This movie has many fatal flaws. The movie looks like a 1980s made-for-TV-movie. Nothing even looks like the 1950s. First of all, the boy playing Anthony has no talent except to read cue cards. He is also too young to play Anthony Monday. Because of the young actor, Anthony is made ten instead of thirteen years old. Anthony's red cap that he wears everywhere and is shown on the book cover which is shown at the end of the movie is never seen through the length of the movie.
The actress playing Miss Eells looks nothing like the description that is consistent throughout the books. Secondly, Miss Eells name isn't even spelled correctly on the synopsis which shows that the imbeciles that created this film didn't even take time to read the book or do proper research. Then there are at least a dozen added scenes. Anthony never checked out any books dealing with treasure. The accidents that Miss Eells is supposed to have caused are ridiculous. She is shown throwing a book on a shelf and knocking down all the encyclopedias. Then she is shown opening a tin of sugar and pouring it all onto the table. Finally, she is shown knocking over her glass of tea when Anthony and her shake hands. These are all things that are completely ridiculous and would never happen.
The only thing in the book that this movie sticks by is the character names, that there is a treasure, and that the wooden moon was broken. Anthony discovers the secret of the poem and goes to the old Winterborn house. Instead of breaking his arm, he falls off a rotten step and hits his head causing a "mild concussion." Also, Mr. Monday works in a hardware store instead of a cigar store. The repair man [Loomis] is mean to Anthony instead of the kindhearted man in the book. The part that breaks my heart is when Anthony suspects Miss Eells because of her squeaky shoes. This is supposed to add suspense and mystery, but all it does is ruin the rest of the movie for any true Bellairs fan.
Anyone with a brain figured out when you first saw the shoes and pants that it was Hugo Philpotts because they are dress shoes and suit pants. He is the only person in the entire movie to wear a suit. There are many scenes that have been added in. The purchase of a vanity and not a mirror, the visit to the cemetery, the newspaper, the bank (renamed Winterborn Bank), and the library renaming as Winterborn Library. The plot is ruined by too much attention drawn to the weather vane. The poems have been rewritten to make a more rhyming style and make absolutely no sense. The poem in the back of the mirror, about using the back door of the library is stupid since how would Mr. Winterborn know that the backdoor was open. Plus much of the program is out of order compared to the book.
I will sum up this review in one statement: THIS MOVIE IS THE WORST ADAPTATION OF A BOOK I HAVE EVER SEEN. It is only worth having as a collector's item if you wish to have all Bellairs memorabilia.
Patrick Cuff
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