I’m so excited because this next film is the 50th film which is big for me because it’s taken a long time to get to this movie. For this project, I’m focusing on the story itself, including dialogue, character development, any subplots, how a story presents itself, the speed at which it moves, if it slows down unnecessarily, etc.
A Brief Summary
(Taken from D23)
The members of a Swiss family are the sole survivors of a shipwreck on an uncharted tropical island. With great courage and ingenuity, they use the salvage from the wreck to build a home in a huge tree, raise food, and protect themselves from a raiding band of pirates. The rescue of the granddaughter of a sea captain from pirates precipitates the ultimate attack by the buccaneers. The furious battle is almost won by the brigands when her grandfather’s ship arrives and routs the attackers. The romance between the eldest Robinson boy and the granddaughter culminates in their marriage. The new couple and much of the family decide to stay on the island paradise, but scholarly brother Ernst decides to go back on the ship to civilization.
What works
- I have mixed feelings about the addition of the pirates and the character Roberta/Bertie. They weren’t a part of the book, and at times it did feel a bit much with their inclusion, BUT having read the book, they were very much needed. The book is one of my favorites, but there’s a greater focus on the details of the Robinsons’ various homes on the island, what they find on the ship and what they find on the island itself. I enjoyed reading about it, but it wouldn’t translate well on the screen. It would be pretty boring.
- This was probably my favorite James MacArthur role, above Third Man on the Mountain, Kidnapped and The Light in the Forest (in that order).
- The final battle with the pirates was super impressive as far as what different devices and weapons they used to defend against the pirates. IT was definitely my favorite part of the movie.
- It’s a family story, it’s a survival story, its an adventure story, romance, and I think that’s where the list ends. And for the most part,
What may or may not work
- The competition between Ernst and Fritz for Roberta’s attention got obnoxious at times, partly because they both act a bit (or a lot) over the top. Especially when the family was preparing defenses for the pirates’ arrival, and their fight was getting in the way of the preparations. It just dragged a bit watching the two of them.
- There’re very few definite mentions of time so it was hard to tell how much time had passed or how long the family had been on the island. As they only showed one Christmas celebration, I think it might just be a year, but it would have been helpful to know for certain.
Honorable Mentions
- “and i deliberately tried to get their attention.” Ah, sweet naive Ernst.
- “how’d you know that? ” “well I do a bit of reading too, you know?” (Ernst and his dad, respectively, because Ernst is a bit of a knowledge-snob)
- Snaps for the pirate massacre of other pirates. I wish I could have spoken their language to really know what they said to get the now dead pirates to lower their guards.
- “why don’t we put up a distressed flag?” “Don’t you think we look distressed enough?”
- Mother Robinson’s horror film scream when she sees a giant lizard. I’m not certain that I wouldn’t have the same reaction if I saw one in the wild.
Side Questions
- How did the Robinson family get stuck down below? It works well, plot wise because otherwise they’d probably have left with the rest of the crew, but still,
- How is there a baby elephant BUT NO BIG ELEPHANTS? To be fair, this question could be asked about any and all of the creatures they discover on the island, because for the most part, only one of each species is discovered. (Okay I lied, there are 3 or 4 hyenas.)
- Ernst and Fritz are like “there’s something moving on the beach!” and only after they look through a telescope do they realize it’s pirates. How can they not, Fritz especially, recognize the same sails from the pirate ship that they had encountered when they first arrived? I could say something about how maybe too much time had passed since they had seen the pirate ship BUT they automatically knew that the men were pirates from getting a closer look. So what the heck?
- What is the point of the pirates returning to the island? I get the point as far as the movie plot goes, but really, why would the pirates want to come back? To harass/kill some shipwrecked people? Or would they make them slaves?
Would I watch this movie again?
- Sure, I would. But it’s definitely one I would need to be in the mood for. Like some of the other early live-action movies, it just didn’t give off a “must watch again” vibe.
If you’ve seen Swiss Family Robinson, what are some of your thoughts? Share in the comments below!
Rewind to the beginning of the Disney Film Project
Skip back to the previous film with Ten Who Dared
Fast Forward to the next film with One Hundred and One Dalmatians
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