I don't think I've seen TREASURE ISLAND since childhood but last night's airing on TCM was full of surprises, the biggest revelation being just how
bloody and violent it is. This was before Disney was DISNEY. Men are stabbed, run through with swords, shot in the face and there's blood spilled all over
the place in glorious Technicolor. In some ways it's more of a horror film than a rousing adventure yarn with all the bloodshed, violence,
child-endangerment and its rich gallery of grotesques, the richest of which is Robert Newton's Long John Silver. It's an indelible and iconic
performance and Newton chews more scenery than the ants in THE NAKED JUNGLE. Uncle Walt couldn't have been happy when Newton reprised the character (much
toned down) a few years later in the non-Disney series "The Adventures of Long John Silver." TREASURE ISLAND is a reminder that the Disney films of
yore probably gave children more rough nights than most horror films.
