Kidnapped

1978

Kidnapped

7.6 | en | Drama

David McCallum stars as the rebellious Alan Breck Stewart, and this ambitious serial (a co-production between HTV and Germany's Tele-Munchen) also features a host of British character actors, including Bill Simpson, Patrick Allen, Andrew Keir, Patrick Magee and Frank Windsor. When young David Balfour arrives at his uncle's bleak Scottish house to claim his inheritance, his relative tries to murder him then has him shipped off to be sold as a slave in the colonies. Luckily for the lad, he strikes up a friendship with Alan Breck Stewart, who is on the run after Bonnie Prince Charlie's defeat at Culloden. When a ship's captain tries to kill Breck for his money, the two manage to get to land and set out for Edinburgh, dodging the ruthless Redcoats along the way.

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Seasons & Episodes

EP4 The Stranger

Dec. 01,1978

Kidnapped aboard a slave ship bound for the Carolinas on the orders of his Uncle Ebenezer, David encounters Alan, shipwrecked and rescued at night, and discovers the captain's evil plot against them.

EP3 The Voyage

Dec. 01,1978

While Alan Breck surveys the Stewart holdings, David Balfour accompanies his uncle to see his lawyer, accepting the offer of passage there from a ship's captain. But Uncle Ebenezer has other plans for David and has arranged for a longer voyage for his nephew.

EP2 Captain Hoseason

Dec. 01,1978

Still pursuing separate goals, Alan Breck hears fresh rumours of rebellion in the Highlands and David Balfour learns first hand how villainous his uncle really is.

EP1 Uncle Ebenezer

Dec. 01,1978

Alan Breck Stewart, hero of Culloden returns in secret to Scotland. Meanwhile David Balfour returns to Edinburgh, meets a beautiful Highland girl, and encouters his suspicious Uncle Ebenezer

7.6 | en | Drama | More Info

Released: 1978-12-01 | Released Producted By: Tele München , HTV Cymru Wales Country: Germany Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:

Synopsis

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Cast

David McCallum , Ekkehardt Belle , Aude Landry

Director

John Biggs

Producted By

Tele München , HTV Cymru Wales

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Cast

David McCallum

as Alan Breck Stewart

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Ekkehardt Belle

as David Balfour

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Aude Landry

as Catriona

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Reviews

Robert Pearson I remember being glued to this miniseries when it was shown on TBS (Turner) in '78. It was wonderfully done, following the novel very faithfully and not trying to guild the lily the way so many other productions have done. More than that, it covered not only "Kidnapped" itself, but also that novel's sequel, "Catriona: (released as "David Balfour" in the United States) which I until then did not know even existed. It was an excellent idea, since it resolved all the hanging threads of the plot as Stevenson had intended.What I recall most were all the on-location shots (I assumed they were such, anyway) and the beauty of the Scottish countryside as well as that of the Netherlands. David McCallum gave an excellent portrayal of the brash Alan Breck. I know some have accused the actor who portrayed David Balfour's performance wooden, but frankly, Stevenson writes the character that way—he saves all the panache for Alan, and so it is in this film, as well. I particularly remember the haunting opening credits theme—I wish I could find a recording of it, as it, too, was excellent.It's a great shame this is not shown more often. I understand it's been released on DVD, but so far I've not been able to find it, so I'm guess this was not done in the U.S., which is a shame. Perhaps someday

savbard This is a great movie, with only one problem: you cannot buy a copy and it was only shown on TV in the USA once that I know of, in the early 1980's. I hope someone will get the idea to show it again, and make it available for purchase on DVD or VHS. I have never seen a better version of this movie. It really captures the spirit of Scotland at the time. I would put it up against Braveheart or any of the Lord Of The Rings movies. The music alone stirs the blood of anyone with Celtic blood, or a Celtic spirit. The fight scenes are most excellent. I hope someone who has the power to get this movie out for everyone to see it again will do so. If someone knows if there is a DVD or VHS copy out please post a message on here.

lauraclennam I saw this when it was originally screened in 1978 or 1979 - I was just a little kid at the time. I was living in Argyll, Scotland - real Gaelic country/landscape, so the programme really resonated with me. It was repeated in 1980 or 1981 but after that i never heard anything about it until circa 1991 the first two or three episodes, edited together, were released on video briefly, by a company called VideoGem. I was surprised by its quality - I thought my childhood memories may have exaggerated its appeal. Some of the acting - particularly David Balfour - is slightly wooden; on the other hand , a lot of it is very good - notably David McCallum as Alan Breck Stewart. The episodes I saw on video included original material that doesn't feature in the book; but unlike typical Hollywood 'adaptations' some of this material is quite worthy - including a scene that suggests the relationship between the Scots tenants and the Stewarts-in-exile was more about extortion than loyalty. As for the video release, I don't think it sold very well, as I never saw any further releases of the remaining episodes, which was a great disappointment.I agree that it was easily the best adaptation I've ever seen, and it would be great to see the whole series released on video. If I remember rightly, the series also adapted at least some of the sequel 'Catriona'.

JB-9 I saw this version of Kidnapped in 1979.I think it was the best one that was made. The theme music was really nice.It was called David's theme. It was very haunting and lonely. I would love to see a repeat of the show.I feel that Robert Louis Stevenson would be happy with this production.

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