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Bugsy Malone [1976]


RRP: £12.99
Our Price: £19.99 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Writer-director Alan Parker's feature debut Bugsy Malone is a pastiche of American movies, a musical gangster comedy set in 1929, featuring prohibition, showgirls and gang warfare, with references to everything from Some Like It Hot to The Godfather. Uniquely, though, all the parts are played by children, including an excellent if underused Jodie Foster as platinum-blonde singer Tallulah, Scott Baio in the title role and a nine-year-old Dexter Fletcher wielding a baseball bat. Cream-firing "spluge guns" side-step any real violence and the movie climaxes cheerfully with the biggest custard pie fight this side of Casino Royale (1967).

Unfortunately for a musical, Paul Williams' score--part honky-tonk jazz homage, part 1970s Elton John-style pop--lets the side down with a lack of memorable tunes. Nevertheless, Parker's direction is spot on and the look of the film is superb, a fantasy movie-movie existing in the same parallel reality as The Cotton Club and Chicago. A rare British love letter to classic American cinema, Bugsy Malone remains a true original; in Parker's words "the work of a madman" and one of the strangest yet most stylish children's films ever made.

On the DVD: Bugsy Malone's picture is presented non-anamorphically at 1.66:1, with rich colours and plenty of detail. The print is excellent. The audio is stereo only and while full and clear seems to leave a hole in the middle of the soundstage. Extras include an informative commentary by Parker, eight pages of trivia notes by Parker and a very informative 12-page booklet, also by the director. There are three trailers, nine character profiles, two scored galleries, and more imaginatively, a multi-angle option to compare Parker's sketches, their comic-strip realisation by Graham Thomson and the finished opening sequence. Quality over quantity make this a strong collection of extras, though recollections from the stars would have added so much more. --Gary S. Dalkin


Hasn't outdated thirty years on
Review date: 2007-07-12 Rating: 8 out of 10

I watched this film at various stages throughout my life and still have a soft spot for Bugsy Malone. Jodie Foster is and always has been one of my favourite actresses and this is the film I first saw her in. Remember when Babyface says 'get Babyface..I am Babyface' who incidentally is a British actor called Dexter Fletcher and has been in many television productions and films more famously in Lock Stock as Soap. The British actors seem to have done more with their lives than the American ones.....please correct me if I'm wrong. I wont mind...

This film is never outdated, should still be 'allowed' by the PC Brigade and no doubt be watched a few generations down the line. The actors were outstanding for their age and for the time and the whole thing was written well for them.

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Reviews


Great film, great acting, great songs.........
Review date: 2006-11-11 Rating: 10 out of 10

I can thoroughly recommend this film, a real tongue-in-cheek look at gang warfare from a child's perspective. If only real life were like this, and the only bad thing to happen to anyone anytime was that they ended up with a custard pie in the face. Despite what the Amazon reviewer says, (fortunately picked up by Rob Cook, one of the previous reviewers), I think the music is excellent. I don't understand why the Amazon reviewer feels that the songs aren't memorable, since we purchased the soundtrack CD soon after buying the DVD because we felt the music was so good. Paul Williams should be congratulated on the musical score, not ridiculed. It is made all the more impressive when you realise from the notes accompanying the DVD that Williams recorded the songs whilst touring the States with a completely different show, sending the songs almost one at a time as they were completed back to the UK studios at Pinewood. This meant that with the time constraints, there was no time for re-writes, the kids then having to painstakingly learn to lip-sync their allocated songs in preparation for the final recording.
Kids (especially big kids like me, I'm fifty-two and a half) will love this. It's just a fun film stuffed with memorable moments and great tunes, 'Fat Sam's Grand Slam' 'Bad Guys' 'My Name Is Tallulah' and not forgetting the title track, to name but a few.
We've watched this DVD three times already since buying it, and we haven't even got any kids! So, if you want a bit of good all-round family entertainment with some great acting and original sing-along songs, look no further. We love it! Great stuff!
Footnote: I have just heard that there is to be a newer print of this title due for release in December 2006. This review is obviously based on this version so potential purchasers may want to compare the differences between these editions before ordering. Steve. (November 2006)


Fantastic-a great one for the kids!
Review date: 2006-08-09 Rating: 10 out of 10

I bought this for my 10 year old daughter as she was acting in her school production of it.Wow,what a great bit of harmless family entertainment.The story is based on gangster warfare between two rival groups with loads of custard pie throwing!The child actors are absolutely brilliant and the songs,what can I say?There are so many memorable tunes that I found myself singing them for days afterwards.My daughter has watched the film constantly and doesn't seem to tire of it.She loves having the subtitles on,so that she can singalong with all the tunes perfectly!!A must for all young budding singers/actors!

Poor soundtrack? WHAT?!?
Review date: 2006-05-02 Rating: 10 out of 10

Not so much a review (it's an excellent film - 'nuff said) but more a comeback to the laughable review by Amazon.

"Unfortunately for a musical, Paul Williams' score--part honky-tonk jazz homage, part 1970s Elton John-style pop--lets the side down with a lack of memorable tunes."

What? No memorable tunes? Bugsy Malone has one of the most famous movie soundtracks of all time.

The Amazon reviewer who introduced this item should hang his head in shame and seriously reconsider whether he is actually capable in his job.

Great
Review date: 2006-03-18 Rating: 10 out of 10

I recently bought the DVD and I have to say it is one of the most cleverly written musicals ever. I was recently in a stage production of the show, and on the last night of the show, all cast members sat down to watch the original version. The acting was miles better than ours! I would definitely recommend this film, particularly young children. Young boys will enjoy all the different gangsters such as Fat Sam and Dandy Dan, while young girls will love the character of Tallulah the show-girl. 10 out of 10.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Jodie Foster
Martin Lev
Scott Baio
Florrie Dugger
John Cassisi

Creators:
Jodie Foster (Primary Contributor)
Scott Baio (Primary Contributor)
Michael Seresin (Cinematographer)
Peter Biziou (Cinematographer)
Alan Parker (Writer)
Gerry Hambling (Editor)
Alan Marshall (Producer)
David Puttnam (Producer)
Robert Stigwood (Producer)

Director(s):

Recording label: ITV DVD
Manufacturer: ITV DVD
EAN: 5037115041333
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL,
Release date: 2003-02-17
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Universal, suitable for all
Region code: 2
Running time: 95 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1976-09-15
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: Italian (Original Language)

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