MOVIES · STORY NOTES

Treasure Island

Treasure Island is a 1950 adventure film produced by RKO-Walt Disney British Productions, adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel of the same name. Directed by Byron Haskin, it stars Bobby Driscoll as Jim Hawkins and Robert Newton as Long John Silver.

Description adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Treasure Island (1950 film) · CC BY-SA 4.0. Text adapted for this entry.

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The story, including the ending.

These write-ups discuss major events and outcomes for this listed work. Each source and its coverage are identified below.

Source plot synopsis — includes the ending

In the West Coast of England in 1765, young Jim Hawkins lives with his mother in a country inn that they run. Captain William Bones, a sickly lodger, gives Jim a treasure map after receiving the "black spot" from two strangers. Squire Trelawney and Dr. Livesey accompany Jim to the inn, finding Bones dead. Trelawney recognizes the map as belonging to the legendary pirate Captain Flint and hires Captain Smollett and his ship, the Hispaniola, to find it, hiring Dr. Livesey as the ship's doctor and Jim as the cabin boy.
Before departure, Long John Silver, a one-legged innkeeper, agrees to gather a crew and joins the expedition as the ship's cook. Smollett is concerned about the crew, especially because the nature of their journey is common knowledge. At sea, Silver convinces Jim to steal Livesey's medical rum. During a storm, first mate Arrow, drunk from food specially prepared by Silver, falls overboard and drowns. Later, Jim overhears Silver discussing a planned mutiny, discovering that the seamen hired by Silver are Captain Flint's old crew and that the alcohol he lent was used by Silver to cause Arrow's death, Jim reveals the treachery to Smollett, who asks Jim to maintain his friendship with Silver to learn more. Upon reaching Treasure Island, Silver offers to tow the ship to a safer anchorage, using two of the ship's rowboats. While the ship is being towed, one of Silver's men, Merry, stages the mutiny. Smollett forces the mutineers into the hold, but Silver cuts the rowboats from the Hispaniola and heads toward the shore with the rest of his men, taking Jim as a hostage. Smollett, Trelawney and Livesey go ashore after them.
On Treasure Island, Jim escapes and meets Ben Gunn, marooned by Flint five years ago. Gunn shows Jim the boat that he has built and leads him to Flint's old stockade, where he meets Smollett and the others. Merry escapes, takes the Hispaniola, and raises the Jolly Roger. Short of men, Silver attempts to parlay with Smollett, but when he is rebuffed, the mutineers stage an attack. The assault on the stockade fails, but Silver wounds Smollett. Although seemingly protected by the stockade, Smollett surmises that, with the morning tide, Silver could move the Hispaniola into cannon range and level the fort.
Jim takes Gunn's boat and cuts the Hispaniola's anchor rope. The pirate Israel Hands discovers Jim and chases him into the ship's rigging, where Jim shoots him dead despite being wounded. The Hispaniola runs aground, and Jim strikes the Jolly Roger and hoists the Union Jack. Slowed by his wound, which becomes infected by swamp water, it takes him all night to return to the unguarded stockade. Inside the stockade, Jim searches for the doctor to mend his wound, but the man asleep under Livesey's coat is Long John Silver, causing Jim to faint on the spot. Silver finds the map on Jim as his men awaken.
Merry wants Jim dead, but Silver deceives his men into believing that Smollett has the map so he can "trade" it for Jim. While attempting to signal the captain, Silver sees that the ship is aground and flying the Union Jack and mistakenly believes that Smollett's party has recaptured the ship. The other pirates give Silver the black spot, but he refuses to acknowledge it. They let him bargain with Livesey, who has come to treat Jim, for the map.
Silver secretly barters with Livesey for leniency in court, inadvertently revealing that the ship is no longer under his control. Livesey agrees only when Jim insists on staying out of loyalty to Silver. Livesey leaves and Silver returns with Jim, flaunting the map to convince his men that his bargain was successful. The pirates are overjoyed and retake the black spot, then proceed on a grueling treasure hunt. When they finally reach the spot where the £700,000 treasure is supposed to be buried, they discover instead an empty pit, save for one guinea. A fight breaks out, and only the arrival of Smollett saves Silver's life. Gunn then reveals that he buried Flint's treasure in a second, secret location.
Despite keeping his end of the bargain, Captain Smollett still wants Silver returned to England to stand trial for his mutiny. Hawkins, Trelawney and two others take Silver to the Hispaniola aboard a rowboat loaded with a few chests of treasure. Silver snatches Jim's pistol and forces Trelawney and the others from the boat but commands Jim to remain in order to steer him out of the cove. Jim instead beaches him on a sandbar, and Silver orders him to push him at gunpoint, but Jim refuses. Silver is unable to execute his threat to shoot and drops the pistol in the water, attempting to push the boat off on his own. Seeing Silver struggle, Jim helps him, waving a hesitant farewell as Silver rows away with the treasure and bids him farewell in return.
Sources and content license

Source and revision history ↗ · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Treasure Island (1950 film). Section headings and formatting adjusted. · Content license