A Espada de um Bravo

Robert Louis Stevenson, born in Scotland in 1850 and sick with tuberculosis most of his adult life, was one prolific author of books of travel and adventure that are read and enjoyed even today. The imagery he creates in his books is so vivid that cinematic adaption is real easy. In fact this version of Kidnapped won high praise in the British Isles for being remarkably faithful to the book.

The story was also filmed on location in Scotland lending a real authenticity to the story. A whole slew of Scots players got work in this one and Australian Peter Finch and American James MacArthur fit right in with them.

Impossible for me to believe, but this Walt Disney film did not do as good in America as in Europe. I suppose it was both the accents and the knowledge of the political situation in Scotland post the rising in 1745 that Americans did not appreciate or were ignorant of. This American certainly did.

Young David Balfour the heir to the manor of Shores has one big problem collecting his inheritance, the presence of his uncle who is the reigning laird. Uncle Ebenezer who is deliciously played by John Laurie arranges a snatch by a sea captain friend of his and David (James MacArthur) is to be sent to the Carolinas in the American colonies as an indentured servant.

On the boat young David whose politics and heritage make him a supporter of the Hanoverian George II who is the reigning King of Great Britain finds himself having to make common cause with Scottish soldier of fortune Alan Breck Stewart who is played by Peter Finch and boasts proudly of bearing the name of the true House that ought to be running things. He's a Jacobite, a supporter of the claim of James III, who is exiled in France and who fought at Culloden with Bonnie Prince Charlie.

These unlikely allies affect an escape from the ship and make their way back to the House of Shores to set things right. Being a Jacobite and by dint of that, a traitor in Hanoverian eyes makes it all the more dangerous for both of them.

James MacArthur, son of playwright Charles MacArthur and Helen Hayes, was a young Disney star during that period, doing a whole bunch of roles for Disney on the small and big screen. Peter Finch makes his second and last appearance in a Disney film, he was memorable as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Disney's Robin Hood film. They have a good easy chemistry between them and if it were not so the film wouldn't have worked at all.

Three other players of note here are Bernard Lee as the sea captain who kidnaps Balfour, Finlay Currie as a fellow Jacobite clan leader who gives Finch and MacArthur shelter, and Peter O'Toole who bests Finch in a bagpipe playing contest.

Robert Louis Stevenson died in Tahiti in 1894, but in his short life left us a remarkable output of literature like Treasure Island, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Master of Ballantrae, and so much more. Though he went to the South Seas for health reasons and a love of adventure, if that can be combined in one individual, his love of Scotland was never shown better than in Kidnapped and in this classic adaption of that story.

Walt Disney adapts Robert Louis Stevenson's classic 1886 story in a bright colourful romp but retains the darker elements of the story such as the murder of the cabin boy.

James MacArthur better known from classic Hawaii Five-O struggles with whatever British accent he is attempting but comes across as a vulnerable but likable David Balfour who after his father dies visits his miserly uncle Ebenezer who attempts to kill him in an accident and when that fails lures him to a ship that is due to take him to the Americas as an indentured labourer.

In his voyage he comes across Alan Breck Stewart (Peter Finch) who the ship captain plots to kill for his money. David warns Alan and the two are able to overcome the murderous crew and escape ashore. Stewart is a Jacobite wanted for murder but both make it back to safety where David confronts Ebenezer as tries to claims his inheritance.

Peter Finch known for serious dramas rather enjoys himself in this Disney film and pitches his performance just right. He has a bagpipe duel with a young Peter O'Toole who is also a hoot in his brief scene.

The film loses steam a little at the last stretch but is a fun, unpretentious film and it was shot in Britain.

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.

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.

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.