Kidnapped (Walt Disney, 1960)

[regshoe]

I like that poster very much, so I thought you ought to see it. :D Made in 1960, the Disney-film take on Kidnapped stars James MacArthur as David and Peter Finch as Alan, and was written and directed by the very aptly-named Robert Stevenson (no relation).

The film is a fairly faithful adaptation in tone and material, and feels surprisingly unhurried given the running time of only 94 minutes. More time is spent on the early part of the book than on the flight in the heather, and some of the best bits of the Highlands section are sadly cut, but it doesn't feel entirely neglected: it was filmed on location and very pretty the locations all look too.

I find accents oddly difficult to interpret in films of this period, I'm not sure why; that said, I am fairly confident that MacArthur (who was American) does not manage a good Scottish accent as Davie. He sounds like an American doing a bad Irish accent. Finch (who was English-Australian) is a bit better but I'm still not sure of it; but some of the supporting cast are more convincing, and there is a good bit of Gaelic spoken in the Highland scenes. Neither of the main actors really looks the part, either: they're both too old (MacArthur was 21 and Finch 42, but I thought they both looked older), their hair is too short, there's no height difference (there's an amusing moment where Alan sees the government bill, to the canon text of which has been added the information that he's 5'10"; presumably that's just how tall Finch was, and while it's neat that he happened to be the same height as the historical Allan, it won't do for our Alan). All that said, I thought they did both do a pretty good job with manner and personality: MacArthur gets across Davie's self-assured (over-)confidence and emotional liveliness, and while Finch's manner isn't quite how I imagine Alan, the pride and boldness are certainly there. And Alan's coat does look good in Technicolor! I also enjoyed John Laurie's rather dramatic performance as Ebenezer and Peter O'Toole's as a charismatic Robin Oig.

As I say, it's fairly faithful on the whole; much of the dialogue is verbatim or closely paraphrased from the book, and I liked seeing some little details from canon, like David on Mull stealing the dishonest guide's shoes. Nor is the political context ignored, and Alan gets some amusing lines about how much of a Whig David is. However, there are some really disappointing cuts made. Aucharn, Corrynakiegh and Limekilns are all entirely absent (taking the Only One Coat with them), which I can't think much of; the latter is an especially odd choice, because it's replaced by a fairly lengthy new scene in which Alan and David manage to cross the Forth at Stirling after all, and surely they could have used the time to do a condensed Limekilns instead??? Perhaps the worst cut of all, however, is made during the quarrel: I was getting my hopes up as we went through a reasonably book-accurate version of its early stages, but then we get to David threatening Alan with his sword, he collapses mid-threatening, and then—cut, and the next scene is in Balquhidder! No Davie playing up his illness, no emotional reconciliation, no Alan supporting him down the burn. A very little of the dialogue from the reconciliation appears in Balquhidder instead, but it's barely a pale shadow of what the quarrel should be. At the end David gets his estate and a handsome new suit, and the farewell takes place outside the inn at Queensferry with Alan's ship to France on the water in the background.

So, does this film manage the most important thing, which is to get Alan and David's relationship right? ...Well, kind of. To be honest, I think the acting and direction do a better job than the script here: there are some lovely smiles and affectionate moments between them, and the film certainly isn't trying to ignore or sideline their friendship in general; but most of the best relationship moments are cut or truncated, and it does suffer as a result.

Some interesting details:

• The opening shot is of Alexander Balfour's gravestone, which gives his date of death as 3 June. This is incompatible with the book's timeline (David tells Ebenezer that Alexander died 'three weeks ago', which wouldn't give enough time before the shipwreck on the 27th), but not internally inconsistent, as no other specific dates are mentioned.
• The film also gives an opinion on an aspect of the backstory timeline I hadn't thought about before: we see '1602' carved over the hearth at Shaws.
• Robin Oig suggests at first that he might turn Alan and David in for the reward money; he quickly abandons the idea, but I wonder if that was a source of inspiration for the play's Rob Og??
• Disappointing treatment of the quarrel aside, I was amused to see that this film agrees with the 2016 radio play that it should take place in the pouring rain (when the book goes out of its way to tell us that it's stopped raining by then).

On the whole, then, I'd rank this film around the middle amongst the Kidnapped adaptations I've seen so far. I would recommend it; it's good fun and it has its points; but it's not brilliant, and it doesn't quite do the characters justice.

Comments

[sovay]

On the whole, then, I'd rank this film around the middle amongst the Kidnapped adaptations I've seen so far. I would recommend it; it's good fun and it has its points; but it's not brilliant, and it doesn't quite do the characters justice.

I appreciate your report! I've never seen the film. John Laurie, Niall MacGinnis, Finlay Currie, Duncan Macrae, Peter O'Toole, and Alex Mackenzie is a pretty ridiculous supporting cast, though.

[regshoe]

I didn't particularly know any of the actors, but the supporting cast were very good!

[pyshechka_pushkova]

Oh, this one was among the first ones I've watched! I suppose that one of the main features of the movie is also music besides everything you've mentioned! I still remember my brother entering the room with some words like "Are you rewatching Snow White or what?"

The greatest quality of the Disney version is that it follows the original rather light vibe of the book, I think. Though it cuts out pretty huge fragments, it manages to do well without them, and it's nice enough. But yes, the Alan and Davie dynamics is missed completely, unfortunately :( It's obviously not the worst, but not the best adaptation, though the bagpipes scene is rather rare, so it might be precious at this point...

[regshoe]

I don't think I've got much of an ear for this kind of film music, I'm afraid, but I did enjoy the bagpipes :D

Yes, it does get the vibe of the book fairly well, considering! And I don't think it massively misses the point of the book—it's just that Alan and Davie's relationship is not done justice, which is a shame.

[garonne]

For a second I though the actor in the background was David Bowie!

How frustrating that it seems to follow the book so closely up to a point and then suddenly starts cutting all the good bits.

[regshoe]

Yes, that's it—it doesn't massively miss the point of the book, and I think the quarrel and Limekilns are the only things done seriously wrong, but there is a sort of systematic absence of the best bits, especially the best Alan-and-Davie bits.