Robinson Crusoe (1954)

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Luis Bunuel's Robinson Crusoe (1954) is a classic example of the auteur film in its initial sense: the director's vision and style emerge from the tension with the conventional materials assigned him. Later he would make more freeform films with a more blatant style that transcended the term "auteur."Bunuel was among three hands scripting the famous novel, which was too famous to highjack. It's Bunuelian in smaller touches.His Crusoe exhibits many of the discreet charms of the bourgeoisie. Obviously he's ingenious, clever, perseverant, what a man who survives 28 years on a jungle island would be. But Bunuel takes his liberties. That pottery wheel seems a Magrittean incongruity. The scale of the hero's little world seems too impressive, too grand a reward for the Protestant work ethic to be credible.When Crusoe is ultimately rescued he returns to the image of the bourgeoisie, neatly coiffed, elegantly dressed and perfumed, a lord worthy any manner and manners.When Crusoe leaves the later mutineers to maintain his legacy he envies them for possessing what he lacked: companionship. But those surlies promise about as much community and collaboration as the beggars of Viridiana.As Defoe describes, when Crusoe accrues his man Friday he un-christianly reduces him from person to weekday and makes himself his Master. He discourages the grovel but encourages frightened awe — and total obedience. After overcoming his own fears of Friday's cannibalism and desire to escape Crusoe comes to trust him with the weapons, gives him full training and ultimately gives him the rewards of smoking. He will take him in full livery to the English jungle, society. Here Crusoe is the model of the European slave keeper.Bunuel's spiirit gleams in the religion scenes. Crusoe has learned to recite his rote faith well, but flounders when he tries to explain it to Friday. Bunuel gives the pagan (aka uncontaminated) Friday an impish rational skepticism that Crusoe can't handle, only feel superior in dismissing.Turning to his parrot for agreement betrays Crusoe as a reciter of unabsorbed rote, unable to respond to basic questions. Unburdened by the cant, Friday can plainly ask: If God keeps Satan alive to tempt man why does he punish man for sinning? In an earlier scene Crusoe goes off to his echo vale for the delusion of company, when he cries out to himself and receives his echo. In choosing a Psalm what Crusoe shouts and yearns to hear is a confirmation of his faith, of the existence of his God, renewal of his soul. What he gets is a hollow taunt of himself. Choosing the psalm makes his need for religious support, which the empty echoes can't feel. Crying for soul renewal he strides forward to fill the screen with his strictly material presence, his soul unswelled.Whether or not in Defoe, Bunuel allows his island an immaculate conception. Where Crusoe's cat found a lover is never known but her litter embodies the fertility and mystery with which the natural wilds outruns our logic and pragmatism. Twice Bunuel gives Crusoe the discomfit of erotic stirrings. The first is when he sees a dress blowing on his scarecrow. The second — more angrily suppressed — is when Friday dons a dress and gold necklace and plays at war. The is Bunuel's delight in tweaking sexual repression rather than DeFoe's. It's Defoe's classic novel but Bunuel's most promising early film.

We read the book "Robinson Crusoe" as a family...and chose this film as the movie to watch after having read Defoe's novel--considered by some to be the first true English novel.The book gives quite a "back story" to the familiar one most people expect: the survival of a shipwrecked Crusoe on the deserted island. Crusoe's relationship with his parents, his decision and yearning for the high seas, his toiling as a slave himself to a Muslim master (and eventual escape), and his purchase of a plantation in the Brazils all preceded his one great adventure. The film blasts through all this in a quick minute or less! I guess that is understandable...it isn't easy to tell a 350 page novel in such detail in just 90 minutes.According to the short biography on the DVD we read, the director Buñuel was hostile to religion...perhaps he was "smothered" with it in childhood. This may explain the omission of much (but not all) of the spiritual aspects Defoe had throughout the book.Defoe's character struggles with ungratefulness to God, then re-discovers how blessed he is in his life despite the problems of loneliness and despair. Truly, the novel is inspirational for anyone who faces these fears (and who doesn't?) Defoe's hero isn't a mere spiritual wanderer, though--he works and works hard for his sustenance....the island is a bit of "Eden" that Crusoe must work. This movie avoids a lot of this struggle.Buñuel took out much of the spirituality of the book instead, he added a deep friendship Crusoe has with his dog "Rex". The subplot of Crusoe's attachment to the dog is an important way the director shows the character's need for friendship.The 1954 film does a good job in the more "physical" aspects of the story. O'Herlihy is a fine Robinson, changing his look as time goes on. And his eventual befriending of the savage whom he names "Friday" is an interesting turning point. Crusoe craves friendship--but he also is suspicious of his new companion.The "adventure" portion of the film is interesting and well-done even for a film shot 50+ years ago. Crusoe's building of his home, his survival in the hostile environment, and his hard work of husbandry and farming are shown with good faithfulness to the book. Especially endearing is the scene where Crusoe eats his first hot, fresh baked "bread" in several years...bread he has just made.Crusoe is a man of integrity and eventually helps save the captain of a ship whose crew is engaging in mutiny...he and Friday do a good job of assisting the stranded captain. He even extends a kind gesture to the mutineers--instead of taking them back to civilization to be hanged, he leaves them on the island with detailed instructions on how to survive...as he did for 28+ years.Overall, a pretty decent adaptation of the book...BUT...what Daniel Defoe's novel truly awaits is for a detailed telling of the story (perhaps in a miniseries) that shows Robinson as a young man--rejecting his father's sage advice--and going through the various struggles detailed in the book...before he is rescued to tell his tale of survival.

Robinson Crusoe (1954) ** (out of 4) After a shipwreck, Robinson Crusoe (Dan O'Herlihy) finds himself stuck on a deserted island where he must make due with what he has and try to create a new civilization for himself (along with the cat and dog). I've got to say that this film left me pretty cold from start to finish and this is the first time I've been left extremely disappointed in Bunuel. I guess it goes without saying that this isn't the typical kind of films we'd see from him but I think he could have handled the material a tad bit better. My biggest problem is that I never got caught up in the story, the character or any of the situations going on. I found the film to be very distant when it should have been more involving and compelling. The film does feature some very good cinematography, which is a major plus with all the locations. Another bonus is the performance by O'Herlihy who manges to be very good in his one man show. The scene with him and the dying dog was very touching and handled well. The feverish dream sequence with Robinson's father was also well done but these type of scenes were the exception and not the rule.

Watched this last night and of course I loved the story since it's one that I seemed to of learnt from a very young age. I have to say tho that I'm a little surprised at the relatively high rating of 7.5 here, perhaps it's more to do with the directors reputation than the quality of the film ?.The film is just above average thanks mainly to the close adherence of the source novel, and the bravo performance of Dan O'Herlihy as the title character, he does well to keep the viewer intrigued as to his state of mind, and of course we root for him during the films crucial final reel.Nothing to write home about here tho, 6/10 mainly for Dan.