Treasure Island

This year has seen two adaptations of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure: McTreasure Island, an inexcusable half-hour travesty from the people whose claim to fame is the Big Mac, and this effort from cable entrepreneur Ted Turner. Surprisingly, under the able direction of Fraser C. Heston, this family project (with Charlton as Long John Silver) is quite faithful to Stevenson's pirate tale. Newcomer Christian Bale is winning as the adolescent Jim Hawkins who's thrown into the adventure of a lifetime when he gets hold of the notorious pirate Flint's map of Treasure Island. Sailing off with his compatriots Squire Trelawney and Dr. Livesey, cabin boy Hawkins must match wits with the others aboard the Hispaniola: Flint's crew, led by the dastardly Silver. Reportedly, $8 million was spent in making the film, and indeed it does have the look and feel of a moderately wellbudgeted movie. Although the pirate slang will take a little getting used to, and the violence is fairly heavy for a "family" film, young adults are bound to enjoy this literate rendition of what we mistakenly think of as a "children's classic." A quirky and quite wonderful bonus is the Celtic-influenced soundtrack by The Chieftains. Recommended. (R. Pitman)