Robinson Crusoe (50th Anniversary Edition)

VCI is very proud to present this adventure classic from acclaimed director Luis Buñuel, one of the most acclaimed directors in the history of film, in a new special edition. Virtually unseen in any medium for decades and even thought lost by some, VCI's release has been fully restored to its original glory in time for the 50th Anniversary of its U.S. theatrical release. The year is 1659. There is a shipwreck and the sole survivor Robinson Crusoe is washed ashore on a deserted tropical island. Suddenly faced with a hostile and unknown wilderness, he carves out a life for himself with his bare hands. And remarkably, he learns how to survive the maddening absence of human companionship and intense loneliness. Based on Daniel Defoe's immortal classic it is a story about the human spirit's ability to endure what seem insurmountable challenges. Bonus Features: Scene Selection|English & Spanish languages|English Subtitles Optional|Audio Interview with Dan O'Herlihy by Film Critic David Del Valle|Before & After Restoration Video|Excerpt Reproduction of Original Press Book|Short Biographies & Selected Filmographies|Photo Gallery. Specs: DVD9; Dolby Digital Mono; 90 minutes; Color; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - NR; Year - 1952; SRP - $14.99.

The most surreal aspect of this adaptation of Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe is how faithful Surrealist director Luis Bunuel is to the original book! Which is not to say it's sluggish or literary--Bunuel recreates the story with lush scenery and vivid images, as if he himself were discovering the tropical island along with the Englishman shipwrecked in 1659. Crusoe (Daniel O'Herlihy, later to appear in RoboCop) spends 28 years building a home and struggling to maintain his sanity; only a friendship formed with a former cannibal whom he dubs Friday (Jaime Fernandez) breaks his isolation. Bunuel (Un Chien Andalou, Belle De Jour, That Obscure Object of Desire) hews scrupulously to even the most colonial aspects of the original material. Crusoe's original expedition set out to trade slaves, and when Crusoe first meets Friday, he introduces himself as "Master" and comments, "How pleasant it was once more to have a servant." But moments of puckish humor--such as a theological debate in which Friday questions the emotional stability of God--reveal that Bunuel was hardly blind to these issues. Bunuel's sharp eye results in a straightforward but superb version of the classic adventure story. The dvd has a small handful of extras, including an extensive audio interview with O'Herlihy (who was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance), in which he reminisces about Orson Welles and reveals that though the movie is in English, Bunuel never spoke it and O'Herlihy had to learn Spanish so he could take direction. --Bret Fetzer