MovieChat Forums > Treasure Island (1990) Discussion > Fraser Heston's commentary

Fraser Heston's commentary

posted 13 years ago by tdefores
3 replies | jump to latest

The only extra on the DVD is commentary by Fraser Heston, but it's a fine and informative one that I enjoyed enormously.

THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD:

The only thing I wished he covered that he didn't was talking about the evolution of the screenplay as he wrote it and was making decisions about what details had to be changed to make the story work in as a movie. I've always wondered if an early version of the screenplay had Joyce and Hunter getting killed during the stockade fight as they did in the book.

Not that this is a legitimate criticism of the commentary. It really is good.

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[–] peggygeordie 13 years ago

I, too, enjoyed the commentary. It was straightfoward and well-spoken and interesting. As for Joyce and Hunter, this was one departure from the book I thought was welcome - especially since we've already had Redruth's touching death as proof the loyals are vulnerable, and the company is down a man (from the book) by not including the pirate that Smollett coaxed to the loyal side while retreating from the Hispaniola.

[–] tdefores 13 years ago

I've always had a feeling that perhaps Hunter was moved into the slot of the pirate that Smollett coaxed back to the side of the angels (whose name in the book, I believe, was Alexander Grey). The squire mentions only Redruth and Joyce when he talks about which servants he'll bring. And Hunter knew that Israel Hands was Flint's gunner (A line of dialogue that belonged to Grey in the book.)

Maybe there was an unfilmed or deleted scene establishing this? Just a completely uninformed guess.

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[–] koppmeier_kevin 13 years ago

I just wish whoever did the subtitles would have had a copy of Heston's screenplay in front of him. Some of the errors are laughable. Ex -- in the scene where Jim is lying the galley seasick and Mr. Arrow asks Silver what is wrong with him, Silver says "Landsman". The subtitle gives Silver's reply as "Lad's bonkers".