The Gold Bug

THE GOLD BUG is an interesting film. One of the better film adaptations of Poe's books. Geoffrey Holder is extraordinarily eerie in his role of Jupiter and Anthony Michael Hall is good as the boy. This movie was very eerie and deserved more recognition because of the unique atmosphere it creates. A lazy Sunday afternoon movie. 2 1/2 out of 5.

The first time I saw it I was very entertained by the mysterious story and creepy characters. I saw this well-made Poe adaptation either in high school or late in elementary school, I can't remember which. Now that I'm interested in film scores I want to see it again not only for the excellent acting and story but also for the electronic sound-track.

A lonesome boy, who finds solace in studying the insect life on a desert island, stumbles upon adventurers seeking Captain Kidd's buried treasure. Modest, likable, evocative (lensed by cinematographer Alex Thomson) and quite faithful rendition of Edgar Allan Poe's atypical pirate yarn; not exactly horror material, then, but the adventurers here do get to meet a sticky (albeit unfortunately offscreen) end – apparently meted out by the vengeful ghost of the notorious sea captain! Or, at least, that is the way I remember it from my childhood days of poring over it (and many another abridged literary classic) as part of a pocket book illustrated collection of Poe short stories. The film stars Roberts Blossom as the older of the two gold diggers and the kid is well played by Anthony Michael Hall; the other two important roles in the story of Blossom's black companion and the boy's stern uncle are, respectively, filled by Geoffrey Holder and Robert Moberley. It is curious that, for all of the tale's cinematic possibilities, there has never been a notable film version of it; I am purposely discounting W. Lee Wilder's very loose modern would-be adaptation MANFISH (1956) – which I might get to watch regardless as part of my ongoing Halloween marathon. For the record, the TV series which spawned it was one that exclusively dealt with adapting popular children's books to the small screen.

Obviously filmed on a shoestring budget, this little film works pretty well. This is the famous Poe mystery story, a search for buried treasure by three disparate characters. One is Anthony Michael Hall (Breakfast Club), who has made an extensive career, mostly in television. He is a little boy who chances on a couple of dangerous treasure hunters on a desert island. While it is slow moving and stilted, it is still fairly captivating.

Good tale, especially for older children, although the film does have several startling moments, and death claims two of the treasure seekers. Captain Kidd's treasure, supposedly buried on Sullivans Island, is pursued by Roberts Blossom and Anthony Michael Hall, along with Blossom's servant, Geoffrey Holder. The clues to the cache's whereabouts are deciphered and the digging begins. After the chest is found, a curse is unleashed, with tragic results. Roberts Blossom is really great here, so if you are an admirer of this underused actor, seek out "The Gold Bug". It is not an easy movie to get, but worth the effort. - MERK