This is CRUSOE, NOT Robinson Crusoe of the novel. A terribly cheap looking film that goes no where.
Added 5/16/2007
Bringing Daniel Defoe's literary classic THE ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON CRUSOE to the screen is a daunting task. Because the novel is essentially told in the mind and silent observations of Crusoe, the filmmaker must make some decisions about what to bring to the screen and how to communicate it effectively.This film though is DEFINITELY NOT Defoe's novel by any small stretch of the imagination.That said....
CRUSOE is a product of what was the Yugoslavian Film Commission and was released in 1988.Naturally, ALOT,and I repeat, ALOT of liberty has been taken with the original source material to come up with a screenplay that can be compelling enough to hold viewers attention.I cannot say that this was wholly successful, but it was an attempt.Though about 5% of the book is represented here, and even that is significantly reworked, this film does not begin to capture the ROBINSON CRUSOE of the novel, but does bring us at least a man who, marooned on an island for some time ( the book was 28 says), endures some hardship and learns some lessons about human nature along the way (again, that is only a sliver of Defoe's book). A young Aidan Quinn does probably the best he could with the material at hand, and as a screenplay freely adapted from a novel it could have been worse,but essentially the movie falls rather flat overall.The location shots are very limited and the shots are uninspired and quite predictable.The film has a look of very low budget. The Michael Kamen soundtrack is probably the worst feature of this film as it is annoyingly uninteresting and does nothing to add or propel this dull movie forward.
ROBINSON CRUSOE would work best as a mini-series.There is just way too much that happens in the book, and the real Robinsom Crusoe does much more than just survive on an island.The fact that Crusoe's first name and his friend "Friday's" name (which has become part-and-parcel with Robinson's) is not even mentioned ,and that the time period is moved 100 years forward from the book shows how little this film resembles even that small section of the book.
1 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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PLEASE, MR DESCHANEL - RELEASE ON DVD!
Added 7/11/2006
I echo the praise, below, for this remarkable 'small' film. In addition, one should mention the splendid camera direction and haunting score.
If the world can have Pierce Brosnan on DVD, we deserve Aidan Quinn and company on disc also.
4 out of 5 people found this helpful.
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DVD me, please!
Added 7/4/2006
I want this movie on DVD. And I want it now. I want it in exactly the way 'boooring' doesn't. Unfortunately, one can't teach a baboon depth. You either evolved it, or you didn't.
Concerned for the future.
2 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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Eccellent Version
Added 5/27/2006
I first saw this film on the Independent Film Channel years ago and had to add it to my VHS collection. I came back to purchase the DVD and was reading the reviews. This is a beautifully filmed movie and the most accurate version I have seen. I could watch it on endless loop.Then I saw the "BOOORING" review! This reviewer first states that it doesn't deserve the PG-13 rating because it has no action, then states it depictics native captives having their throats cut in a very graphic, disturbing manner. And then states that it is racist towards whites. Yes, this movie is both graphic and realistic. It is a haunting version of what slavery was all about - slavery and the procuring of slaves was a "greedy, selfish, and cruel" chaper in our nations history. Natives did not come willingly. If you want to face the truth in a wonderfully filmed and realistic movie, buy this. By the way, I am white.
4 out of 5 people found this helpful.
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Visual Story Telling at its Best
Added 9/28/2004
I viewed this movie on TV and in Spanish, and it mattered not. This is visual movie making at its best, the story being told through gripping physical encounters and gut-wrenching emotions on an enchanting island. Crusoe and Friday are fiercely strong individuals who must learn to cooperate to survive. But this version goes beyond physical survival and focuses on how Crusoe, a slave trader, and Friday, a Black, learn to trust, respect, and finally to help each other. The mythic feel of the film is enhanced by wondrous cinematography and sparkling music. Thanks Aidan Quinn, Ade Sapara, and Director Celeb Deschanel for this delightful movie.
Leland Auslender, Artist and Photographer
4 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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