Robinson Crusoe (1954 Film)
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''Robinson Crusoe'' (; also released as ''Adventures of Robinson Crusoe'') is a 1954
adventure film The adventure film is a broad genre of film. Some early genre studies found it no different than the Western film or argued that adventure could encompass all Hollywood genres. Commonality was found among historians Brian Taves and Ian Cameron in ...
directed by
Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish and Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians and directors to be one of the greatest and ...
, based on the 1719 novel of the same name by
Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; 1660 – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, merchant and spy. He is most famous for his novel ''Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its number of translati ...
. It stars
Dan O'Herlihy Daniel Peter O'Herlihy (1 May 1919 – 17 February 2005) was an Irish actor. His best-known roles included his Oscar-nominated portrayal of the title character in Luis Buñuel's ''Robinson Crusoe'' (1954), Brigadier General Warren A. Black in ...
as Crusoe and Jaime Fernández as
Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO 8601-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth ...
. Both English and Spanish versions were produced, making it Buñuel's first English-language film. The film was entered into the
15th Venice International Film Festival The 15th Venice International Film Festival was held from 22 August to 7 September 1954. Italian Writer Ignazio Silone was appointed as president of the jury. The Golden Lion was awarded to ''Romeo and Juliet'', directed by Renato Castellani. ...
, and was a critical and commercial success. In Mexico, it won six
Ariel Award The Ariel Award () is an award that recognizes the best of Mexican cinema. Given annually, since 1946, by the Academia Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas, Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC), the award reco ...
s, including
Best Picture The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...
and
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * As ...
. O'Herlihy was nominated for an
Academy Award for Best Actor The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ...
, and the film was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Film From Any Source.


Plot

Robinson Crusoe, his parents' third son with few prospects, goes to sea against his father's wishes. On a voyage from Brazil to Africa to purchase slaves, a storm forces him to abandon ship. He manages to swim to a deserted island somewhere in the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
on September 30, 1659. The abandoned ship turns up on an offshore rock, allowing him to salvage food, tools, firearms and other items before it sinks. He herds goats, hunts game, makes clothes, and builds a home, with only the company of a dog, Rex, and a cat, Sam, his only fellow castaways; he later captures a parrot which he names Paul and teaches it to speak. Crusoe lets Sam and her kittens run wild. When Rex dies of old age in 1673, Crusoe nearly goes insane from loneliness. In 1677, Crusoe discovers that
cannibal Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecology, ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is also well ...
s are visiting his island with their victims. The next time he spots them with his telescope, he sees a prisoner make a break for it, pursued by two cannibals. He knocks out one and shoots the other; when the first one regains consciousness, the escapee kills him with Crusoe's sword. Crusoe takes the man back to his
stockade A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls, made of logs placed side by side vertically, with the tops sharpened as a defensive wall. Etymology ''Stockade'' is derived from the French word ''estocade''. The French word was derived f ...
. He names him Friday (after the day of the week they met). Crusoe teaches him English and Western customs and turns Friday into a servant. Crusoe does not trust him at first, believing Friday to also be a cannibal who would kill him if given the chance. He builds a door to the cave in which he takes to sleeping. When Friday enters without permission late one night to sneak some tobacco, Crusoe puts
leg irons Legcuffs are physical restraints used on the ankles of a person to allow walking only with a restricted stride and to prevent running and effective physical resistance. Frequently used alternative terms are leg cuffs, (leg/ankle) shackles, foo ...
on him. The next day, however, Crusoe relents and takes them off. He comes to trust his new companion completely. In 1687, Friday saves Crusoe from a cannibal sneaking up behind him. Seeing a large group, they flee back to their stockade. The cannibals, however, are driven off by white men with guns. Captain Oberzo and his
bosun A boatswain ( , ), bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun, also known as a deck boss, or a qualified member of the deck department, or the third hand on a fishing vessel, is the most senior rate of the deck department and is responsible for the components of ...
are the victims of a
mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, ...
; the mutineers landed to get fresh water and
maroon Maroon ( , ) is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word , meaning chestnut. ''Marron'' is also one of the French translations for "brown". Terms describing interchangeable shades, with overlapping RGB ranges, inc ...
the two. Crusoe and Friday rescue the men and get away undetected. Friday then goes to the leader of the mutiny, offering him a basket of fruit, but the mutineers are more interested in the necklace of gold coins (salvaged from Crusoe's ship) he is wearing. Friday leads the greedy men to the stockade. There, Crusoe, Friday, Oberzo, and the bosun capture them. Oberzo regains control of his ship. At Crusoe's suggestion, Oberzo allows the mutineers to remain on the island rather than being sent to the
gallows A gallows (or less precisely scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sa ...
. Crusoe leaves them his tools and instructions on how to survive. Crusoe leaves for home with Friday, having spent 28 years, two months, and 19 days on the island.


Cast

* Daniel O'Herlihy as Robinson Crusoe / Crusoe's father * Jaime Fernández as
Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO 8601-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth ...
* Felipe de Alba as Captain Oberzo * Chel López as The
Bosun A boatswain ( , ), bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun, also known as a deck boss, or a qualified member of the deck department, or the third hand on a fishing vessel, is the most senior rate of the deck department and is responsible for the components of ...
* José Chávez as Pirate * Emilio Garibay as Lead Mutineer


Production

Luis Buñuel began working with screenwriter
Hugo Butler Hugo Dansey Butler (4 May 1914 – 7 January 1968) was a Canadian-born screenwriter working in Hollywood who was blacklisted by the film studios in the 1950s. Biography Born on 4 May 1914 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, his father, Frank Russe ...
in 1950 on a script. Alex Phillips was hired as the cinematographer. More than 300 actors were considered for the lead role. O'Herlihy recalled that the producers of the film wanted Buñuel to use
Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...
for the role, with Buñuel refusing, saying he was too loud and too fat. They arranged a screening of Welles' ''
Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...
'' to show how a bearded Welles would look, but Buñuel demanded O'Herlihy, who played Macduff, for the lead role. Negotiations with O'Herlihy occurred at the last moment and under strict conditions of secrecy to prevent a wealthier motion picture studio from rushing a similar story into production. Jaime Fernández was cast as Friday. Fernández was the younger brother of well-known Mexican actor/director
Emilio Fernández Emilio "El Indio" Fernández Romo (; 26 March 1904 – 6 August 1986) was a Mexican film director, actor and screenwriter. He was one of the most prolific film directors of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema in the 1940s and 1950s. He is best know ...
. Jaime Fernández was working as a grip when discovered by Buñuel. He spoke no English, and learned it on the set much as his character did. Filming began on July 7, 1952, on the west coast of Mexico. Principal photography was scheduled for seven weeks, with both an English and Spanish language version shot simultaneously. Both films were budgeted at a total of $350,000. Exterior shots were filmed near the city of Manzanillo in the Mexican state of
Colima Colima, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima, is among the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima. Colima is a small state of western Mexico on the cen ...
. There were 60 people in the production crew. The crew took daily doses of Diodoquin and aralen to guard against
dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...
and
malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
, respectively. A security squad of local Manzanillans kept snakes, wild boar, and other dangerous animals at bay with guns and machetes. Interior shots were filmed on Sound Stage 3 at Tepeyac Studios in Mexico City. The negatives were flown to Hollywood, where they were developed and color-corrected. Three times a week, Buñuel, Phillips, the producers, O'Herlihy, and others watched the rushes in a local movie theater. Editing and scoring were also done in Mexico City. For the Spanish version, O'Herlihy's dialogue was dubbed by Buñuel 's regular collaborator
Claudio Brook Claude Sydney Brook Marnat (28 August 1927 – 18 October 1995), known as Claudio Brook, was a Mexican actor. Active in film, stage, and television over a career spanning nearly 40-years, he was one of the stars of the Golden Age of Mexican Cin ...
. According to O'Herlihy, Buñuel saw the central theme of the story as that of a man who ages and almost loses his mind, only to find that companionship is his salvation. O'Herlihy also said that the script was used only for the first week of shooting. Afterward, Buñuel and O'Herlihy would merely discuss the story and how O'Herlihy should act and react.


Release

The producers initially believed the film would be ready for distribution by December 1952, but numerous delays upset these plans. On October 14, 1953, the producers announced that
United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...
had signed an agreement for worldwide distribution rights to the film. The film premiered in New York City on August 4, 1954, at the Normandie Theatre.


Reception

The film was Buñuel's most successful film in the United States until '' Belle de Jour'' was released in 1969.
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website
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gave the film a score of 100% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10.


Awards and nominations


Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...


Ariel Award The Ariel Award () is an award that recognizes the best of Mexican cinema. Given annually, since 1946, by the Academia Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas, Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC), the award reco ...


BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...


Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...


See also

*
Survival film The survival film is a film genre in which one or more characters make an effort at physical survival. The genre focuses on characters' life-or-death struggles, often set against perilous circumstances. Survival films explore the human will to li ...
, about the film genre, with a list of related films


References


External links

* * {{Authority control 1950s adventure drama films 1950s survival films 1954 drama films 1954 films American adventure drama films American survival films English-language Mexican films Films based on Robinson Crusoe Films directed by Luis Buñuel Films about survivors of seafaring accidents or incidents Films set in the 1650s Films set in the 1670s Films set in the 1680s Mexican adventure drama films Mexican survival films 1950s Spanish-language films United Artists films Films shot in Mexico City Estudios Churubusco films 1950s American films 1950s Mexican films Films scored by Anthony Collins