Mr. Robinson Crusoe

This often-overlooked adventure comedy is really quite fun.The plot,which was evidently written by the star under a different name,has Douglas Fairbanks,on a yachting trip to the south seas with wealthy friends suddenly challenged on a wager to spend a year on a tropical island with nothing to aid him but a hunting knife.That is the plot.Simple and yet enough to launch Fairbanks on a "Robinson Crusoe-like" adventure as he cleverly and in acrobatic fashion hews out a comfortable existence for himself.Does he find a loyal companion?Yes and it is native girl Maria Alba whom he names Saturday.As their romance develops there are typical dangers to be faced; storms,hostile natives etc.Ably directed by longtime silent veteran Edward Sutherland this picture is a delight for Fairbanks fans and adventure buffs.

A wealthy American bets his buddies he can act like MR. ROBINSON CRUSOE and stay quite happily all alone for several months on a deserted South Seas Island.

The Silent Era's greatest adventure star, Douglas Fairbanks, makes a brief return to his glory days in this lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek film which has become unfortunately obscure. With an original story by Elton Thomas (Doug's pseudonym) this was one of only four talkie films which would star Fairbanks; he also acted as producer. Released in some venues as a silent film - which explains the long sections without direct dialogue - the movie would give Doug one last bite at that particular apple.

Ever the affable good fellow, 49-year-old Doug is still agile as a cat and his innocent flirtation with lovely Maria Alba, his 22-year-old Spanish co-star , isn't too mawkish even though he's easily old enough to be her father. Miss Alba's first scene, however, quickly reminds the viewer of the movie's pre-Code standing.

Location filming in Fiji, Samoa & Tahiti are certainly big benefits to the story. Doug made sure the plot gave him the sort of scenes he loved to play: fanciful (all the wonderful contrivances & contraptions which make his tree house more comfortable) and exciting (Fairbanks gets to match wits against an entire tribe of headhunters).

Although sometimes rather intrusive, Alfred Newman's score is still richly evocative of the South Seas. He would later rework some of the melodies for even greater effect in THE HURRICANE (1937).

I certainly don't agree that this film is over-long. I found it hugely enjoyable from beginning to end. Of course it is a load of nonsense, but I don't think it was intended to be "Hamlet".

An American leaps off his luxury yacht with nothing, except his trusty dog, to learn to survive on a deserted tropical island. And he does so magnificently - creating his own world with an ingenuity that would put Gilligan and co. to shame. The art direction is truly outstanding. And the dog is great, but tends to be up-staged by a superbly talented monkey - that can even milk a goat! When other humans arrive things become a bit dodgy politically - this is definitely both racist and sexist.

But through it all runs Fairbanks' wondrous energy. Nice location photography, unusual for its day. This evidently caused problems for the sound-recording. I suspect all the location footage was shot silent and the sound dubbed on afterwards - the lip-synching is sometimes poor. Good use of music, by Alfred Newman, again quite advanced for an early talkie. This film is tremendous fun!

From the time Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden , man has vainly sought to find solace , comfort and earthly pleasure in an artificial world of his own creation . Down through the ages has come that eternal heritage - the urge in every man to turn his back on so - called civilization , to get back to nature and revel in the glories and freedom of a primitive paradise . Three friends ( a kind Douglas Fairbanks, William Farnum, and Earl Brown ) aboard a boat are going to chase tigers at Sumatra . They do a bet that nice Fairbanks can live on a desert island for a year and will have good life without being left any refinements of civilization . While his friends stake he will be tied on a pole and eaten by cannibals . Lucky for him , a native ( Maria Alba) arrives and saves him . Meantime friendly Fairbans puts on a tree ¨arrived on island June first ¨ and his friends at Sumatra get firearms permit . This will allow the gentlemen firearms into the Dutch East Indies to hunt tigers . At the ending the native girl dances in the Ziegfeld Follies show .

The players with Mr. Douglas Fairbanks include Mr William Farnum , Mr Earl Brown , Miss Maria Alba and native chiefs, tribes men and native girls in Tahiti , Fiji , Samoa , and the Marquesas islands . Charming Douglas Fairbanks steals the show as he bounds and leaps , flies and run ; in addition he is the screenwriter of this rollicking adventure based on a story by Elton Thomas . The movie contains brief nudism scenes , pre-Hays code , reflected on water in charge of Maria Alba and amusing scenes about antics between a sympathetic monkey, dog and a goat . Atmospheric and evocative musical score by the classic Alfred Newman . The picture is professionally directed by A. Edward Sutherland . He is an expert on all kind of genres as suspense as ¨The invisible woman (1940)¨ , and his specialty is the comedy with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy vehicles as ¨Flying deuces ¨ and the Bud Abbot and Lou Costello's debut titled ¨ One night in the Tropics (40) ¨ and directed a Christmas classic movie titled ¨ Beyond Christmas (40) ¨ . Rating : 5,5 . Acceptable and passable .

For Douglas Fairbanks's next to last film, he certainly chose an ambitious project, a modern version of the Robinson Crusoe story. At times though it seems like a bit of personal vanity from an aging star.

A good case could be made for Douglas Fairbanks being the movies first action/adventure star. Stunts and athletic ability were always emphasized in Fairbanks films than acting was, though if the occasion called for it, Fairbanks could give a good performance. At the time this film was made Fairbanks was 49 years old, looking fit mind you, but still looking 49.

Like MGM did with Trader Horn, filming it on location in Africa. Most of Mr. Robinson Crusoe was shot in the South Seas, in Fiji, and in Tahiti. There's not much of a cast to Mr. Robinson Crusoe, just William Farnum and Earle Browne who Fairbanks makes a bet on a whim that he couldn't survive on this tropical paradise as did Robinson Crusoe, and of course Maria Alba who plays the native girl Fairbanks takes up with and names Saturday.

There is a man Friday in the story and unfortunately it's part of one of the most racist aspects I've ever seen in a film. The ironic thing is that I don't think Fairbanks who wrote the script appreciated how it looked. Since he decides to imitate the fictional Crusoe, there must be a man Friday in the story. But in Daniel Defoe's novel, Friday is rescued by Crusoe and becomes devoted to him. Here Fairbanks comes upon some head hunters and tries to kidnap him for the purpose of essentially making him a slave. I'm not sure what else you could call it. The whole sequence is done for laughs with Fairbanks using all kinds of wrestling moves on the poor native, doubtless to show off his athletic ability which his fans paid to see. Still for today's audience, I find it shocking.

It's why sad to say, I can't give the film any higher a rating. Fairbanks and the cast are fine and the location cinematography in the South Seas would not be seen for another 20 years until I believe Gary Cooper's Return to Paradise was shot in some of the same area.

Sad to say I think a lot of people will be offended by watching Mr. Robinson Crusoe.