Bugsy Malone
Reviewer: Tim Isaac
Issue 106 August 2008
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They coulda been anything that they wanted to be…
The Lowdown: Set during prohibition with all the characters played by children, Bugsy Malone sees gangsters Fat Sam and Dandy Dan at war, with each side peppering the other with cream from their splurge guns. In the middle of this is Bugsy, whose also got girl trouble in the form of Blousey Brown and the slinky Tallulah.
Review: There are few films that are genuinely unique, but Bugsy Malone certainly is. A musical gangster movie, with all the parts played by children and bullets replaced by cream fired from ‘splurge’ guns, Alan Parker’s movie is so barmy it really shouldn’t work, and yet it does. It’s partly thanks to a great sense of fun and also some good songs. With this Blu-ray release, the picture is undoubtedly better than it was on DVD (partly because the DVD picture was fairly underwhelming), and especially on a large screen is a pretty decent step up in quality. However, it isn’t as pristine as many Blu-ray releases, partly because of the film’s age and partly because it could do with a little restoration.
What’s a real shame though is that there isn’t an upgrade to the audio. While the Dolby Digital 5.1 track is okay, such a full-bodied song and dance spectacular could have benefited from one of the new HD audio formats. The features are the same as on the Special Edition DVD release, and are pretty lightweight, barring the audio commentary from Alan Parker, which is very entertaining and informative (he really is worth listening to on any of his DVD commentaries). So while the Bugsy Malone might not be everything that we wanted it to be, it is worth a look for those with 42-inch plus TVs, as the picture is a definite step up, even if it’s not perfect.
PICTURE: 7
AUDIO: 5
FILM: 8
EXTRAS: 4
DVD Info:
Certificate: U
Starring: Scott Baio, Jodie Foster, Florrie Dugger
Directed By: Alan Parker, 1976
Distributor: ITV DVD
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1
Visuals: 1.85:1 Widescreen
Running Time: 89 mins
Price: £19.99
Film supplied by: ITV DVD
Special Features:
Scene Selection
Audio Commentary With Director Alan Parker
Art Gallery
‘From Text To Screen’ Multi-angle Feature
Photo Gallery
Promo Reel
Trailer
