Purely Joyful Movie!

Must See Movie...

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The Disney movie "Treasure of Matecumbe" has all but been forgotten today, and it doesn't take long into watching it to figure out why. The main fault with it is that despite it involving youths on a treasure hunt, the movie is surprisingly boring whether you are a kid or a kid at heart. There's very little action, and the movie moves at a snail's pace. Though there are signs that it could have been worse, since there are several moments when it's clear that linking footage was either edited out or not filmed at all. The cast tries their best under the circumstances, but their roles aren't written to be particularly interesting, though Ustinov does manage to bring a little color at times.Still, I will admit that no movie that has an appearance by Dub Taylor can be completely bad.

The south just after the Civil War. Brave young David Burnie (likable Johnny Doran) and his equally gutsy best buddy Thad (an appealing performance by Billy Attmore) gain possession of a map for a treasure located somewhere in the Florida Keys. The lads are assisted by charming rascal Jim Burnie (a fine Robert Foxworth), spunky Southern belle Lauriette Paxton (delightfully played with radiant aplomb by Joan Hackett), and flamboyant charlatan physician Dr. Ewing T. Snodgrass (a marvelously robust portrayal by Peter Ustinov). Moreover, a rival group of scurvy pirates led by the ruthless Spangler (a perfectly nasty Vic Morrow) are also determined to get their grubby hands on the treasure. Director Vincent McEveety, working from a colorful and eventful script by Don Tait, relates the thrilling story at a constant snappy pace, maintains a lighthearted tone throughout, and offers a rich and flavorsome evocation of the 19th century deep south. Of course, there are plenty of perils faced along the way which include a run-in with the Klu Klux Klan, a lethal horde of deadly mosquitoes, and a fierce hurricane. Popping up in nice supporting parts are Mills Watson as Spangler's mean right-hand man Catrell, Jane Wyatt as the feisty Aunt Effie, Robert DoQui as friendly ex-slave Ben, Dub Taylor as the peppery Sheriff Forbes, Dick Van Patten as a flashy con artist gambler, and Brion James as a mangy thief. Both Buddy Baker's rousing score and Frank V. Phillips' crisp cinematography are up to snuff. A fun film.

I had always wanted to see this movie as it was based on one of my favorite books, the historical novel "A Journey to Matecumbe" by Robert Lewis Taylor, who also wrote the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, "The Travels of Jamie McPheeters." The book is a wonderful exciting and funny tale of a post-Civil War journey by a young boy and his uncle from Kentucky to the Florida Keys being pursued by the Ku Klux Klan and a vengeful southern aristocrat, with lots of great adventures in between.I spent $10 for this movie and now wish I hadn't. The names of a few characters from the book are retained, but almost everything else is changed. It is neither particularly exciting or funny and it wastes the talents of a number of excellent character actors like Peter Ustinov, Dub Taylor, George Lindsay and Joan Hackett. It was also made on the cheap with lots of stock footage of the exotic locales that the characters are supposed to visit and lots of process shots filmed in front of blue screens. I suppose very young children MIGHT like it, but there are some violent scenes that make it problematic even for them. It's a probably eternal mystery why Hollywood buys the rights to film wonderful books and then doesn't put on the screen anything of what made the books wonderful in the first place.

They'll never release this again. I bought it used on video... but I can see no DVD for it ever. First of all, no one wants it. It is badly acted (except of course the great Peter Ustinov's character) and not exciting or interesting. The main female lead, rest her soul, had the most horrible attempt at a "southern accent" I've heard. There is a dance scene on the dock with some tough guys that makes you want to put a gun to your head too. It feels like a 1970's TV movie big time. Even though it is supposed to be taking place during the reconstruction... the opening credit music just ignores that and goes with some Godawful "Matecumbe" song that sounds straight out of 1976. Also, Vic Morrow opens the film by asking "where's you blacks?" referring to the plantation owners' former slaves. He then shortly thereafter shoots the former slave that night. Usually in Disney flicks, they shoot at someone but always miss. This guy just layed there and died! In addition to that, this is the only Disney movie that has the Ku Klux Klan in it. All this may sound interesting, but it isn't. It is a lousy movie at best.