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The Story of Treasure Island
Also known as [Treasure Island]
(1908) United States of America
B&W : 855 feet
Directed by (unknown)
Cast: (unknown)
The Vitagraph Company of America production; distributed by The Vitagraph Company of America. / From the novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. / © 14 December 1907 by The Vitagraph Company of America [H103670]. Released 8 March 1908. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format. / The novel was subseuently filmed as Treasure Island (1912).
Drama: Historical: Adventure.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? The first scene shows part of Flint’s old pirate crew, with one-legged John Silver in the lead. They have discovered the hiding place of Billy Bones, the mate of Flint’s ship, the “Walrus,” and they send Black Dog, one of the crew, to tip Billy Bones to the “black spot” at the Admiral Ben Bow Inn; but Billy Bones drives Black Dog away, and will have nothing to do with him. Silver then sends Blind Pew, and Pew gives Bones the “black spot.” Bones has a stroke of apoplexy and dies. Mrs. Hawkins and her son Jim, who keep the inn, find the “black spot,” which says, “You have till ten tonight.” They are very much frightened, and they open Jones’s old sea chest and get the money he owes for rent, and Jim takes an old bag for good measure, and, being very much frightened at the pirates, they run to Squire Trelawney’s. The Squire and Doctor Livesey open the bag and discover the old map of Treasure Island, which the pirates were trying to get from Bones. Crosses were marked on the map where the gold was buried. The Squire and Doctor realize the value of the map; fit out a ship and start for Treasure Island. John Silver discovers this, and he and all of old Flint’s pirate crew, unknown, manage to get aboard the ship as sailors. Jim Hawkins, the cabin boy, concealed in an apple barrel, overhears Silver plotting to seize the ship and kill the owners. This he privately tells to the captain, and they secretly lower a boat, fill it with ammunition and provisions, escape to the island and take refuge in the old Stockade Fort, built by Captain Flint years before. The pirates also land and Silver comes with a flag of truce and tries to get possession of the map showing where the treasure is. This the captain refuses to surrender, and the pirates attack the stockade; a fierce fight ensues, and they are beaten and driven off. In the meantime Jim Hawkins, the cabin boy, wandering around the island, comes across Ben Gunn, a poor Maroon, whom the pirates punished by leaving on the island three years before. He had found the treasure in his lonely wanderings around the island and had carried it off to his cave. This Jim tells the Doctor and the Doctor goes and meets Ben Gunn and gives him a piece of cheese, which the poor half-witted creature had been longing and dreaming of during his three years on the island. Ben shows the Doctor the empty treasure hole and then takes the Doctor to his cave and shows him the piles of gold, which formerly belonged to the pirates. In the meantime Jim is captured by the pirates; they are going to kill him, but John Silver prevents them and saves Jim’s life, secretly in hopes of caving his own neck. The Doctor comes with a flag of truce and tries to persuade them to let Jim go, and he gives the map to Silver, as it is of no value to him, Ben Gunn having taken the treasure up. Silver saves his own life and Jim’s by showing the pirates the map which he has in his possession, and the pirates, wild with joy, go on the treasure hunt. They find the old treasure hole by the aid of the map, but the treasure is gone! They turn on Silver and Jim. Silver, at bay, gives Jim a pistol, and they shoot two of the pirates, just as the Doctor and Ben Gunn come to their assistance, and the three remaining pirates run for their lives. The Doctor, Jim and Silver now go to Ben Gunn’s cave, where they find the Captain and the Squire and the treasure. “Of all the crew that sailed alive, not one came back of seventy-five.”
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Keywords: Authors: Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)
Listing updated: 11 June 2024.
References: Slide-BigV p. 179 : Website-AFI; Website-IMDb.
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