Lt. Robin Crusoe,
U.S.N. showcases everything that’s frustrating about Disney movies; just
before and during the hit-and-miss era following Walt’s death and throughout
the 70s. The fact that no expense seems
to be spared in terms of production values is completely undercut by an
embarrassing corniness and total disregard for writing and direction. Obviously, it’s the opposite mixture –
quality filmmaking coupled with meager production values – that can frequently
result in good movies, so it remains baffling why the Disney studio persisted
in spending a fortune on kitsch. (Supposedly
this is the only film in which you can see Disney himself credited as a writer,
ironically.) Ever-mugging, ever-wacky
Dick Van Dyke is a hapless sailor stranded on a South Pacific island populated
by a tribe of English-fluent, impossibly beautiful girls and their buffoonish
chief as played by Akim Tamiroff. The
chief intends to sacrifice his daughter (Nancy Kwan) to their island deity
because she refuses to marry. Issues of
the day – specifically feminism – make their way into an otherwise innocuous
family comedy, which is thankfully not as epic in length as some of Disney’s other
outings of the same period. All in all,
even though it’s far from a masterwork, there’s no harm done and it’s a fine
afternoon-killer, especially for those nostalgic for Disney’s 60s movies.
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