Monday 30 July 2012

Swiss Family Robinson (1960)



From Walt Disney comes the adaptation of the book by Johann David Wyss charting a Family ship wrecked on a desert island and their adventures as they adapt from a comfortable life to living off the land. This is very much in the tone of the times with some unrealistic achievements but it is a family friendly film that is full of adventure. You follow the family played by John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur,Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran and the meet Bertie played by Janet Munro and apart from the pirates this is your full cast list.


I have seen this film only a couple of times but I love it in it’s simplicity and this is how I dream I would survive on a desert island, rather than starving to death or getting an infection in my toe and dying. The characters are typical with the two older boys vying for supremacy with one a scholar and one a man’s man. You have the careless free nature of the youngest as he takes risks. Then there are the parents as they watch their children grow in unusual circumstances and try to let them discover who they are on their own.

This is a great film, there is possibly a message for the people of the 1960’s about not getting too hooked into their technology and the advancements, though it does say that with a bit of ingenuity you can make anything work. This film while unbelievable is a family fantasy that ends in a battle with pirates that is thrilling and a lot of fun. This is a 8 out of 10 and well worth seeing for all the family.

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