Customer Reviews

Laurel & Hardy - Flying Deuces/Utopia

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

Although I am a big Laurel and Hardy fan I will be totally honest about this dvd. In a way I am glad to have these two films on dvd. The quality on the two films do differ. However I feel that the version of Utopia is far superior than the version that was available on video tape. The version of The Flying Deuces is not bad, but it is out of sync. Both versions are complete american versions(the european version of Utopia is longer than the american version) but until that version is available this will sufice. Granted Utopia all around is generally a bad film, but compared to their 1940-1945 films at MGM and 20th Century Fox where they had no say or control on the films they were making, it in a way shows some of thier old style and gags from their Hal Roach films. Stan Laurel was very ill during production and it definitely shows in his appearance and he later regretted completing this film. Today I am glad, as I am sure many people are ,that he at least was able to finish the film. In closing until better versions become available this dvd even though far from perfect is still ok.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the studios really need to stop letting tiny, amateur production companies release their movies on DVD. This Laurel & Hardy DVD is a prime example of why. The most obvious and infuriating problem is that the soundtrack is not synched up to the action; it's about 2 seconds behind. Unless you enjoy "the boys" looking like a dubbed Japanese movie, this is going to drive you crazy. The picture quality is also really poor; I have a VHS copy of "Flying Deuces" that looks better than this. The trivia game was a nice idea, but poorly executed; "what color is Stan Laurel's hair?" How would I know---all their movies are in BLACK AND WHITE! Oy. I thought I was getting a nice double feature for a good price, but I ended up getting what I paid for: cheap movies. Save your money.

If you are a fan of Laurel & Hardy then give Utopia a miss. It is a crime that such a great comedy duo should have bowed out of cinema with such a calamitous come-back such as this film was. The pair looked tired and well past their use-by-date (Hardy died six years later). I found myself confronting my own mortality as I saw the two old men bumbling about the screen. I tried to laugh because it WAS Laurel & Hardy but it was an empty laugh, like I owed it to them because their former selves had given me so many laughs in earlier films. A comedy it was not, more a tragedy then anything else. Basically I will say this: if you are just a fan who likes to laugh at their antics then give Utopia a big miss, you will feel empty and disappointed that they ended up like they did - if you are a hardcore fan who wants to see/have all their films then by all means subject yourself to Utopia.

The movies are good, especially Flying Deuces, not so much Utopia but the aggravating thing is poor quality of the Madacy distributed DVD. It sucks. The audio is not in sync with the video, not even close. What a ripoff, why can't they get such a simple thing like that right? Save your money !!

This is a mixed bag from L&H. Being that it's probably in the Public Domain, "Flying Deuces" is all over the place on DVD and when I was a kid in the 70s, it showed up a lot on TV.

This was a pretty good film. The other reviewers have discussed the plot, so I won't go there. Not up to the (sadly) seldom seen "Pardon Us" or "Pack Up Your Troubles," but a good time-killer. There is an oddly moving scene where Ollie tries to talk Stan into joining him in a foiled suicide effort by saying, "What will you do? Without me, people will stare at you and wonder what you are." Stan cries without going into his usual whiny shtick. This leaves a bizzare, but touching aftertaste. Then there's the famous "Shine On Harvest Moon Sequence." This scene, like much of the movie, doesn't exactly cause you to bust a gut and slap your knees, but it does make you smile.

Utopia is another matter. This is a really strange story about L&H inheriting an island and trying to start their own society with a group of castaways. The only reason anyone needs to see it is so that they could say they saw the last L&H film. I tried to watch this one 4 times before I could get all the way through without falling asleep. Peee-ooey. What a sad way to go.

i just wanted to clear things up for some of the laurel and hardy fans out there. i bought this dvd with some doubt because i heard the sound was out of sync. this is not true and the sound and video are just fine and easily watchable. the picture quality isn't top notch by today's standards, but definitely nice, nothing you'll hate.

as for the content, the movies aren't the greatest things they've made, but its a good watch if youre looking for something to relax to at night.

note, if youre trying to decide which dvd to buy, and can't decide. DEFINITELY pick up the dvd that has "busy bodies" on it. i recently bought that one as well, and i must say thats my favorite film with those two. the dvd also has 4 other episodes on it.

i have been a fan of laurel and hardy for well over 50 years...it was and is sad to see the most beloved comics go out the way they did in their last movie...stan looked really bad since he was just recovering from illness...but nevertheless...i think all true laurel and hardy fans should own this dvd as a tribute to two of the greatest comdians that ever lived...thank youpatrick

The dvd is fairly good. The picture still looks like a film but the sound for the Flying Dueces is fantastic. But, the sound for Utopia is bad. I have surround sound and it is really to loud, I can't seem to adjust it to a good point. The trivia games are fun and there are two short biographies that go along with each film. It is pretty good and isn't that expensive.

The 1939 Laurel and Hardy classic, FLYING DEUCES, has got to be one of the comedy duo's funnier films. Stan and Ollie join the Foreign Legion in hopes that Ollie forgets a woman he had fallen madly in love with, Georgette (Jean Parker). It contains an utmost amount of entertainment from the romantic angst that Oliver experiences to the climactic chase and airplane scenes. But three of the touching and humorous scenes in the film are the slapstick and musical vignettes. First, the laundry scene definitely shows the duo in true form. Second, Stan Laurel, always the playful, innocent, but somewhat bumbling fool out of the two, uses a bare mattress as a harp and plays "Beautiful Dreamer" while the two are locked-up in a jail cell. Third, while Stan and Ollie are being chased by a band of Foreign Legion soldiers, they stop and sing and do a little dance-shuffle to the tune of "Shine on Harvest Moon." Indeed, this is classic Laurel and Hardy at their best.

The 1950 film, UTOPIA (Atoll K), which was directed by Leo Joannon, their last effort, is funny in its own way. No doubt there are signs that the film shows that it was an end of an era in slapstick comedy, but the Laurel and Hardy legacy paved the way for a limitless parade of comedy acts that would follow in their footsteps, such as Martin and Lewis who would grace the silver screen as well as television. As one watches the film, it has a sitcom-like feel to it, and one wonders why the movie was not simply made for television. Nonetheless, the plot of the film involves Ollie inheriting an island in the South Seas, but the catch is that he and Stan are the captains and sailors of their own sailing vessel. Upon leaving the port they need an engineer to man the ship, and they hire a drifter, Antoine (Max Alloy) who is more of a cook rather than an engineer. In addition, while en route to their island, they find a stowaway hiding in the ship's sails, Giovonni (Adriano Rimoldi), who happens to snatch Stan and Ollie's dinners. When they arrive to their destination all chaos breaks out when they discover that the island has uranium, and yet again, Stan and Ollie get into another fine mess.

In spite of the pitfalls and the stories behind the making of UTOPIA and the exceptional FLYING DEUCES, the duo do indeed keep up and live up to their name as the most legendary comedy duos in American film history. The films are little under 90 minutes each, and are great to watch back to back as a little matinee show.

After being re-packaged to death on the video market, the films "Flying Deuces" (1939) and "Utopia" (1950) are presented once again by Madacy Records. Here, Madacy does a competent--if unremarkable job--of presenting the films. The bare-boned caricatures of Laurel & Hardy on the DVD menu are cute, but they could've at least added some production notes on the making of the 2 films.
First up: "Flying Deuces", a movie the boys made away from Hal Roach for RKO Radio. A near-classic, the film is very hit-and-miss in story & execution. Ollie, jilted by his objection of affection & deeply heartbroken, decides to commit suicide by throwing himself into a watery grave. Enlisting the help of his pal Stan (this is help??), they are spared at the last minute by a Foreign Legion officer who suggests that they "forget their troubles" by joining. The boys mindlessly take him up on his offer. Once there, the boys get their eyes opened--it's certainly not a life of fun & relaxation they imagined, and of course, their bumbling immediately raises the ire of the commanding officer. Highlights include: Laurel playing a prison bed spring as a harp; a frenzied jail break (with a Keystone Kop-like look to it); the boys punished by doing a mountain of laundry (and accidentally burning the clothes); and the climactic getaway in the form of a wild plane ride. The film closes with one of the strangest L&H gags: Laurel survives the plane crash, but Hardy returns re-incarnated as a horse! James Finlayson, that mustachioed master of the double-take & slow burn ("doh!") from L&H films past, is borrowed for RKO. His presence is very welcome to the film, but he's done better work in other L&H movies.
"Utopia" is the infamous L&H film that everyone would love to forget. The production of the movie was a nightmare for its 2 stars. The European crew was multi-lingual, resulting in countless communication problems. Worse yet, was the appalling physical appearance of Stan & Ollie: Ollie had dangerously ballooned to almost twice his weight, while Stan had lost a great deal of it, looking haggard & far older than the years before his death. They had become mockish fun-house mirror reflections of themselves.
The story centers solely on the boys as they come into an inheritance. But taxation laws whittle their inheritance down to a small island, which they plan to live out their remaining years in joyous relaxation. Naturally, enroute, things go wrong: the boat's engine conks out, they discover they have stowaways, and a huge storm blows them off course to a newly-formed island. With their new friends, they almost immediately set up a small, independent republic. But strangers discover uranium deposits on the new "Atoll K", and soon, the island is over-run by people from all corners of the globe. The boys escape a mutiny by hanging just in time as another storm sinks the Atoll back to its watery depths.
As much a mess as this production was, it really doesn't deserve the oblivion it was hurled into. Compared to the 1940's features they did, this film was a worthier effort to do something different, especially in its political overtones. Like the best L&H features, there are no banal romantic subplots or musical numbers getting in the way (with the exception of the plot taking time to introduce each supporting character). The gags are often bizarre & offbeat, seemingly more akin to Buster Keaton's work. Highlights include: Stan & Ollie's bumbling attempts to set sail (and later, fix the engine); a funny breakfast bit as a stowaway keeps stealing Stan's food; Stan chasing a bat out the porthole--only to have several of the bat's friends enter; Stan burbing his pet lobster; and a charming dialogue exchange as Ollie chooses his cabinet post members, but leaves out Stan:
Stan (whimpering): But what about me, Ollie?
Ollie: Why Stan, you're THE PEOPLE!
In spite of fans & critics cringing at this film, the boys handled themselves quite well here in both comedy & character, and proved that though they were both quite ill, they could still shine.
This double feature, in my opinion, is a mixed bag, but worth looking at.