Kidnapped

While Robert Stevenson was directing Darby O'Gill and the Little People, Walt Disney visited the set and suggested that the next project they tackle should be Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped. Disney had already adapted another Robert Louis Stevenson book, Treasure Island, in 1950 and the film had done very well for the company. Disney was hoping the same would be true for the novel about a young boy who has been sold into indentured servitude by his miserly uncle, but escapes into the Scotland with the help of a unlikely ally. Stevenson re-read the novel and was enthused about the project. He ended up writing the a treatment for the film while visiting the Scottish highlands after Darby wrapped. Stevenson would turn the treatment into a full screenplay within a few months. Incidentally he is of no relation to the famous author. 

For casting, James MacArthur was the obvious choice to play the young David Balfour. MacArthur was Disney's current young star, as he had leading roles in The Light in the Forest, and Third Man on the Mountain. Top billing, however, went to British/Australian actor Peter Finch who portrayed the Jacobite Allan Breck Stewart. Finch already had history with Disney because he played the Sheriff of Nottingham in The Story of Robin Hood and his Merry Men (1952). After that Finch starred in movies  like The Elephant Walk (1954) where he played opposite to Elizabeth Taylor and The Dark Avenger (1955) opposite Errol Flynn but it wasn't until he starred opposite of Audrey Hepburn in The Nun's Story (1959) that he reached international acclaim. Unfortunately, Finch is probably more well known today to general audiences for being a piece of trivia. He was posthumously awarded the Oscar for Best Actor for Network (1976) after dying from a heart attack at the age of 60 before the Oscars took place in 1977. He was the only actor to win an Oscar posthumously until Heath Ledger in 2009. The most well-known actor of the film, however, is Peter O'Toole. This would be his first released film role and the most notable thing he does is have a bagpipe duel with Finch's Stewart. Though O'Toole only had a bit part in the film, Stevenson and the cast realized that O'Toole was destined for greater things. Stevenson himself said that O'Toole "will make a very important mark within five years." Stevenson didn't realize how right he was. O'Toole would shoot to super stardom two years later when he landed the starring role as T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Rounding out the cast was Bernard Lee as Captain Hoseason, who is most well known for portraying M for the first eleven James Bond films, and John Laurie as Ebenezer Balfour, whom he had already played in Ebenezer in a TV version a few years earlier. Laurie had also starred in Disney's version of Treasure Island (1950).

The story takes place in 18th century Scotland, where young David Balfour is taking a letter of introduction from his recently deceased father to the House of Shaw, which is his uncle's house. While trying to find the house, he meets some of his uncle's neighbors who all seem to loathe the man. His uncle on his father's side, Ebenezer does not give him a warm welcome. David is curious about a few things and starts to asks questions about his family. Ebenezer attempts to have David killed by sending him up to the upper part of the house that has fallen into disrepair, hoping that he will fall to his death. Ebenezer claims he didn't know about the decrepit situation and David lets it go. Though David is suspicious of his uncle, he trusts him enough to meet with a Captain Hoseason, an individual who does business with Ebenezer, who wants to show him his ship. Hoeseason gains David's trust by telling him that Ebenezer means him harm but he can't tell him any more until they are alone on his ship. David goes with Hoseason and it's not until he's on the ship that the crew capture him. David realizes too late that this has all been a ploy by his uncle and he is going to be sold into indentured servitude. 

Hoseason's boat runs into a smaller boat while stuck in fog and they rescue the only survivor, Alan Breck Stewart. Alan pays for his passage. Little does Alan know that Hoseason means to kill him for the rest of his money. David hears of the plot and warns Alan, who both fight and overcome the crew. Alan is able to negotiate with Hoseason to drop them off at the next port but the boat runs into some rocks and sinks. David washes up on shore and finds himself on a smaller island off the mainland. He finds from speaking to locals that Alan has already been this way and has instructed him to meet him further inland. David runs into soldiers who happen to be part of the Campbell clan, who are the rivals of Alan and the Stewart Clan. Out of nowhere, the King's Regent, Colin Roy Campbell, who was questioning David is shot and killed and the soldiers accuse David of setting them up. David is saved by Alan who had been fishing nearby. David is suspicious of Alan and thinks he was the one who murdered the King's Regent. Alan convinces David to trust him and that they have to go to someplace safe to avoid more soldiers. David learns that Alan is a Catholic Jacobite, someone who supports the exiled royal Stuart family. This puts David and Alan at odds since David is a Protestant Whig. They are able to get over those differences, however, and begin to trust each other. Alan takes them to James of the Glen, who gives them supplies, but tells them that he must pin the murder on them or else he will be blamed. Alan understands this as James is an important part of the Stewart clan. The two battle their way back to the lowlands, where Alan can confront his uncle. They are able to make it back and they meet with David's family lawyer, who luckily believes the tale of his uncle's deception. It turns out that David's father and his uncle had a disagreement over a woman. They finally came to an agreement that David's father would be able to marry the woman, while Ebenezer would claim the House of Shaws and all its money, though Ebenezer is not the eldest. This finally explains to David why Ebenezer wanted him gone so badly. Since the agreement between his father and uncle is not legally binding, the House of Shaw rightfully belongs to David. The trouble is, they have to have proof that Ebenezer tried to sell his nephew, so the group come up with a plan. Alan goes to the House of Shaws and pretends to be a Highlander who found David and wants to sell him back to Ebenezer. Ebenezer at first says he doesn't want the boy, but Alan tells him that they will kill the boy if Ebenezer does not pay them. Now not wanting the boy to be killed, Ebenezer haggles with Alan over the price, but in the process reveals what he had done to the boy before with Captain Hoseason. David and his lawyer reveal themselves and David is able to regain his inheritance. 

Disney decided to film in Scotland with some interior shots done at a studio in England. Since this film was not relying on any fancy camera tricks like Darby, they didn't feel the need to keep the production local and rely on matte paintings. Since parts of the story were based on historical fact, mostly having to do with Alan Breck Stewart and the murder of Colin Roy Campbell, the King's Regent, Stevenson attempted to film in the same exact locations where the events took place. While he was able to in most cases, he couldn't use the spot where Campbell was murdered, as that spot was now home to a forest of Norwegian pines. The film premiered on February 24th, 1960 and unfortunately was met with tepid reviews. One notable review, from New York Times reviewer Eugene Archer, claimed that "Either Mr. Disney, who made a vigorous Treasure Island ten years ago, has lost his touch in the intervening decade, or the kids have been spoiled by Gunsmoke and Peter Gunn." Critics couldn't argue with the beauty of the locale or the faithfulness to the novel, but they could complain that the movie just wasn't that exciting for a Robert Louis Stevenson novel. I personally don't really like either the book or the movie. They're both fine, but I find Treasure Island to be superior in almost every way. The whole Jacobite and Whig thing is honestly hard to follow for those not versed in European history. That's just me, so I'm sure there are plenty of people who enjoy this story a lot. This is yet another film that if you want to watch it, you'll have to rent it since it's not on Disney Plus.