Luis Bunuel's Robinson Crusoe (1954)

Forget my trip to Hawaii, THIS island seems more luxurious!

Adapting a book to a film is a difficult task. Not only must you get the characters right, but a director, or screenwriter, must drive deep within the mindset of the author. There are inside, as well as outside elements that must be considered. What was going through the character's mind? What was the time period like? What level of realism can we bring to the silver screen while still packing the theater seats? All of these are challenges that everyone associated with the film must grasp before committing to a project - which is why it is so rare to discover someone claiming the film was better than the book. It just is rare to discover the two in a blissful marriage. That is why there was hesitation with Bunuel's 1952 adaptation of Daniel Defoe's literary classic. Knowing what was going to be coming in the future, "That Obscure Object of Desire" or "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" or even "The Milky Way", one could safely wager your entire salary on this early film. I wanted amateur, I wanted independent, I wanted to see where Bunuel found his inspiration - but alas, none could be found with this bomb of an adaptation. Perhaps it was the blacklisted screenwriter Hugo Butler, or Bunuel's lack of excitement, but not even Dan O'Herlihy, in his man grown voice, could save this disastrous film.

Let's begin with some background. We are all familiar with the truth that Bunuel's was in exile from Spain, living in an unfamiliar world, facing the tough face of McCarthyism around every angle. So, why not make a film about a man, in essence, dealing with similar feelings. It is not uncommon for directors to take projects that they feel a connection towards, so Bunuel grabbed at the opportunity. Coupled with the fact that Bunuel had both the honor of making his first film in English as well as color, "Robinson Crusoe" should have been a staple in modern cinema. It could have ranked up there next to any of Godard's work - but it didn't. It garnished one Oscar nominee (for best actor), and then couldn't even find distribution for DVD until recently. Why such difficulty for such a pioneering film for Bunuel? This isn't a fantastic film. This is poorly directed, jokingly acted, and horribly misleading to anyone enjoying the works of Defoe. O'Herlihy is impossible as Crusoe, never giving us anything to believe or trust. As the island slowly becomes a luxury destination instead of a place of abandonment, as our hopes of seeing any decent cinema from this pathetic epic disappears as well. Bunuel did happen to place a couple of great scenes in this film, but they are scattered few and far between. Needless to say, in the cannon of Bunuel films, "Robinson Crusoe" ranks near the bottom.

Our story itself is the main root of the issues. From the beginning crash, the cheapish cinematography demonstrating the power of the sea (possibly made by school children), all the way to the "grand" finale, one never feels that sense of danger - or chaos. Taking this film away from the story, meeting Crusoe for the first time, Bunuel gives us nothing. There are no scenes in which Crusoe has to learn, where he has to survive - in the first twenty minutes he is found sleeping in a tree then immediately building a well fortified hut around a cave - within forty minute he has bread and some random length of time has passed. Butler's adaptation fails because there is no sense of danger - I never felt worried that Crusoe was going to survive - because he never went without. Sure, there were scenes of sickness and hunger - but they were just never that impending. Perhaps it was the close tight shots that plagued the opening of this film, or the bland colors - but the initial puzzle pieces never fit.

Since our story suffered, it seemed inevitable that our characters would as well. Never looking weak, never getting skinny, never finding anything except his deepened voice - Crusoe seemed more concerned about not being a man than staying alive (i.e. see the excessive beard growth). How could a man trying to survive in the wilderness, scream out to the mountains? More focus on Crusoe, his life, his personality, would have strengthened these dampening scenes. That said, Bunuel did attempt on a couple of occasions to spruce up what he could to the lackluster story. The scene in which Crusoe gets drunk (as there is an endless supply of booze on the island) and thinks that he sees his friends is phenomenal. It was brilliant to have the camera as tight as it was, hearing the ghostly voices speak to him, then, just as the cup falls - it all ends - and we are thrust back into the truth of the island. Wow. It was just as breathtaking again - but there aren't many of these gems in which Bunuel can demonstrate his talent. Instead, it felt like he worked for Disney on this project. Even the introduction of Friday seemed cheapened by the fact that within ten minutes he was speaking English or being shackled. I realize that it was the time, but if I were trapped on an island for that many years, would I make the only other living person a slave? Keeping his close as to not lose that sense of friendship is one thing; racism is a whole new bag.

As we approached the unexciting ending, I couldn't help but question Bunuel's motive for this film. The similarities between his life and that of Crusoe's are good, but why couldn't Bunuel put his own touch onto this story. It needed something to stimulate the audience, but outside of O'Herlihy's voice - very little could have kept my eyes open. Also, the transfer on this particular DVD is horrible. Popping sounds on the left of me, missing frames to the left. It was a feeble attempt to bring this film to the masses, and obviously not a favorite among others or this would have seen the royal treatment.

Overall, "The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" is a very disappointing film. The acting is laughable, the story feels like a kiddy ride at Disney (coupled with all the food that you can eat), and the cinematography is amateurish. This is not a Bunuel film to place on the mantelpiece and discuss over a bottle of wine. This failed on many levels and embarrassed the late Defoe immensely. For a story that has been done time and time again (you can even see it weekly on "Lost"), there was just a lacking element of danger, chaos, and survival. As mentioned before, there was no built sensation that Crusoe was never going to make it (whether you knew the story or not), it just seemed like this island has all the luxuries he wanted. I cannot suggest or recommend this film to Bunuel viewers - it just seems like the black sheep in his film repertoire.

Grade: * ½ out of ***** (one star for that drunk scene with friends - it gave me hope)
August 14, 2008

It was a gift; recipient LOVED it!

I had never heard of this movie until my boyfriend mentioned that he loved it as a young boy. So I went searching...and gold old Amazon had it! It was a great surprise to my boyfriend. He watched it immediately and loved it. June 9, 2008

"Robinson Crusoe (1952) ... Dan O'Herlihy ... VCI Ent. (2004)"

VCI Entertainment presents "ROBINSON CRUSOE" (1952) (90 mins/Color) --- (Dolby digitally remastered) --- Robinson Crusoe (1952) is a film by director Luis Buñuel --- The film is based on the novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe --- It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor (Dan O'Herlihy) --- I'm told that Dan O'Herlihy, an admirer of Luis Bunuel, was responsible for getting Bunuel hired for this American film even though the producers had no idea who Bunuel was --- O'Herlihy gives a passionate performance in this interesting and lush production, and the story had long appealed to Bunuel --- This film is far more involving than one has any right to expect --- As it works on both the literal and symbolic levels, and can be viewed as a straightforward adventure story, an exploration of loneliness and culture clash, or both.

Special footnote, Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1719 and sometimes regarded as the first novel in English --- The book is a fictional autobiography of the title character, an English castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island, encountering natives, captives, and mutineers before being rescued --- This device, presenting an account of supposedly factual events, is known as a "false document" and gives a realistic frame story.

Under Luis Buñuel (Director / Screenwriter), Oscar Dancigers (Producer), Henry Ehrlich (Producer), Daniel Defoe (Book Author), Philip Roll (Screenwriter), Alex Phillips (Cinematographer), Anthony Collins (Composer (Music Score), Carlos Savage (Editor), Alberto Valenzuela (Editor), Edward FitzGerald (Set Designer) - - - - Irish actor O'Herlihy's well-shaded Oscar-nominated performance never allows the first hour to pall - only with the entrance of Friday is it less absorbing --- Shot in Mexico during the director's long self-imposed exile there, The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe contains quite a few Buñel touches. Most of all, it subverts Defoe's Christian message by showing Crusoe wavering in his faith in religion, Western civilization and colonialism --- A film in which an actor is alone on screen for 60 of the 90 minutes' running time would seem a foolhardy venture, but Buñel overcomes most of the difficulties in this adaptation of Daniel Defoe's classic

the cast includes:
Dan O'Herlihy ... Robinson Crusoe (as Daniel O'Herlihy)
Jaime Fernández ... Friday
Felipe de Alba ... Captain Oberzo
Chel López ... Bosun
José Chávez ... Pirate
Emilio Garibay ... Leaders of the Mutiny

SPECIAL BONUS FEATURES:
1. Audio Interview with Dan O'Herlihy
2. Bios
3. Filmographies
4. Photo and Poster Gallery
5. Restoration Demonstration
6. Trailers

Great job by VCI Entertaiment --- looking forward to more Nostalgic Collections --- order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch releases --- where they are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector.

Total Time: 90 mins on DVD ~ VCI Entertainment ~ (9/14/2004) December 8, 2007

The other Bunuel

I'm not sure why this DVD has received lackluster reviews, but I suspect it's due to disappointment from fans of Bunuel's more surreal masterpieces at the two ends of his career (his collaborations with Dali c. 1930, and the last 9 or 10 films of his old age). Still, people shouldn't dismiss Robinson Crusoe. It has much in common stylistically with other movies of his Mexican period, notably Los Olvidados (1950) and Nazarin (1959) but especially his adaptation of Wuthering Heights made just before Robinson Crusoe. There's a directness and simplicity to these films that is deceiving -- and, like I said, disappointing to fans of Bunuel's more flamboyant stuff. I wouldn't call Robinson Crusoe a masterpiece along the lines of The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie or Belle de Jour, but it's interesting and entertaining. (For several interesting reviews, check out the ones on IMDb. On this page, I think "Laughing Gravy" and M. Lucas have hit the nail on the head.)

If you're not a Bunuel fan, then the movie stands on its own pretty well -- mainly because of its surprising faithfulness to Defoe's novel. Huge chunks of Defoe's prose are preserved intact as narration, which I never found annoying. This DVD would make a wonderful teaching aid for high school English classes. (In fact, Bunuel would probably have found it amusing that one of his films can be found in the Family Entertainment section of many video stores.) And O'Herlihy, who has to carry the movie single-handedly for about half the running time, is quite good. His Oscar nomination was well-deserved.

As others have said, VCI's presentation is very nice. There are several minor instances of "ghosting" (mild blurriness caused by the transfer to DVD). Considering that the original negative no longer exists and that Pathe Color was a cheap alternative to Technicolor, I'd say they've done as good a job on the restoration as they could. The long audio interview with the late Dan O'Herlihy is a solid extra.

In summation, I'd say that, if you're interested in this title, it's worth a purchase, especially at it's reasonable listing price. (Even if you end up hating it, you can always donate your copy to a school.) O'Herlihy's performance and the script's faithfulness to the source make this movie respectable entertainment; the presence of Bunuel as director adds an extra layer for viewers searching for "more." And VCI serves everything up with class. May 7, 2005

Surprisingly disappointing

Sadly, disappointment is the only word for Bunuel's lifeless and seemingly endless 'Robinson Crusoe,' which is less minimalist than it is totally disinterested, for the most part a radio reading of the novel with accompanying and not very impressive pictures. Most of the film tells you what the castaway has done rather than shows you until Friday and the cannibals arrive. It briefly perks up here, dealing well with Crusoe's patronising relationship with Friday and their initial distrust, but it's still just skirting the moderately interesting rather than the genuinely engaging. Daniel O'Herlihy's one note performance is a liability too - there's not much to this Crusoe, and certainly not enough to spend 90 minutes with him.

True, the film was made under immensely difficult conditions, but my problem was that only the limitations were visible - in the restored 90-minute version I saw there was precious little imagination or ability either, which I found particularly surprising from Bunuel: a flat and lifeless b-movie programmer was the last thing I would have expected from him. This felt more like one of Louis Heyward's worst efforts, only without the sporadic entertainment value. Only the fate of Crusoe's dog and the sound of its bark as he left the island really resonated.

Aside from a surprisingly inept dream sequence and a brief theological discussion, there's little to show that this is a Bunuel film (at times its perilously close to Ed Wood's print the first take approach, being shot almost entirely in bland tight medium shots), marking it as a failure as a Bunuel film, a literary adaptation and an adventure. A shame.

The VCi R1 DVD is an impressive package, offering both Spanish and English language tracks and a long audio interview with O'Herlihy. April 5, 2005

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