Luis Bunuel's Robinson Crusoe (1953)

100% of critics liked it
(9 reviews)
57% of users liked it
(1,224 ratings)

Exiled from his Spanish homeland, director Luis Bunuel set up shop in Mexico. Here he made his only American-financed film, The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. This is a reasonably reliable version of the Daniel Defoe's novel about a 17th century shipwreck victim (Dan O'Herlihy) and his "Man Friday"… More Exiled from his Spanish homeland, director Luis Bunuel set up shop in Mexico. Here he made his only American-financed film, The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. This is a reasonably reliable version of the Daniel Defoe's novel about a 17th century shipwreck victim (Dan O'Herlihy) and his "Man Friday" (James Fernandez). Bunuel cannot resist tossing in his occasional barbs against the smugness of Society--though not so many as to scare away customers. The director's long-standing distaste with the church is discreetly manifested in a few brief scenes wherein Crusoe's faith in God wavers. Magnificently photographed in Pathecolor, Adventures of Robinson Crusoe was released in Mexico two years before its American distribution. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Luis Buñuel
Genres: Classics, Action & Adventure

In Theaters: Aug 5, 1954 Wide
On DVD: Sep 14, 2004
Studio: United Artists

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Featuring an Oscar nominated turn by Dan O'Herlihy, this is a poignant version of the classic tale by the great Spanish director Luis Bunuel.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
far more provocative than the more literal adaptation's of Defoe's classic
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
May be the most shocking film ever made by the great filmmaker -- precisely because it isn't shocking at all.
Dan Lybarger, eFilmCritic.com
Exiled Spanish surrealist master Luis Buñuel created a micro-budgeted but remarkably effective adaptation of Daniel DeFoe's 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
This is the best Crusoe I've ever seen.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The film in its simple telling, without sentimentality, evokes a feeling of awe.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
A true oddity for Buñuel.
Phil Hall, Film Threat
A fine film with a strong central performance, although it is hardly representative of the director's trademark style.
Dan Lybarger, Hollywood Bitchslap
It's sadly ironic that this terrific adaptation of the most celebrated castaway story of all has been missing for decades and unavailable for home viewing until now.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Buñuel posits a more existential relationship between Crusoe, nature and, most significantly, the character's loneliness.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Matheus C

An atypical Buñuel that shows how the director was wrong for this kind of material. Despite the lushy colour photography, it has too little swashbuckling and excitment to keep fans of the adventure genre entertained and not enough of the Buñuel trademarks to keep his admirers… More
An atypical Buñuel that shows how the director was wrong for this kind of material. Despite the lushy colour photography, it has too little swashbuckling and excitment to keep fans of the adventure genre entertained and not enough of the Buñuel trademarks to keep his admirers scratching their heads. One can see the director's subversiviness creeping in beneath the surfice, but it must be questioned if the social commentary of bourgeois master and submissive slave (which contribute to a not all that likeable protagonist) is due more to the dated content of the novel or Buñuel's own beliefs.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]"Robinson Crusoe" is an entertaining adaptation of the venerable classic wherein Mr. Crusoe(Daniel O'Herlihy), the third son of an affluent family, goes to sea to find his fortune in 1659, only to be shipwrecked on a deserted island. After a rough… More
[font=Century Gothic]"Robinson Crusoe" is an entertaining adaptation of the venerable classic wherein Mr. Crusoe(Daniel O'Herlihy), the third son of an affluent family, goes to sea to find his fortune in 1659, only to be shipwrecked on a deserted island. After a rough start, he makes the best of it by salvaging what he can of the ship's stores and creating a new life for himself ashore.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]What distiniguishes this version is that it is directed by Luis Bunuel during his exile in Mexico. Curiously, it does not reflect Bunuel's attitudes towards religion, instead suggesting that Crusoe's being cast away is divine punishment for his serving aboard a slave ship, followed by his taking to the bible. Also, Crusoe's relationship with Friday(Jaime Fernandez) will always be at least a little problematic, as it could be read either in favor of imperialism or very much against it.[/font]
Eric B

If you're a Bunuel devotee who hasn't been able to track down this film, do not panic. It's a surprisingly ordinary telling of the familiar Crusoe story, and is most interesting simply because it's a rare Bunuel film in English. (I believe "The Young One"… More
If you're a Bunuel devotee who hasn't been able to track down this film, do not panic. It's a surprisingly ordinary telling of the familiar Crusoe story, and is most interesting simply because it's a rare Bunuel film in English. (I believe "The Young One" is the only other?) It was also his first work in color. Dan O'Herlihy's lead performance is adequate, with a heavy dose of old-fashioned narration, but Jaime Fernandez's ooga-booga turn as Friday is a cringe. The costumes are equally embarrassing, though the details of Crusoe's makeshift shelter are well done. The soundtrack is corny -- quite a jolt, considering how many Bunuel films have no score at all -- and some of the master/slave aspects of the Englishman-meets-natives tale seem dated and racist today. No doubt, Bunuel fans will scour the film looking for hints of his trademark perversity, but there's not much to find beyond two pedestrian hallucination sequences, a distant shot of Crusoe stomping on some unwelcome rats, a closeup of a sand lion devouring an ant and a short exchange questioning Christianity. I'm amazed to discover O'Herlihy was Oscar-nominated for Best Actor -- the idea of him competing against Marlon Brando in "On the Waterfront" is a laugh.