MovieChat Forums > Swiss Family Robinson (1960) Discussion > A Few Glitches, Hardly Worth Blinking At...

A Few Glitches, Hardly Worth Blinking At

posted 18 years ago by richard.fuller1
3 replies | jump to latest

Hopefully those who now wish to whine and moan about political correctness (who quite honestly are getting about as annoying as those who do the politically correct complaining) will not bother commenting on this post, and we won't be subjected to how I am fussing and picking apart a family movie.

First, when Francis sees both Roberta and the zebra for the first time, he says 'what is it?'

He may have never seen a zebra before, but he's never met Roberta either. Strange that he would ask about the zebra with a strange woman there as well.

Granted, that is only a child's reaction and their odd way of behaving.

Second, the pirates were after those who had freed Roberta, whom they believed to be a teen-aged boy.

If they had been firing on the wrecked ship and Mills put up the plague flag to make them leave, then surely they must have deduced it was persons from this ship who had rescued Roberta.

Then Roberta was now exposed to the plague. Why on Earth would they want 'him' back?

Granted to get the ransom, but what way did they have for keeping themselves from being exposed to any believed virus if they did get Roberta back?

[–] opticalzero 18 years ago

The biggest one I've discovered was that when Robertas father comes back to rescue her, the first thing he does is blow up the pirate ship.

How does he know Roberta hasn't been captured and isn't on the pirates ship as their captive? Wouldn't he try to barter with the pirates for her back?

[–] xylonian-1 18 years ago

"First, when Francis sees both Roberta and the zebra for the first time, he says 'what is it?'"

I thought this was odd as he seemed to know what all the other animals were....

"Then Roberta was now exposed to the plague. Why on Earth would they want 'him' back?"

Great point....

Read My Lips!!!!

[–] Jason_Radley 13 years ago

"First, when Francis sees both Roberta and the zebra for the first time, he says 'what is it?'"

I thought this was odd as he seemed to know what all the other animals were....

As zebras are native only to Africa, I doubt it would've been covered in a natural history textbook of the early 19th century. It was well into that century before the white man ventured into the 'heart of darkness.' Elephants and tigers would've been familiar because they're also found in Asia.

Then Roberta was now exposed to the plague. Why on Earth would they want 'him' back?

You're overlooking that the pirates knew that the ship survivors had to be the ones who'd taken the 'boy' from them in the first place, so they'd have reasonably assumed that those responsible hadn't succumbed to the plague, after all, or even, perish the thought, that they might have been tricked....

What gets me about this film is that a Swiss family, on their way to a German settlement in New Guinea, speak perfect English. I'm not sure why Disney didn't make them an English family on their way to Australia (the destination in the novel).