Customer Reviews

Bugsy Malone

5 star:		(91)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

The DVD that is being shipped is an import from Hong Kong, and was marked for all zones, so it should play anywhere. Very nice copy with a good clean picture and dolby 5.1 sound.
Titles are in english and chinese, but there are no annoying subtitles on the screen when you play it. I have been waiting for years for this to come out in DVD and I am very happy with the DVD.

First off, although this Bluray disc is region free, the bonus features are PAL and will not play in US Bluray players. The film itself does (director's commentary track too.) The picture quality is great and so is the 5.1 soundtrack. There does seem to be a little motion blur at times but the clarity and color is better than I've ever seen for this film. Bugsy Malone has always been more popular in the UK but I'm still not sure why Paramount hasn't released this on DVD in the states. At least with this release you can toss your crappy asian bootlegs. Still this is one of my childhood favorites and Jodie Foster is wonderful. So is Paul Williams great soundtrack. I still want a spurge gun!

OK, first let me say that I actually own this disk. Many of these reviews are for the movie--which I'm sure we all remember fondly from the Family Film Festival with Tom Hatten--but do not speak to the actual product being sold. (Amazon really should discourage this practice.) And I can understand why some people who have not purchased it are concerned, because the box looks all foreign and scary. I got my disk in a timely manner, and even though it is marked zone 3, it ran just fine in my bottom-of-the-line Samsung American-market DVD player. So I'm thinking it will work for you, too.
The disk itself is fairly bare-bones, without a lot of bells and whistles. There are no subtitles unless you want them (even on the credits) and the sound and picture are quite clean. If you have bought the motion picture soundtrack you will find that some of the vocals are slightly different, and I think the CD is perhaps a bit better. All in all this is a quality product that just looks weird. It's certainly worth the money, and while I can't absolutely guarantee that it will work for you, it sure did for me.

We all have our guilty pleasures..."Bugsy Malone" is three or four of mine.

Yep, it's a strange one...a gangster musical with a cast 13 and under. But the kids are having a ball, the period setting is fantastic, the songs are catchy, and some numbers...particularly the "Down and Out" bit...are riotous and exhilarating. I say, put "Bugsy Malone" back in theaters. It's miles better than most of the crappy kids fare out these days. Hey, it might give Scott Baio's career a shot in the arm as well.

Don't listen to ignoramus reviewers who apparently didn't bother to put the DVD in their player. I did. Guess what? It default played into English with no subtitles. It's even a pretty nice transfer.

I suppose if you are offended at the sight of (oh no!) Chinese characters on your DVD cases, you can pass on this item--even though English characters below clearly spell out Bugsy Malone. Or you can wait until some unknown time in the distant future when an American studio sells you their "Made in China" DVD copy that you can blissfully overlook in Wal-Mart.

When most of the communication and lead ins were in Spanish, I was a little worried that the movie would be, too. It was delivered promptly in excellent condition. It was in English and just as much fun as it was when I saw it in a movie theater 20+ years ago. The music is infectious. I'll watch it again and again and enjoy sharing it with friends.

I remember watching this as a kid of about 8 or 9 and trying to figure out what it was that ruled in it. First, I was captivated by an ALL KID CAST. Gangsters in kid powered cars (God, how I wanted one!!) and the guns threw PIES. PIES! PIES? What in the world? This was brilliant and every time I got to watch it, I did! It is not for really young kids, but when your just on the edges of puberty and you're too old for Disney fair and too young for PG-13, a movie with kids acting like adults, but still doing kid-like stuff?? What is not to love?? This is a GREAT movie and I recommend it to any kid at about the age of 9 - 12 or an adult who remembers it from the past...like me!

I MUST say buy it! and see it! I loved it how kids with so much talents acted like adults and still show us their innocence. Its theme is wonderful and just the thought of being there a Bugsy Malone as the dreamy " prince charming" I say I'll take him. This video not only makes you want to be in it but also entertains you with Amazing songs and makes you crave for that wonderful innocence and still be an adult.
I loved it!

Bugsy Malone is a one-of-a-kind movie in that it is a musical performed entirely by actors 16 or under, and most were 13 or under. Words and music are by popular composer Paul Williams, but all of the singing was dubbed by adults.

Great photography and art direction, too.

Although acted by kids, this is not a juvenile movie. It could easily be made with adults with very little changes.

The movie is framed as a late-20's gangster movie, and includes turf wars fought with cream-shooting "splurge" guns, period clothes and 1920's style cars (OK, they are pedal-powered but with regular sound), and tough talk (for kids, anyway).

Jodie Foster and Scott Baio are the biggest names, and surprisingly, for the most part the other actors did very little work after this movie.

Full of subtle and not so subtle humor, the movie should entertain nearly anyone. No doubt it was a logistical nightmare (tutors, child labor laws, etc) so one should give director Alan Parker extra credit for the concept for one of his earliest efforts.

Jodie Foster has a great line - "I like my men at my feet" - worthy of Mae West.

Bugsy Malone is a classic. Mr. Dalkin states that songwriter Paul Williams "really let the side down with unmemorable tunes." Is that so, maybe Mr. Dalkin can explain why..two decades later a major soft drink manufacturer used "You Give a Little Love" in one of their commercials for quite some time...and why it was also included in an arcade game during the same time period. Better yet, maybe Mr. Dalkin can explain why Ordinary Fool has been recorded by greats such as The Carpenters and Mel Torme just to name two. That really doesn't sound like unmemorable tunes to me. Bugsy was and still is a children's classic/hit. It's one movie that kids can watch and relate to as the entire cast is made up of kids. This movie will be popular for many years to come..for children and parents.