The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1986)

Such a frustrating disappointment

A Masterpiece!

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

I've seen most live-action film adaptations of Mark Twain's classic novel, but none follow the original story as closely as this one. The 1993 Disney version is a very good one, but definitely Disney-fied (more suitable for children and whatnot). This version is blunt and accurate. The casting was very good in my opinion. I found that it did move a bit slow at some parts and some scenes were added that were not in the book. The only scenes that were removed were the conversation Jim and Huck have about Frenchmen, the Boggs shooting, and all of the Wilks scenes. That, to me, is very strange. Although I did read somewhere that the full film is 240 minutes, and the one I have is 213 minutes, but says to be un-cut. They do go to Phelps Landing at the end, however, although Tom and Huck's elaborate escape plan for Jim is very much shortened - from over 3 weeks in the novel to 1 day in the film. The beginning is also changed slightly. Pap does not spend a night at the judge's house and does not break his arm. Overall, I really liked it and I think all Huck Finn-enthusiasts would.

I collect all versions of Huckeberry Finn & Tom Sawyer films. The only equal of this film is that with Elijah Wood. Patrick Day was brilliant. It is a real pity we do not have more from him as a child actor.This film would be great for any family. It is less restricted than the Elijah Wood version and more accurate in that respect. The N word is used as it was during the those times. The political correctness that keeps it out of modern films is not present here. That is not to say that the word is appropriate in modern times. It is to say that we should recognize how it was used in the past. Political correctness can be carried too far.So, if you want an excellent version of the Huckleberry Finn film, this film is a must. It has just become available on Amazon.com

This is a brilliant adaptation of the classic novel, especially by telemovie standards. It isn't at all schmaltsy or patronizing. The leads of Patrick Day, Jim Dale and Barnard Hughes give life and personality to their characters very well. And it certainly captures both the humor and sharp social commentary of the novel excellently.<Spoiler warning.>My only disappointment with this version is that Huck sounds a little bit too well-educated and formal for what is essentially a 19th century "street kid" with a minimum amount of formal education, even though the essential "street smarts" and sympathetic nature of the character are preserved. And also, the final big con scheme is totally deleted. (They probably ran out of time and money). The over-all pacing is also a tad slow. (By the way, I saw this as a video version which was apparently edited down from an original mini-series).I still like the 1993 version of the story the best, but this is a very close second in my estimation.

I just finished watching this film and i loved it, i love this story but the way that it was portrayed in this paticular film version was wonderful. I loved the way that Patric Day[huck finn] and Sam-Art Williams[jim] interacted throughout the movie, Patric Day brought a great deal to the character of Huck which can only be matched by that of Elijah Wood in the 1993 version that did not follow the same story, the blue paint scene was a paticular favorite of mine because it brought a great deal of comic value to the play which only complimented Mark Twain's original script. This story fills you with so many different emotions i sometimes don't know weather to laugh or cry, its a masterpiece.