User reviews

This classic story of romantic adventure by Daniel Mann , filmed in location , comes to life enriched by the brilliant photography , as the color of the Scotland's fields is stunning and being freely based on historical events . A good clean fun with a legendary Scottish adventurer against the British army , the Red Coats . In 18th century Scotland , during the Jacobite Rebellion , David Balfour (a feeble Lawrence Douglas) claims his inheritance from his uncle (Donald Pleasence who turns a fine studio of evil) , but he is sold as a slave who has him shanghaied on a ship where David meets fugitive Jacobite rebel , a Highland patriot called Alan Breck (the cockney Michael Caine who gives a lift just when it needs it most ) . Breck is a dash and adventurous rebel who is escaping from Bonnie Prince Charlie's defeat at Culludon . As they getaway from the slave ship and return to battle the British .

"Kidnapped" is an amusing adventure movie that certainly hits the mark ; being plenty of action , thrills , colorful cinematography , luxurious costumes and catching score ; all meld together under Delbert Mann's fine direction . Although the story has been told before , tight filmmaking and nice acting win out . Combination of overwhelming battles , and full of villainy , romance , swashbuckler and heroism . This version covers both the novel "Kidnapped" and the first half of its sequel "Catriona¨ . It is a little slow , at times , in the telling , mainly because of the stolid acting of the sad couple playing David and Catriona . As Lawrence Douglas seems a little frail for the adventurous David Balfour and Vivien Heilbron is hardly casting as Catriona Stewart . But Michael Caine is magnificent , though uneasily cast with his cockney accent , he lends the part sufficient swashbuckling gusto to make it work . As Caine play his character with rush and swagger . The support cast is frankly excellent -though many of them were not paid because of cash problems- such as Trevor Howard as Lord Advocate , Donald Pleasence as Ebenezer Balfour , Gordon Jackson as Charles Stewart , Freddie Jones , normally seen in comedy characters , as Cluny and Jack Hawkins who had lost his voice in 1966, was dubbed by Charles Gray . The Scottish Highlands are a treat for your eyes in glamorous Technicolor similarly to recent TV series ¨Outlander¨ . Being luxuriously shot by Paul Beeson , he was also the Director of Photography for the film Kidnapped (1960) . Sensitive as well as thrilling musical score by Roy Budd . The movie was well directed by Delbert Mann (Separate tables, Desire under the Elms, Marty) . However , the film would be a failure and panned by critics , it nowadays is best considered . The flick will appeal to adventures buffs .

They are several versions based on Robert Luois Stevenson classic novel , though producers do seem to choose the most unlikely players to perform Stevenson's Alan Breck : the American Warner Baxter , subsequently Australian-raised Peter Finch , then , the Cockney Michael Caine and finally the New Yorker of Italian descent Armand Assante . These are the followings : 1938 produced by Daryl F Zanuck , directed by Alfred Werker with Warner Baxter , Freddie Bartholomew , Arlene Whelan , John Carradine . 1960 a Disney movie by Robert Stevenson with Peter Finch , Jamez MacArthur , Peter O'Toole . 1955 Cable rendition by Ivan Passer with Armand Assante , Brian Blessed , Brian McCardie , Patrick Malahide .

This is an adaption of the famous Robert Louis Stevenson novel. I haven't read it myself but hear that this film is pretty faithful to the book. Set in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden in 18th century Scotland, a young man is sold into slavery by his unscrupulous uncle. He is soon rescued by a Jacobite rebel who is presently an outlaw wanted by the British government. The two men form an alliance of sorts and subsequently become involved in an incident that creates various complications.

The first thing that stands out from the outset here is that the cockney actor Michael Caine is starring in the role of Alan Breck, the Jacobite rebel. It seems like it must be a bit of miscasting, as it is difficult imagining Caine in such a role, however, pleasingly he is very good here and his film star charisma is used to very good effect for this particular character. The film also benefits a lot from plenty of nice on-location photography from around Scotland. It gives the whole production more of an authentic feel. The story-line is compelling and the direction is well-paced, while the events depicted are less over-the-top than in later Scottish adventures set in historical times such as Braveheart (1995) and this for me is a good thing. The story-line eventually dove-tails to a very bittersweet ending that seems like the only appropriate way to round things off.

Actually, comparing with the many filmed interpretations it is a fair representation of Robert Louis Stevenson's grand story. At least it was filmed for the most part in Scotland and the lovely scenic shots add to the authenticity.

I think there have been some unfair comments made on this particular interpretation but in general I would say it deserves a far better reception than some have given.

I have no problem with the English actors playing Scottish characters, Caine here is a passable lowland Scots as Allan Breck. Actors after all are judged by their skills and interpretation of the character and that's all that matters, it would be a sad day if we have to be Scottish solely to play a Scottish character. However, I'm not sure that Caine's costume would be one anyone would be seen dead in, it was clearly awful, and hardly the sort of attire a rebel would be running around in.

What matters is, that it is a fine interpretation of Stevenson's story.

One gets a fuller and more rounded picture of the times that the famous Robert Louis Stevenson novel Kidnapped is set in with this version of Kidnapped. Not only is the famous Stevenson novel taken to David Balfour's return and vindication, but we go a bit farther with the story based on Stevenson's successor novel Catriona and we get the Kidnapped story firmly entrenched in the times it happened.

Those times being the days after the Battle Of Culloden where the Scottish people chose between the returning French speaking Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Hanover monarchy of George II in 1745. At Culloden the Stuart forces were destroyed and the Hanoverians firmly in control after that. Those were bad times to be a Highlander and a supporter of the Stuarts.

Lawrence Douglas plays young David Balfour and Michael Caine is Alan Breck his friend and rescuer during the kidnapping of young Balfour by Captain Jack Hawkins at the behest of Balfour's uncle Donald Pleasance.

I'll not say more as the story of Kidnapped is well known. As for the continuing material from Catriona, the differences between Alan Breck and David Balfour are brought out. Lawrence Douglas is a Hanoverian supporter and Breck a soldier in the army of Prince Charles. However Douglas is an honest young man and goes to bat for a Stuart accused of a crime he did not commit. That sets the rival Campbell clan against him and puts Advocate General Trevor Howard in a delicate position.

Howard's character is not in the first novel and he's a decent man in an impossible political position. It's Alan Breck however who sets things right in the end for all concerned.

Previous versions with Warner Baxter and Freddie Bartholomew and Peter Finch and James MacArthur only concentrated on the Kidnapped story. The Finch/MacArthur version was from Disney and marketed for kids. This film is more adult and firmly set in the politics of the time with a good ensemble cast. I'd check this out especially if I liked the work of Robert Louis Stevenson.

May I take this opportunity to correct a misunderstanding that has arisen in connection with "Kidnapped". In doing so I shall not attempt a review of the film itself, other than to note here that it is reasonably well-made and entertaining.

Whatever the rights and wrongs (ethically speaking) of the breakup of the old clan system in the Scottish Highlands, and the claims of the Jacobite Succession, it is just plain wrong (factually speaking) to refer to the English as the "British" by contrast with the Scots. The term British refers to anyone who was a subject of the British Crown, subsequent to the Act of Union of 1707; it can refer indifferently to Scots, Welsh, English and Northern Irish, and historically (prior to Home Rule) to the Irish generally.

There may be some sentimentality on the part of American viewers who, mindful of their own War of Independence, wish to identify with others struggling against "British" rule. But the terms British and English are not, and should not be considered, interchangeable.

(There is great ignorance about this distinction in Continental Europe as well; I have had many animated discussions with German-speakers, who have failed to distinguish between "England" and "Grossbritannien", and with Francophones, who think that the whole of "Grande-Bretagne" is also "Angleterre". This may be politically comforting, but is culturally and historically WRONG!)

The story begins just following the Scottish Jacobite loss to the mostly English forces at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. This battle, if you care, was the final conflict between the two nations and as a result, Scotland was forced into the new United Kingdom. To the Scots, it's among their most important event in their long history and it's not surprising that Robert Louis Stevenson placed his story following it, as he himself was Scottish.

One reviewer wrote all about how the battle was between Scottish and English (they were offended by the use of the word 'British' by some reviewers), but that isn't exactly correct. Some Scottish troops fought with the English and there would have also likely been Welsh and Irish troops fighting with them as well (nations the English had long before subjugated). As for the Jacobite Scottish, they apparently had a few English and Irish with them...very few and they were mostly Catholics who did not want Anglicanism imposed on them by the Church of England. The odds were definitely stacked against the Jacobites...and the loss seems, in hindsight, rather inevitable. Today, many in Scotland STILL mourn the loss at Culloden....but on to my actual review!!

The story begins just after this climactic battle, with a rather naive David Balfour arriving at his uncle's home in the border country to claim his inheritance. It' pretty obvious the uncle isn't a kind man and, in fact, he tries to arrange for David's 'accidental' death....though the young man manages to survive. Now you'd THINK David would throttle the elderly uncle or he'd leave the home and seek the law, but instead he foolishly stays the night. Not surprisingly, when morning arrives, the uncle has arranged for David to he 'shanghaied' aboard a sailing vessel headed for the Carolinas. But before he can be forced there, the ship stops to pick up a Scottish patriot, Alan Breck (Michael Caine)...and they plan on also robbing him and taking him to the American colonies. Fortunately, Breck and Balfour are able to prevent this and they escape from the ship and head back to Scotland. What's next? See the film...or just read the book...as the book is among Stevenson's best works (I actually like it better than his more famous "Treasure Island").

While Michael Caine seems okay in the lead, you do wonder why the story wasn't done with a Scottish actor. While most Americans, like me, probably wouldn't notice, I am pretty sure Brits noticed this casting decision.

So apart from the casting of Caine (which is NOT a serious issue for me), is the film any good? Well, considering the Stevenson source material is so good, it's hard to dislike the movie. Plus, it actually was filmed in Scotland unlike some versions of the story. I liked the lovely music as well...very moving and fitting to the story. All in all, a very good version of the story...along with some of its sequel tossed in as well.

I have read the book and seen at least half a dozen screen versions of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novel, and this is at least the third I've written a review for. I almost passed by it, until I saw the cast: Donald Pleasance, Jack Hawkins, Trevor Howard, Gordon Jackson..... and astonishingly, Michael Caine as Alan Breck. Without much hope I took a look, and discovered that Caine managed the role very nicely, although his Scots accent wavered a bit. But he brooded very well, and handled the fight scene in the boat handsomely, with a mustache that suggested Erroll Flynn, but longer, as if all that fighting and running kept him too busy to trim it.

This version covered not only the events in the title story, but also many of the events in Stevenson's 1893 sequel, CAATRIONA. Lawrence Douglas as David Balfour seems more a witness to events he does not understand than the hero of his own tale. Much time is taken up with the death of a Campbell and the attempt to pin iit on a Stewart in order to keep the peace, or what passed for it in post-Culloden Scotland. H'es also overshadowed by Vivien Heilbron as his love interest, but mostly by the lovely photography of Scottish hill and shore. Perhaps I am so familiar with the story that looking at this roughshod handling of David Balfour's life pleased me by giving me something else to consider. Or maybe it was Caine's carefully calculated mustache.

The BBC broadcast an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's KIDNAPPED a couple of months ago ( I really must get round to reviewing that sometime )so I found myself comparing it with this version and unfortunately this is very much inferior

The problem lies in that the movie has very little in the way of action . There's a set piece on a boat that is skimmed over far too quickly , there's a sniper attack and Alan Breck killing a couple of redcoats and that's basically it as far as action scenes go with much of the running time taken up with Breck telling everyone what a wonderful patriot he is . I guess the dialogue scenes taking precedent over sword fights and battles is caused by the producers hiring the services of some fine actors and wanting them to appear on screen as long as possible . It's fairly well acted , though I'm afraid Caine is rather miscast and he makes Alan Breck boorish and unlikable

There is one thing that puzzles me in this movie and it happens fairly often , and that is people recognise Breck as soon as they seem him even though they've not met him before but why should this be ? There was no mass media in the mid 18th Century so they'd be no TV cameras or photography and I doubt if a " Wanted " poster for Breck would capture his likeness and yet nearly every time Breck is spotted someone always gasps " It's Alan Breck ! "

Oh and can I just add something about the English / British debate that the redcoats are the Hanoverian British army while the Highlanders are Jacobites , they're Highlanders supporting the Jacobite heir Bonnie Prince Charlie and it's unlikely they considered themselves to be all that Scottish never mind British

It is actually a bit of a testament to Michael Caine's charisma, that I didn't give this one star. As a Scot, I ought to have hated it. Oddly enough, though, it's not awful. Sure, his accent is all over the place but somehow the thrust of the story is reasonably handled. It all starts with "David Balfour" (Lawrence Douglas) trekking to his uncle "Ebenezer" (Donald Pleasance) to tell him his father has passed away. The venal old gent has no intention of sharing his meagre fortune and soon "Davie" in underway across the sea under the guidance of "Capt. Hoseason" (Jack Hawkins). That ship hits a smaller one which introduces us to the Jacobite, tartan-clad, Caine ("Alan Breck Stewart") who is on the run from King George's red coats. After literally having to fight their way off the brig they have some adventures, get caught up in an high level assassination and end up with both trying to achieve their objectives against the odds. The production is pleasing to look like, and the score sets up some lovely Scottish location photography. The cast? Well, Hawkins looks like he has had way too much port; Trevor Howard is quite effective as the duplicitous Lord Advocate and the young Douglas does fine as the naive but decent young "Balfour". It is all about Michael Caine, though - and for all it's many flaws, there is no denying that the solid underpinning adventure story serves as a strong enough bedrock for this not to end up the laughable nonsense it could have been. Not a patch on the Disney version from 1959, but I didn't hate it...

This is certainly not the worst film in history, but also far from great cinema. Despite dating from 1971, it has the look and feel of a film from the '40s.

"Kidnapped" follows the story of David Balfour, an orphaned Lowland Scots boy betrayed and cheated by his drunken oaf of an uncle on the cusp of his eighteenth birthday.

The British uniforms and civilian attire are done well, but the "Highland" clothing is laughably inaccurate.

Michael Caine is a very good actor, though horribly miscast in the role of "Allan Breck". The idea of having an Englishman play the role only adds weight to the fiction that anything here resembles genuine Highland history. The "i" is dotted with the garish swashbuckle mustachio sported by Caine. And that hair. Why?

It is also interesting that most of the characters seem to have amazing skill in keeping their hair perfectly clean, straight and shiny and if they just left a hair salon when they are yomping around the Trossachs hiding from the English!

The dialogue is wrought with semi-condescending, boring statements. I can not count how many times I heard words like "heather", "bonnie", or "lassie" from people who should not even be speaking English. It is overtly evident that none of the people involved with this movie, from the caterers to the director, had ANY historical background into Highland history and no knowledge of the culture apart from stereotype and myth.

It was well-intentioned and not cynical, so it does have some strengths. See Rob Roy if you want a historically accurate film on the Highland experience.

5/10

I enjoyed this movie very much. It is loosely based on two Robert Louis Stevenson novels, Kidnapped and its sequel Catriona. Those who would religiously stick to the contents of these novels will be disappointed in the adaptation. However, the film has, as it should IMHO, a world and plot of its own. Moreover, the plot is engaging and quite exciting.

The film movingly portrays a culture and political cause on the verge of destruction and the politics behind it. To a certain extent, it has to modify the plot of the two novels to effectively do so. Now it might have been nice if we could have heard the Scottish language spoken amongst the Highlanders. This absence makes it harder to portray the cultural conflict which was important both in the period and in the novels. However, we can forgive the film's makers by remembering that such was rarely done in the early 1970s.

The plot may not be entirely accurate in detail (the Appin murder, etc), but the portrayal of the Jacobite Rebellion is both very accurate and insightful, surprisingly so for a big-time film. The ending is a terrific and original attempt to convey the thoughts and psychology of a man through the medium of film.

All that aside, it is a historical adventure. One either likes that genre or doesn't. If the former, then the chances are you will like this.

As a history lesson about the Jacobite Rebellion this fails, but as a movie for the whole family it's entertaining and a good cast makes it fun to watch.

Michael Caine is Alan Breck, determined that the Stuarts should have retained the throne of England, who befriends young David Balfour (Lawrence Douglas) and sets off on a journey with him to Edinburgh, sharing a variety of adventures along the way. In a limited role, Donald Pleasance added to the fun of the movie as the curmudgeonly Ebenezer Balfour (David's uncle).

It was all working together quite well, I thought, until the very end of the movie, and I thought too much was left hanging with the way it concluded. So an entertaining but historically inaccurate movie ended with a bit of a letdown.

7/10

An all-star 1970s adaptation of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novel, worth watching for the incredible cast of seasoned British character actors alone. I've not yet read the novel so I can't comment on how authentic it is as an adaptation, but it's certainly a lot of fun, with intrigue and twists galore and the sheer joy of seeing so much talent assembled in front of the camera. Just watch out for Michael Caine's dodgy accent!

"Kidnapped" is an adaptation of the books "Kidnapped", one of my favorite books, and "Catriona", which I haven't read. The visuals in the movie were the best part about it. I liked both the original sets and the natural scenery of the Scottish highlands. The acting was above average, and the score was also average. There are some cons to the film though. The plot points aren't really explained that well, and when they are, it's hard to tell what the characters are trying to say. It is also overlong, and I feel at some point in the movie, it started to get a bit sluggish. Overall, this adaptation was a bit of a let down, but it did have its good moments.

In 1745 Scotland, the Jacobite Rebellion led by the French born Bonnie Prince Charlie is defeated. The King's soldiers rampage across the country. David Balfour claims his inheritance from his uncle who promptly has him kidnapped and forced to work on a ship. That ship crashes into a small boat sinking it. The boat had one occupant, Jacobite rebel Alan Breck (Michael Caine), who is waiting for a ship to France. The money grubbing crew intends to take him prisoner but Breck would have non of it. He fights them off with the help of imprisoned Balfour.

I'm with this meandering story until Edinburgh. It seems to be going nowhere other than confronting the uncle. I would have liked the unpoetic ending for a committed warrior dying from a non-war fight. Instead, the Edinburgh section infuriated me with Balfour turning ever more clueless and naive. I understand him being a honorable boy scout but he is actually turning dumber. He's seen the atrocities. He's known the underhand dealings. It cannot be a surprise. He has way too much faith in the system. I'd rather he sees this as a suicide mission for a honorable soldier. The trouble is that he actually thinks that the right outcome will happen. He's shocked that somebody would try to kill him even though he's seen lots of killings. I would redo the whole third act.

Adaptations are curious creatures. I mostly see them as things that shouldn't exist. It's not because I'm insistent that books are always better than movies (they're not), but that if a book is great, what makes it great is more than just story and character, but also how it's told on the page. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, though, is the exact kind of book that should be easy to adapt to screen. It's not full of lots of introspection or literary flourishes that would be difficult to adapt. It's a pretty straightforward adventure tale of a boy who comes into some property, gets shanghaied by his greedy uncle, escapes his ship-bound captivity with the help of a Jacobite, and has a journey through the Highlands that eventually takes him back to his uncle.

The problem for the adaptation, I think, was twofold. The first problem is that Kidnapped had no female lead, so there's no possibility of romance from the original story. That's a concern for many movie producers. The other is that the plot of the book is really about a boy getting his money, which feels like a low concern to some people. So, the producers, writer, and director decided to include the first half of Catriona, the sequel, into the adaptation. Now, I have yet to read Catriona, so I can't comment on the film's faithfulness, but I can comment on how the story feels so jumbled together.

I'm convinced that there's a line of thought in many writers' heads when they approach adaptations that just kill any sense of narrative. They want to include individual moments that either they or the audience of the original work love, so the story gets structured around these individual moments that end up taking the most amount of time with little left for the connective tissue between the events to give the story a sense of cohesion. It gets even worse when the writer tries to squeeze in so many events from multiple sources to bring in things like romance (which don't really fit) and play up what had been a background thematic element to the forefront.

The movie itself is fine. It sort of works. Caine is good as Breck. Lawrence Douglas is okay as David Balfour. The countryside is appropriate sumptuous, and the sets functional. As implied above, though, the story gets bogged down in tangents that ends up not feeling appropriate. David's quest to reclaim his property becomes a minor point in service to Breck's story of killing a Campbell, so we end up with this odd mix of a secondary character taking over the narrative, which throws off the whole focus of the story.

Lawrence Douglas has inherited some money, but when he tries to collect it from his uncle Donald Pleasance, Donald tries to kill him. When that doesn't work, he sells him off to slavery on a ship headed for the colonies. Such is the Robert Louis Stevenson story Kidnapped.

As far as period pieces go, this isn't a very good one. Yes, the scenery is very beautiful, but it looks like every character popped up out of the '70s—which, let's face it, they did. Veteran actors Jack Hawkins and Trevor Howard take supporting roles, but they aren't really enough to save the movie. I got a kick out of the reversal of fortune, though; ten years earlier, Michael Caine had small roles in films starring Jack Hawkins, and in Kidnapped, the billing was reversed.

Michael Caine fans won't be very happy with this movie; they'd be better off watching the other Robert Louis Stevenson adaptation Jekyll & Hyde, in which he does a very good job. He doesn't really add anything to the role—but then again, neither does anyone else in the cast—and he has an extremely muddled accent. It wasn't until he greeted Vivien Heilbron by calling her "Lassie" did I realize he was attempting a Scottish accent! Unless your absolute favorite genre of films is swashbuckling pirate movies, you might not want to sit through this one, especially since there really aren't too many swashbuckling pirates in the film.

This rendition is exceptional and belongs in the movie Library of anyone who loves the classics. Michael Caine makes the movie. As Allen Breck he made the character everything I felt when I read the book. He looks and talks just as I pictured in my mind. Splendid indeed. David Balfou was drab and shy in the story and I found Lawrence Douglas to be just that. I love that this version follows the true chronicle, especially in the beginning and I felt like I was truly along with the characters in every scene. Donald Pleasence played Ebenezer Balfour brilliantly and his scenes with David are true to the original story. No other movie of Kidnapped was the same for me. Captivating as only Robert Louis Stevenson can be.

The plot revolves around a young man who is betrayed by his uncle and is kidnapped for service aboard a ship. The ship is headed for America where he will be sold into slavery. On board the ship, he is befriended by Alan Breck, a rebel Scotsman. The ship is wrecked off the coast of Scotland and Balfour (the young man) and Breck (played by Michael Caine) are forced to seek aid from some of Breck's relatives. The English are still combing the countryside in search of clansmen and rebels. The two become involved in the murder of a local Scot who was working for the British. They must then elude the British while making their way to Edinburgh. Balfour to confront his uncle and Breck to hire a ship for his escape to France. This movie is nothing but high adventure! Michael Caine plays the role with the same flair and style that he always brings to the screen. He portrays a man who is a true patriot yet he must face the realization that the Clans have now been effectively destroyed by the British--the Scotland he loved and fought for no longer exists. This is high adventure at its best! It is also a moving, poignant story of a culture in its death throes.It is a magnificent, heroic movie. I loved it! Hope it is soon released on DVD!!

I watched this on holiday, then got the DVD and watched it again, and from a film making point of view I was hugely impressed. the story is an adaptation of the classic novel, and it works fine, with a nice dilemma for the protagonist centred around the need for continuing a needless conflict. The cast is incredible. But for me the look of the thing was what knocked me over. The location scenes are stunningly beautiful for the most part. The reconstruction of the aftermath of Culloden was very well done. The use of Stirling Castle as Edinburgh castle was terrific. Some of the sequences (the duel in the Castle, for instance,) are reminiscent of the quality of Barry Lyndon. If I had a quibble, it's that the ending is a bit too sudden and could have done with a little more working out. But. I really enjoyed watching this - and if you're a fellow lover of the Scottish landscape, you'll enjoy it too!

This is a well made atmospheric romp through the Scottish Highlands.Action,romance,murder,treachery and Michael Caine.Beautiful scenery and good soundtrack.I really enjoyed it.

This is my favourite version of the Kidnapped novel. Michael Caine is excellent as is all the cast. The film takes the viewer from the Jacobite battlefields of 1745 to Edinburgh Castle with a chase adventure in between. A good story. Lots of action (the fight in the sailing ship round house is particularly well done). Plus more. A well put together film