i never know what to say about 'Castaways'. the song 'Castaway' has always been one of my favourite Disney songs and i grew up listening to a recording of Hayley Mills singing the song from when i was very young. i think i was only about six or seven when i first saw this movie in reissue.
having grown up with this movie since i was a kid hasn't helped me to understand it or come to terms with it however. as i matured (supposedly), this film actually only seemed weirder and more confounding. i guess when i was a child i kind of took it for granted and was also used to Disney films being a little eccentric in terms of fantasy and humour. it wasn't until i was older that i started to question this film's logic. it is definitely a "action packed' adventure, but i'm never quite sure where it's coming from or what the heck they were thinking.
i think this movie gets unintentionally oddball and goofy because it is so obviously and blatantly commercial. it doesn't have the artistic integrity of '20,000 Leagues' and isn't even the good entertainment 'Island at the Top of the World' is. rather than being anywhere close to realism or logical action, this movie opts for a "Donald Duck" cartoonish approach that the filmmakers don't seem to be aware that they are applying to it. more than serious adventure, this film feels more like a "wacky" Disney comedy. it has more in common with 'The Shaggy Dog' than '20,000 Leagues'.
for viewers not accustomed to the Disney comedy formula, action sequences like the earthquake scene where the mountain ledge breaks off and the adventurers "toboggin" down a icy slope while Maurice Chevalier yodels out a song, seems more like a surreal break in logic then a implement of comedy.
as for Maurice Chevalier's constant singing, it only furthers the detachment from reality. Hayley Mill's 'Castaway' song is one of Disney's best musical moments and doesn't detract, we should always expect a song or two from Disney, but the songs Chevalier sings have got to be some of Disney's worst and most obnoxious tunes. not to mention that Maurice Chevalier's performance is so bad it's actually good in a we're-not-laughing-with-you-but-at-you way. i think his performance is even worse here than in the notorious 'Monkeys Go Home' movie. when Hayley mills is worried about the Patagonians fleeing from a flood of burning lava, Chevalier just throws his head back and chuckles, "oo-la la! their plight is funny zo enjooooy it!". rather than amusing the statement just seems sadistic. it should happen to him. when Chevalier's character realizes he accidentally lead them to the wrong side of the world and laments, "i am zoooooo stupid!", the viewer is inclined to agree. i've always felt that as a entertainer, Chevalier was "specially challenged". i never was fond of 'GiGi'.
does the movie offer up anything memorable or good? well, yes. as silly as it is, the film is pure Disney formula. it also has a knack for clever FX on a lower budget than '20,000 Leagues'. the film's FX range from obviously poor to excellent as in the Ombu tree and the trippy giant Condor scene. as for memorable, the film is so kooky that it's hard to forget (or forgive whichever the case).
the film also has Hayley Mills as a asset. she pretty much rectifies whatever Chevalier kills off. Hayley Mills was a charming performer with a cosy sort of charisma. she can be all sweetness and cute adorability, but she does it with a natural grace and is never pretentious or forced.
the film also benefits from good set design and a good understanding of history as well as good, sure handed direction from Disney stock director Robert Stevenson. Stevenson even manages to embellish the mostly pedestrian approach with some good cinematography as in a shot of the Indian's horses upsetting against a darkened sky before a flash flood.
despite the numerous FX photography and matte shots, this hardly qualifies as classic, good cinema, but it is good Disney. i mean who else made movies like this except for Disney.
i don't know what could have been done to make this a better movie. strangely enough i like it the way it is. it has a goofy charm to it and it is easily identifiable as a children's film. '20,000 Leagues' can often seem too adult.
however, even a small child might be inclined to question how this group of inept, knuckle-headed adventurers even manage to get anywhere. even Wilfred Hyde-White's ship's captain seems to know little about geography. the film might have benefited from a better and more logical screenplay. but actually i'm so glad they did it this way instead. the film is awkward but never dull. i'm also sort of fascinated by it's miscalculations, they succeed in the way that they make this one of Disney's, and Hollywood's, most unconsciously surreal and goof-ball concoctions.
having grown up with this movie since i was a kid hasn't helped me to understand it or come to terms with it however. as i matured (supposedly), this film actually only seemed weirder and more confounding. i guess when i was a child i kind of took it for granted and was also used to Disney films being a little eccentric in terms of fantasy and humour. it wasn't until i was older that i started to question this film's logic. it is definitely a "action packed' adventure, but i'm never quite sure where it's coming from or what the heck they were thinking.
i think this movie gets unintentionally oddball and goofy because it is so obviously and blatantly commercial. it doesn't have the artistic integrity of '20,000 Leagues' and isn't even the good entertainment 'Island at the Top of the World' is. rather than being anywhere close to realism or logical action, this movie opts for a "Donald Duck" cartoonish approach that the filmmakers don't seem to be aware that they are applying to it. more than serious adventure, this film feels more like a "wacky" Disney comedy. it has more in common with 'The Shaggy Dog' than '20,000 Leagues'.
for viewers not accustomed to the Disney comedy formula, action sequences like the earthquake scene where the mountain ledge breaks off and the adventurers "toboggin" down a icy slope while Maurice Chevalier yodels out a song, seems more like a surreal break in logic then a implement of comedy.
as for Maurice Chevalier's constant singing, it only furthers the detachment from reality. Hayley Mill's 'Castaway' song is one of Disney's best musical moments and doesn't detract, we should always expect a song or two from Disney, but the songs Chevalier sings have got to be some of Disney's worst and most obnoxious tunes. not to mention that Maurice Chevalier's performance is so bad it's actually good in a we're-not-laughing-with-you-but-at-you way. i think his performance is even worse here than in the notorious 'Monkeys Go Home' movie. when Hayley mills is worried about the Patagonians fleeing from a flood of burning lava, Chevalier just throws his head back and chuckles, "oo-la la! their plight is funny zo enjooooy it!". rather than amusing the statement just seems sadistic. it should happen to him. when Chevalier's character realizes he accidentally lead them to the wrong side of the world and laments, "i am zoooooo stupid!", the viewer is inclined to agree. i've always felt that as a entertainer, Chevalier was "specially challenged". i never was fond of 'GiGi'.
does the movie offer up anything memorable or good? well, yes. as silly as it is, the film is pure Disney formula. it also has a knack for clever FX on a lower budget than '20,000 Leagues'. the film's FX range from obviously poor to excellent as in the Ombu tree and the trippy giant Condor scene. as for memorable, the film is so kooky that it's hard to forget (or forgive whichever the case).
the film also has Hayley Mills as a asset. she pretty much rectifies whatever Chevalier kills off. Hayley Mills was a charming performer with a cosy sort of charisma. she can be all sweetness and cute adorability, but she does it with a natural grace and is never pretentious or forced.
the film also benefits from good set design and a good understanding of history as well as good, sure handed direction from Disney stock director Robert Stevenson. Stevenson even manages to embellish the mostly pedestrian approach with some good cinematography as in a shot of the Indian's horses upsetting against a darkened sky before a flash flood.
despite the numerous FX photography and matte shots, this hardly qualifies as classic, good cinema, but it is good Disney. i mean who else made movies like this except for Disney.
i don't know what could have been done to make this a better movie. strangely enough i like it the way it is. it has a goofy charm to it and it is easily identifiable as a children's film. '20,000 Leagues' can often seem too adult.
however, even a small child might be inclined to question how this group of inept, knuckle-headed adventurers even manage to get anywhere. even Wilfred Hyde-White's ship's captain seems to know little about geography. the film might have benefited from a better and more logical screenplay. but actually i'm so glad they did it this way instead. the film is awkward but never dull. i'm also sort of fascinated by it's miscalculations, they succeed in the way that they make this one of Disney's, and Hollywood's, most unconsciously surreal and goof-ball concoctions.