best movie i've ever seen.

Blistering performances.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

A mediocre adaptation stars Pierce Brosnan: Robinson Crusoe , telling the well-known story of how a Brit becomes stranded on a desert island . As Robinson escaping from England aboard a ship , after killing a man .Then , a wreckage happens and Robinson washes at a mysterious island .There he frees a native , William Takaku , who is nicknamed Friday .So-so recounting about the classy castaway novel with the loner Robinson who meets his pal Friday , retelling their adventures and unfortunes . While sticking some incidents close to original tale , others are utterly fictious. Being narrated under his point of view . The picture has nothing to do with the classic original by Daniel Defoe , taking freely parts here and there ; but where are the thrills and chills? . The movie relies heavily on the relationship between Robinson and Friday , charting the peculiar treatment the native receives of the civilized man ; as Robinson teaches English language to the escaped native until evil slave traders spoil the fun . Pierce Brosnan gives a passable acting as the distressed castaway stranded on a deserted island and he tries to civilize the proud native Friday . It boasts a good secondary cast with very brief interventions from notorious secondary actors such as Polly Walker , Ian Hart , Damian Lewis and James Frain. The motion picture produced by Robert Halmi and was regularly directed by George Miller : The man from snowy river , Zeus and Roxanna , Aviator , Neverending story 2 , and by Rod Hardy , a Tv usual filmmaker : Mentalist , Librarians , Supernatural , Covert affairs , Mental , Doll house , X files and occassionally for cinema : December boys , Two for Texas , Over the hill, Thrist.Other retelling of this prestigious novel are the following ones : silent version 1927 narrated by Don Carney . Mr Robinson Crusoe 1932 with Douglas Fairbanks . Robinson Crusoe of mystery island 1936 by Max Wright . Robinson Crusoe by Luis Buñuel with Dan O'Herlihy .Sci-fi interpretation of Defoe classic titled Robinson Crusoe on Mars , 1964 , by Byron Haskin with Adam West . British rendition titled Man Friday 1975 by Jack Gold with Peter 0'Toole , Richard Roundtree .Robinson Crusoe and the Tiger 1972 by Rene Cardona with Hugo Stiglitz . Castaway by Nicolas Roeg with Oliver Reed . Robinson Crusoe TV series 2008 with Philip Winchester , Sam Neill

I've no idea why this lovely film received such ridiculously low rating. Perhaps most of the critics are disappointed because the script does not follow faithfully the book. Well, it doesn't have to. During the opening credits it is stated that the film is based on the "Adventures of Robinson Crusoe". If this is of any consolation, I can tell you that the original novel, which was published on 25 April 1719, had run thru 4 editions by the end of the year and that by the end of the 19th century it had many more editions, spin-offs and translations. To date there are more than 700 alternative versions of it! (Check Wikipedia) So, to those who wrote that Daniel Dafoe would turn in his grave if he could see the film - do not worry about that, he wouldn't! The script writers Christopher Lofton, Tracy Keenan Wynn and Christopher Canaan have done a fine job modernizing the novel and compressing it to fit the story in a 90 min. screenplay. The romance is beautiful and adds nice, elegant touch to the plot. It's 1703, Scotland. Robinson Crusoe is forced to duel a friend, Patrick O'Conner over his childhood sweetheart. The duel ends with Patrick's death and Robinson must flee the country. He sets off on a year long sea voyage. An ocean storm wrecks his ship and leaves him stranded on an uninhabited island. It's a matter of survival for him and his only companion, the late captain's dog Skipper, until he meets Friday, a tribesman whom he saves from being sacrificed. The two men struggle at first, but gradually manage to build strong bond despite their cultural and religious differences. The plot is complex. I find it thought provoking and inspirational. The soundtrack is lovely, the cinematography beautiful. To me, the highlight in the film is the superb acting by both Pierce Brosnan (Robinson Crusoe) and William Takaku (Friday). Their final scene, once again a forced fight between friends, will stay me for the rest of my life. It is so emotionally charged and so deeply moving.Robinson Crusoe (1997) is a great, little film. It is worth the attention of everyone who appreciates fine cinema and great storytelling. And perhaps it is so brutally underrated because it came nearly 2 decades ahead of its time - nowadays, when the world is on a verge of new war because of religious and cultural differences, its message is more valid than ever!

I was very very disappointed in this movie. It fails to tell the tale of Robinson Crusoe. The only similarity between this movie and the book is a man getting shipwrecked. There was no build up at all. No explanation of the father explaining the middle life to his son and asking him to stay home. No description of initial journeys being a disaster and how he felt it was a sign from God. These are important elements to the story!If I had to pick one thing that really bothered me it would be the relationship between Robinson and Friday. In the book Friday is ALWAYS the slave. Robinson does eventually give Friday his freedom in the book but he still remains a servant. This sanitized version fails to keep us in the time setting of the book. The ending. Oh my. How cliché.

I really don't understand people who always complain about "it's not accurate to book". If it would be 100% accurate to book it would SUCK big time. Somethings just don't work on movies that worked on the book and vice versa. For a good example, Lord of The Rings - Fellowship of the Ring, Bombadil wouldn't work on the movie at all.As a TV movie, this is very well done, for example the storm and shipwreck scene felt great. And overall the scenery is great and all settings are made with care and look very real.Actors do pretty good job, though maybe little overacting from time to time, but nothing to complain really. I liked Brosnan's Scottish accent it gave a spice to the character and made more real.The movie is about love and friendship, and really worked on me. I highly recommend everyone who like about adventure movies.