "Arrgghh...men!"