This film is a great example of what happens when Hollywood hacks decide to take a classic character from literature and prostitute it for all it's worth.So, cobble together a script full of "arrrghs" and "belays", hire a few props and stuntmen from a western and, by heck, while you're at it write in a hoedown scene to boot.Invent a love interest for Long John Silver who has all the characteristics of a 19th century American mom.Transport it to what looks to be the Australian bush and pretend that it's a tropical island.The only thing going for this bucket of bilge is Robert Newton.

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!"

Flavorful but overlong sequel to the Walt Disney version of TREASURE ISLAND (1950), which had given Robert Newton his trademark role of R.L. Stevenson's one-legged pirate Long John Silver; unsurprisingly, being an independent production – filmed on a low budget in Australia – it wasn't up to the standards of the earlier film (or the equally well-regarded 1934 MGM version with Wallace Beery as Silver), despite employing the same actor and director! While I haven't watched the Disney or MGM films in years, the pirate lingo here – and particularly Newton's hammy delivery of it – got to be a bit too much after a while; besides, Kit Taylor is pretty bland as Jim Hawkins (stepping in for Bobby Driscoll) and the DeLuxe color rather unattractive and cheap-looking (though the poor-quality print I watched didn't help matters any)! Slow-starting and altogether juvenile (particularly the subplot involving Connie Gilchrist, a hearty tavern-keeper hellbent on reforming – and marrying – Silver!), the film picks up steam during the second half with the pirates' return to Treasure Island (where they find Israel Hands, played by Rod Taylor – but I'm damned if I recognized him! – still alive but now a blindman and craving Hawkins' blood), which also serves as the site of their showdown with a rival band of cutthroats, headed by a Spaniard nicknamed "El Toro". Still, it's Newton's show all the way: his scenery-chewing antics make the film bearable, and he even went on to reprise his role yet again for a TV series

There is not much new in this sequel to "Treasure Island", which has Robert Newton return in the role of "Long John Silver" and getting involved in new adventures that nevertheless have a familiar feel to them, but it is still an entertaining movie. Made four years after the original, it has Kit Taylor replacing Bobby Driscoll as Jim Hawkins, but the relationship between the characters is still much the same. Newton is the main strength, since he captures his character very well, and he is fun to watch even when there is not a lot else going on.The story has Long John meeting up again with Jim and with various old friends and old rivals, while carrying out his usual assortment of schemes. It all has a familiar feel to it, with some of the same settings and many of the same plot devices getting recycled, and quite a few references to events and characters from the original story.If you enjoyed "Treasure Island", you would probably enjoy "Long John Silver" as well. Although it doesn't have much new material, it has plenty of adventure and the same kinds of scheming and counter-scheming. You could also enjoy it perfectly well, assuming that you have an interest in the genre, without having seem the first movie. The occasional links with the original are probably easy enough to figure out, from the context and/or from a passing acquaintance with the story from literature or elsewhere.