The Internet Movie Database lists three directors for the 1972 version of "Treasure Island: Andrea Bianchi of "Strip Nude for Your Killer," John Hough of "The Watcher in the Woods," and Antonio Margheriti of "Seven Dead in the Cat's Eye." Out of all three, only Margheriti helped to pen the screenplay. I don't think that there is any way to distinguish precisely who did what, but this cinematic adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure novel is extremely faithful to its source material. Orson Well es steps into the role immortalized by Robert Newton, but Welles doesn't chew the scenery with the same gusto as Newton did in the Disney version. Instead, Welles plays Long John Silver as a realistic but cunning dastard. The remainder of the cast doesn't fit their roles like a glove, but Spaghetti western star Rik Battaglia makes a reasonable facsimile of Captain Smollett who has the helm of the ship. Reasonably successful, too, are Lionel Stander as Billy Bones and Walter Slezak as Squire Trelawney. Clearly, several other cast members have been dubbed, and the film was lensed in Carboneras, Almería, Andalucía, Spain as well as Monte Gelato Falls, Treja River, Lazio, Italy. Prolific cinematographer Cecilio Paniagua of "100 Rifles" did a splendid job of photographing this sea-going saga and camera operator Silvano Mancini pulls some fantastic zooms. There are moments of memorable beauty when Paniagua's cinematography is captures a scene whether aboard ship or on land. One of the best things about this version is its apparent realism. Miniatures were eschewed in favor of the genuine article, particularly the ship. Despite its physical authenticity and some good performances, "Treasure Island" follows most of what Stevenson wrote, but the filmmakers have changed a few things. First, after our heroes flee from the ship, Jim Hawkins made his way back aboard the ship and runs it aground. This scene is missing, while some of the secondary villains don't stand out as much as they did in the novel. Second, Captain Smollett doesn't get wounded during the stockade stand-off. Otherwise, on the whole, this rendition of "Treasure Island" is worth watching.

This version may be one of the weaker versions of the classic story, it's nowhere near as good as the 1990 Charlton Heston or the 1934 Wallace Beery versions(Muppet Treasure Island is great too) but it is a long way from bad. And I really do have to respectfully disagree with the commentator who said that this was the worst Treasure Island, the uncomfortably bizarre 1998 Jack Palance version is by far the worst. The film may be lower in budget than most of the versions of Treasure Island, with some of the camera work(which can be too reliant on close ups though most of it is inventive and appropriate) and the handsomely rendered if very undersized Hispagnola it does show but it was decent compared to most lower-in-budget films personally seen, the shadowy lighting was quite effective and the locations are splendid. The script is amusingly tongue in cheek with some darkly tense moments too.The story is suspenseful and lots of fun on the most part with the storytelling at least coherent and structurally relatively faithful. The start of the film suitably intense and sets up the story well and the action is staged surprisingly well with a Spaghetti Western vibe in places. Some of the treasure hunting scenes are a little leisurely however and are slightly lacking in urgency. The acting is mostly good with Orson Welles giving the most memorable one, he can be charmingly sympathetic but he drips with evil as well, some of the performance is very fruity but I appreciated the restraint he gave the character here. Kim Burfield is an appealing Jim, Walter Slezak brings out the conflicts of Squire Trelawny's character very well- sometimes blustering, other times refined- and Jean Lefevbre an amusing Ben Gunn. Lionel Stander however is too gangster boss-like as Billy Bones and Angel del Pozo is a dull Dr Livesey.Where the film is least successful is in the music score and especially the dubbing. The score is nowhere near "rousing adventure"-like enough, sounding more like at points like "sentimental television" scoring. The dubbing is unfortunately shoddy, very stiff and some of it sounds like they're mumbling their way through their lines. Robert Rietty is the least bad, he does sound like how Welles would speak but some of his line delivery sounds like he was drunk at the time. On the whole, a long way from great or being the best version, but it's still pretty good and is miles ahead of the Palance adaptation. 6/10 Bethany Cox

So far as I've seen, this is the most commendable of all interpretations of Robert Lewis Stevenson's stirring book; yet, still a great disappointment.Most of the cast did well enough in their rolls, with the exception of, believe it or not, Orson Welles. Mr. Welles so severely under played the part of Long John Silver he made the character completely uninteresting; that and his unintelligible mumbling fatally scuttles what should have been a great and memorable film.The music of Natale Massara, another problem, while expertly orchestrated, is derivative of other works and does nothing to convey the feeling of a thrilling tale of the sea. It would have been better suited to an episode of "Little House On The Prairie" with it's ocean of grass.I certainly won't say that it is a waste of time to watch this version, but if it were not for Wolf Mankowitz writing the screenplay, this might well have been a complete failure.For a real treat, go see "Muppet Treasure Island". You won't be sorry! More information at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117110/ .

The level of production values,the caliber of the sets,the quality of the writing tend to make me think of the peplum films and cheap swashbucklers made in Europe during the post-war period and the 1950s and early 1960s that we used to see at Saturday afternoon matinees at the cinema or on Television.Let's face it,it doesn't even come up to the level of bad entertainment.Where do we begin? 1.)The ship is so small and shoddy that it couldn't even qualify as a fishing boat,let alone a deep-water vessel. 2.)The fort on the island,described as a sturdy log cabin in the story,is a stucco and brick hacienda,with a stone wall rather than the log stockade required. 3.)The casting is really quite strange:a.)Stander is so benign as to be unbelievable;b.)Slezak,as the squire is too refined and much too Middle-European to portray the blustering,blowhard Stevenson intended;c.)Who,in the name of all that's holy,suggested that Welles play Silver?He's too old,too lethargic,and too unhealthy looking to gives us the strong,powerful,vital villain we all think of.The only truly piratical trait he has is a genuine penchant for evil.Interestingly enough,they do show Ben Gunn as was the original concept.And the scenes at the Benbow Inn are quite realistic and accurate.In addition,the scenes at Silver's inn,interactions among the pirates there,and the introduction of Silver's mulatto wife give this production it's only redeeming moments.Watch this ,and see what not to do.