L'île du maître

I have not seen this in a long while, and it has not been released on VHS or DVD, but I remember it as in intelligent spoof of Robinson Crusoe. It is the same old story we all know, but it is told from the perspective of Friday, who, if I recall correctly, narrates the tale like a hip soul brother from the 1970's replete with a Jamaican accent.

"Broter, lemme tell ya, iss da story o dis dumb wite mon, who doan know his ahs from a coconut grove."

That's not exactly what he said, but it is the gist of how things are told. Friday, Richard Roundtree, who had just finished three movies and one television series as Shaft, is a wealth of oneupsmanship over the not too bright Crusoe, played superbly by Peter O'Toole.

This is a must watch and a keeper. Write ABC Entertainment. Tell them to get it out on DVD. I think that one of the problems with this film is that AVCO Embassy Pictures, which produced it with ABC, went out of business years ago.

A choice film.

I wasn't expecting much when I decided to take a look at this underrated film, one of Peter O'Toole's forgotten works. Well, I think it's great. The ideological consistency of this reinterpretation is definitely more welcome than a "classic" adaptation of Defoe's novel.

What strikes me is the movie's relevance after all these years. It's amazing how little has changed from those days, when racism and slavery were widely accepted as "normality". I mean, the laws have changed of course, manners have improved - we live in the era of "political correctness" and all - but in terms of how we FEEL about the Other, nothing has changed, unfortunately. Robinson Crusoe is in fact the typical Englishman. This deep rooted idea of superiority still exists today, even if it doesn't manifest itself in the same ways."Man Friday" makes a powerful statement about human nature, about man's failure to communicate, to understand and respect others.

Various themes are explored, like religion, sexuality, freedom, xenophobia, capitalism, multiculturalism, moral relativism and so on. The movie succeeds in making some good points, sometimes with a great sense of humor, and sometimes with a tragic feel. Crusoe's relationship with Friday, its development and psychological implications are very interesting.

Peter O'Toole is splendid as the nasty and arrogant Englishman, while being sympathetic to some extent due to his human frailty. Not even those funny-looking furry boots and outfits can diminish his aristocratic elegance, and it's a pleasure to listen to his beautifully spoken phrase. O'Toole's Crusoe has the tragic aura of a Shakespearean hero, and this superb performance is the movie's highlight. Roundtree also does a very good job.

The absence of a remastered DVD transfer must be the only reason why "Man Friday" remains basically unknown, and that's a shame.

Absent the Pandemic, this turns into a brilliant parody of post-George Floyd America and Anarcho-Capitalism. Meant to see it at age 32 and accidentally found it on YouTube, age 82. Yea, O'Toole's slightly hammy but not gratingly. I knew of Richard Roundtree only as the Blaxpolitation-era SHAFT.

Crusoe explaining money and wages to Friday might have been lifted from a Democratic Socialists of America introduction to Karl Marx's theory of indentured labor. The Hang Glider scene doesn't work and didn't then but otherwise MAN FRIDAY has aged itself into front page 2020 relevance.

This is one of those films with an intriguing concept that is ruined by poor execution. "Man Friday" is a revisionist take on the classic novel "Robinson Crusoe" told from the point of view of the castaway Englishman Crusoe's (Peter O'Toole) native companion/servant Friday (Richard Roundtree). Adapted from a stage play, this is basically a two-hander carried by O'Toole and Roundtree's performances. The duo's evolving relationship is obviously a metaphor for racism, slavery, colonialism, and capitalism. That part of the film works well, with Crusoe's more "civilized" Christian and English ways revealed as irrational and unnatural. The problem is that the filmmakers add all sorts of other nonsense, perhaps to broaden the film's appeal. Friday often breaks into his "native" songs, but he sings the lyrics in English and the music sounds too contemporary. There is a comical talking parrot. Worst of all is a sequence where Crusoe and Friday try to escape from the island by inventing all sorts of silly flying machines, with accompanying sound effects borrowed from an old "Roadrunner" cartoon. There are also some plotting problems. Crusoe is not properly introduced and Friday goes from being terrified of Crusoe to amiably calling him "master" way too quickly. Since director Jack Gold can't decide if this is a serious drama or a musical-comedy-adventure, it doesn't succeed as either.

4 out of 10.

I missed the start of this film on tv but managed to tune in to the story's events which appear to carry a strong social message based on prevalent ideas, prejudices and conflicts among people. It brings to mind the movie, Hawaii, in which the white man's ways and beliefs were supposed to transform the local inhabitants but as it turned out, the well-meaning visitors had much to learn from the island people's customs and beliefs. In a way it's a lesson for us all that we should respect cultural differences, customs and values. As the saying goes, There are many roads that lead to Rome. The episode of trying to spread their inventive wings and fly was great fun to watch and O'Toole's furry feet were a hilarious footnote to the scene. I regret some of the violence enacted but then those days were not always pleasant times. A happier ending would have been nice. On the other hand this film makes you stop and think. One can observe the conflict of intellect versus soul wisdom being played out. It's a film well worth seeing.