Go ahead look it up. The definition of the word "adventure" is Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story "Treasure Island."
It begins - when else? - on that proverbial "dark and stormy night," when a drunken Captain Billy Bones gives a valuable treasure map to a lad named Jim. It follows his adventures - aboard the Hispaniola, swashbuckling with pirates and engaging in a desperate battle of wits with a one-legged scoundrel named Long John Silver - in a series of escapades that are as riveting and exciting as anything this side of "Raiders of the Lost Ark."Sure, you know the story. You've read it, and you've probably seen one of several film versions of the piece. Still, there's a fascination about seeing TNT's new version, which premieres Monday at 6 p.m. on the basic cable service.
Part of the fascination comes from knowing the project marks the directorial debut of Fraser C. Heston, who also wrote the screenplay and produced the film. "My father read the book to me when I was 5 years old," Heston noted recently, "and since then, it has always been a dream of mine to make it into a film."
Heston's father, of course, is film star Charlton Heston, who provides another reason for watching this "Treasure Island" with his rip-snorting interpretation of Long John Silver.
"For me, the opportunity to play a character of such cunning and villainy as Long John Silver is a welcome challenge," the elder Heston said. And to be able to play that character in a film written, directed and produced by his son made it all the more exciting and fun.
"I have directed a screenplay that Fraser has written," Heston said. "I have acted in and directed productions that Fraser has produced. It seemed the next logical step was for him to direct."
The younger Heston makes his directorial debut with a cast that includes not only his father, but film and stage veterans like Oliver Reed (Capt. Billy Bones), Christopher Lee (Blind Pew), Richard Johnson (Squire Trelawney) and Julian Glover (Dr. Livesey). He also has a strong young actor named Christian Bale (who recently earned acclaim for his performance in Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun") in the pivotal role of Jim Hawkins.
But more than anything else, director Heston has Stevenson's wonderful adventure, which he has attempted to remain "slavishly attentive" to in terms of faithfulness and authenticity - including a great deal of filming aboard a real sailing ship.
"Today's audiences are much more sophisticated than when `Treasure Island' was brought to the screen in the '30s and '50s," Heston noted. "I believe they appreciate authenticity."
But more than that, they appreciate a good story, filled with fights and flights, drama and derring-do. As Bale said when asked why he took the part: "The idea of hanging out on a ship with a bunch of pirates was very appealing."
Not to mention adventurous.