A Golden Era movie made in 1999

[Marc Chevalier]

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This one merits its own thread.

There's a little known indie movie made by Scott King in 1999: it's called TREASURE ISLAND. No, it has nothing to do with pirates. In fact, the story takes place on San Francisco's "Treasure Island" during World War II. This black & white movie is as period correct as you can get, in terms of its cinematography, dialogue, music, costumes, makeup, sets, and props.

THE SYNOPSIS (based on historical fact): "Two World War II American Navy cryptographers write letters for a corpse in an attempt to fool the Japanese Army. But as the letters they write reveal the secrets of their lives, the body comes alive and invades their memories, their fantasies and their world."


Some photos from the 1999 film. The first one shows Scott King, the director, as he really dressed throughout the filming. And yes, he used those actual vintage movie cameras:

And here is the poster:

And here are some scenes:

And you can see the trailer here (on the bottom left side of the link's page):

http://www.kingpix.com/films/ti/pictures/



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[Marc Chevalier]

Incidentally, the film's maker, Scott King, used to live in an old house where he installed pneumatic tubes to send messages between floors. (Remember the "Ministry of Information Retrieval" in the movie Brazil?)

Scott dressed, drove, lived and breathed the Golden Era.


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[Marc Chevalier]

And here's what the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) said about TREASURE ISLAND:

"Set in a parallel-universe America, King’s surreal, terrifying movie plays like a skillful collaboration between David Lynch, George Romero and James Ellroy. Two WWII U.S. code-breakers fabricate an identity for a corpse to misdirect the Japanese. Their own identities begin to disintegrate into that of their creation, unleashing everything repressed within themselves. A prizewinner at Sundance for King’s 'Distinctive Vision in Filmmaking', and overdue for rediscovery today."

 

["Doc" Devereux]

So you liked it then?

Seriously, that trailer looks excellent. I wonder if it's available over here?

 

[herringbonekid]

thanks Marc, i've never heard of this movie. i guess it sank without trace. looks like my kind of thing.

(speaking of david lynch, i always wished he had done a black and white 30s or 40s set movie. i think it would be amazing)

 

[Marc Chevalier]

[QUOTE="Doc" Devereux] I wonder if it's available over here?[/QUOTE]

Supposedly, it is totally and completely unavailable anywhere. Unfortunately, the only way to see it is at very rare screenings. Last July, the "American Cinematheque" in L.A. showed it for the first time in five years.

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["Doc" Devereux]

That's a pain. I shall have to talk to some people about getting it into a film festival or something.

 

[herringbonekid]

there's about 5 on ebay. i've just 'bought one now'.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Something's rotten in the state of eBay? I know Scott King, and I have a strong feeling that he's not involved with these copies selling on eBay. I wonder if they're bootlegs?


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[jake_fink]

Wow, that looks good. Marc, as you know Mr. King, ask if the dvds on Ebay are "official". At least one of them looks like the real deal. I'd love to see this. It reminds me somewhat of the Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin, though I hope King's work is not as precious.

Cool.

PS: Here's a link to an article (with photos) about Maddin in case you don't know of him:

http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/directors/03/maddin.html

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Actually, King's work leans heavily toward "film noir". He likes to look at verboten subjects, such as the sexuality of the U.S. homefront during WWII.

(At an estate sale, a friend of mine picked up the unpublished war diary of a WWII Army pilot. This flyboy wrote *too* extensively about his stateside dalliances with the wives of overseas servicemen. Included were many one-night stands, not to mention a threesome with two teenage girls. The homefront was wilder than we care to imagine.)


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[Flitcraft]

Thanks for posting this!
I'd never heard of Scott King, but this movie defintely sounds intriguing.
Where is the best place to find more information about his films?
Are any of them available commercially in dvd format?

 

[Marc Chevalier]

The best information is at the KING PICTURES website:

www.kingpix.com

As far as I know, Scott has not released commercial DVDs ... but some are being sold on eBay nonetheless. I'm trying to find out if they're bootlegs.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

You might also enjoy an earlier King Picures film that won numerous awards: SHOTGUN FREEWAY. Info here:

http://www.kingpix.com/films/shotgun/index.html