The 1950 version of "Treasure Island" is in many ways an inferior telling of the classic tale.
The characters are more like caricatures of the original Stevenson crew. While Newton's Silver will forever impact the depiction of the classic pirate, the remaining cast constantly hams it up with over the top performances (Newton included). The plot is never allowed to simply unfold, but instead is constantly being explained to the audience. The characters not only take an action but immediately explain what they have just done (e.g. Silver choosing the crew, the incident with the rum, and many more). In addition many of the plot changes (e.g. Dr. Livesy giving the map to Hawkins prior to his seizing of the Hispaniola, and Silver threatening to kill the hostage Jim completely out of character!) only convolute the story. All in all, this ruins the magic of the original story, most of which is due a sense of mystery and unknowing: why did the heroes willingly surrender the map? When will Israel Hand strike? All of this is lost in a plot line which can simply be described as impatient.
For a superior film, please see the 1934 MGM release. This classic version is much more true to the original novel, both in plot, atmosphere, and characters. Beery's customary off-hand delivery creates a more scheming and duplicitous Silver.
The characters are more like caricatures of the original Stevenson crew. While Newton's Silver will forever impact the depiction of the classic pirate, the remaining cast constantly hams it up with over the top performances (Newton included). The plot is never allowed to simply unfold, but instead is constantly being explained to the audience. The characters not only take an action but immediately explain what they have just done (e.g. Silver choosing the crew, the incident with the rum, and many more). In addition many of the plot changes (e.g. Dr. Livesy giving the map to Hawkins prior to his seizing of the Hispaniola, and Silver threatening to kill the hostage Jim completely out of character!) only convolute the story. All in all, this ruins the magic of the original story, most of which is due a sense of mystery and unknowing: why did the heroes willingly surrender the map? When will Israel Hand strike? All of this is lost in a plot line which can simply be described as impatient.
For a superior film, please see the 1934 MGM release. This classic version is much more true to the original novel, both in plot, atmosphere, and characters. Beery's customary off-hand delivery creates a more scheming and duplicitous Silver.