In Search of the Castaways

Jules Verne gets Disneyfied again by the reliable Robert Stevenson, with Hayley Mills, Wilfred Hyde-White, George Sanders and Maurice Chevalier, singing some songs by the Sherman brothers. Given a story that traveled around the world and got its characters involved in floods, volcanic eruptions, mutinies, and capture by cannibals, somehow, everyone remains pink-faced & scrubbed clean at all times, with every bow-tie perfectly tied.

It's a perfect movie at a moment when the strains of Hollywood's erosion and its retreat into what is today called a "tentpole movie" model was just about to collapse. While the Major studios like Fox were still relying on blockbusters like THE LONGEST DAY (which outgrossed this film), cheap producers like AIP were serving the Teen market. By the end of the decade, everyone would be going after them and movies like this would be seen as quaint. Well, I guess I'm old-fashioned. I love it.

We loved this film as kids, now we're older it retains its appeal but in a different way. It really is the funniest film ever.

The search party:

• encounter a earthquake and survive by riding on two mini icebergs through ice palaces which appear to be inside a mountain

• have one member of the party (Robert, the sweet little brother) carried off by a giant condor to feed her young

• get flooded and live in a huge ombu tree for weeks (alongside some kind of big cat which is also trapped there)

• go through a thunderstorm that causes above-mentioned tree to catch on fire, giving them the option of being burnt to death or eaten by crocodiles, which are now of course swarming around the tree - or get rescued

• get locked up in a tiny hut with a madman who's been there for apparently about fifty years, after being chucked off their own ship by villainous scoundrels and being washed up on an island inhabited by Maoris

• and finally, survive a volcano (but the Maoris don't)

There is also a love interest in the form of John, the smarmy captain's son who fancies Mary (Hayley Mills) and some funny songs, like the one Chevalier and Mills sing when living in ombu tree. Brilliant!!!

I'll give Disney's "In Search Of The Castaways" a seven out of ten because of the possibilities, not for what it is! If you were to take all the noted bloopers from the original Star Wars series, you'd run out of fingers, instantly! Compared to other Disney live action films and some real turkeys, this film fared much better. Not everyone is into Maurice Chevalier and I am not one of them. But he did manage to play the bumbling fool of a professor very well. Sometimes you have to overlook the Disney staple of sticking to sugary family fare. We cant all have homeboys on top of a mountain, spraying graffiti. Quite frankly, the movie really suffers from simply becoming outdated. I wish the movie moguls would think to look at this movie one day-for a remake. If anything, I like the sudden idea of being caught and trapped on a slope, riding on a loosened mountain chunk down a ravine. The next in line biggest adventure, would be the tied to a rope, upside down, swinging wildly in the air! COOL. I give it a seven, for the possibilities. Robert.

A young boy and girl look for their father with the aid of a disbelieving old English captain and his young son, brought together by a Frenchman who found a note in a bottle. Seeing this movie as a youngster, I found them all delightful (altho I haven't seen alot of his work, I must agree about Chevalier being tedious listening to him explain things. Only Hyde-White's attention and irritation at Maurice diluted any that disdain this viewer may have felt). But the earthquake, the snowslide, the giant condor, the flood, the burning tree, and expecially the suddenly unexpected leopard all made for a good, entertaining film to hold my attention. The slip? Oh, we went the wrong way. Have to backtrack. Definite loss of attention as to what is going on. Pity that George Sander's speech merged with Hyde-White and Chevalier dialects couldn't have helped. Perhaps had he played the father of Mills and her brother instead of the uninteresting actor who did play the part (another downer in the film), things would have been better. Mills and her two male counterparts were delightful to see when I was young so I still enjoy them now. Old Bill Gaye was a definite pick-me-up the film needed. A shame the regular cast couldn't have held on to the film to the end. In watching this movie now, I can't help but check out the characterization of the natives performing their 'ceremony' while the prisoners are escaping. Especially check out the expressions of the 'chieftain'. Hilarious.

I recently watched this movie for the first time and found very enjoyable and it is a good old adventure movie. The only thing I didn't like about it were the songs, which seemed pointless and did not fit in with the storyline.

An excellent cast, which includes Hayley Mills (Tiger Bay), Wilfred Hyde White (North West Frontier), George Sanders (Village of the Damned) and Wilfred Brambell (Steptoe and Son). All play excellent parts and they seem to be enjoying themselves. The special effects are excellent too.

While searching for Hayley Mills's dad, the expedition encounters dangers such as an earthquake, volcano, tidal wave and flood, cannibals, a leopard and a rather unfriendly giant eagle. They do find him at the end, alive and well.

I found this movie excellent but the songs do let it down slightly.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.