Entführt - Die Abenteuer des David Balfour

This comes across as a rather cheaply made movie, minimal production values, and that's a shame, because it has a very fine script delivered by very fine actors, chief among them Peter Finch, who delivers Alan Breck Stewart's lines like the Shakespearean actor he was, rolling those r's and turning the prose into poetry. Yes, the ships at sea look like they're in a bathtub, it's true, and the backgrounds, which could have been beautiful, are not, because the color is not that good.

But the script is first rate, and so is the acting, and that wins the day.

This is a story of male bonding, of a boy who becomes a man by going through trials under the supervision of a man. The sort of thing Kipling did so well a decade later in Captains Courageous - turned into another first-rate movie, if a less faithful one, with Spencer Tracy and Freddie Bartholomew. This is something of the same thing, except that, rather than riding the high seas, the duo wander through the dangers of the Scottish Highlands.

It would have benefited from a better score, but still, I strongly recommend it. It is infinitely better than the sad travesty produced for no discernible reason by Masterpiece Theater.

Equating Disney movies to "family entertainment" is a bit trite, but here it works. Young men looking for adventure in their lives will be as pleased with this film as parents looking for a quality movie to which they can take their kids. This is the brilliant Scottish raconteur Robert Louis Stevenson's tale of two Scotlands, Highland and Lowland, as personified by the dour young Mr. David Balfour and the spirited Highlander Alan Breck Stewart (who proudly "bears a King's name"). On the run for their lives in their own native country of Scotland, now occupied by English redcoats and their Hessian merceneries, the protagonists must overcome their mutual distrust of one another, which is based primarily on political differences (but also on cultural differences as well). In fighting to keep their health and lives, they come to respect and even appreciate one another, in part because (ironically) they are from different worlds. The acting is simply first-rate; the producers could not (and did not) rely on special effects to make this movie work. The scenery of the Scottish Highlands is breathtaking. But it's the plot and character development made so viable by the brilliant acting of Peter Finch and James MacArthur that make the movie a stand-out. Rent it, bring it home, and watch it with your girlfriend, your boyfriend, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, friends, parent, grandparents, or perfect strangers. By the end of the movie, you'll value the friendship that young Mr. Balfour and the spirited Highlander find for themselves.

This a rollicking good story and even if you not seen the movie for many years you are in for a pleasant surprise. The scenery is wonderful and there are wonderful characters in the film and plenty of excitement. The scenes of the grand old ships on the mighty ocean really do look rather like boats in a bath tub but forget all that its a finely paced adventure movie. There are a few of Disneys favourite young actors in it and they are all very good but its Peter Finch who brings that special distinction to the film. He was a brilliant actor and even though its a Disney kids flick he gives it all he has got. Finch is brilliant and it is his film. There is a lovely scene with the incredibly handsome Peter O Toole.

I know an honest appraisal when I see one. Add to that droits_de_l_homme is from Scotland so he knows what he is talking about. I just know I have always loved this movie. I have always been a fan of classic writers like Stevenson and Dickens. This Disney movie is long overdue for putting on DVD. Why such a great piece of work with a stellar cast has not been put on DVD before now is beyond me. I bought the VHS many years ago and I am glad I did as it is OOP now. If you are lucky enough to catch it on TV I am sure you will agree it is a masterpiece of family entertainment with an accurate depiction of Scottish history thrown in for good measure. I always hoped this would come out on DVD with Disney talking about the story behind it as he often did when these were made for the Disney TV show.

Walt Disney's 1960 film of Robert Louis Stevenson's _Kidnapped_ is not only the best movie version of the 1886 novel but is also one of the finest cinematic treatments of any of the author's works. Filmed on location in Scotland and featuring an outstanding ensemble of mostly British actors, this _Kidnapped_ is faithful to the spirit -- and even, for the most part, to the letter -- of the RLS masterpiece, which is half adventure tale and half meditation on Scottish history, culture, and character. Director Robert Stevenson (presumably no relation to Tusitala) never dumbed down the story or the 18th-century context, which may account for the movie's present limited appeal. It's atmospherically and thematically darker than the ususal Disney fare, and adult viewers may find it surprisingly rewarding.