It's almost impossible for me to be objective about this film. I first saw it in 1981 as a 12 year old drummer with stars in my eyes. I immediately begged my dad to get me the soundtrack on vinyl and was off memorizing the entire album. It is, by far, one of my favorite movies of all time. The story is decent, the acting is good, and the music is absolutely in tune with the period. The depiction of the music industry with it's main players often exploiting every new trend, sound and artist until it and they are completely exhausted is spot-on. What truly makes this film is the music. Each track is a perfect reflection of Kate's (Hazel O'Connor) journey and is pretty darn catchy to boot. (You'll be humming "Big Brother" for days.) I highly recommend this film, as have others in the forum, for anyone aspiring to be a musician for a living. It is a brilliant parable of having and maintaining control of your art and destiny.
Reviews
2 Reviews
Bugsy Malone
(1976)
Cute Fun
30 September 2006
Well produced on what appears to be a medium budget, "Bugsy" is a cute romp through the NY gangster heyday. The under 16 year old cast is what truly makes this film fun to watch. This is especially true knowing that most of the kids never appeared in anything else. (Notable exceptions being a pre-Happy Days Scott Baio and, an already accomplished film and TV star, Jodie Foster...) The film has it's flaws, the most striking to me being the decision (possibly budget related) to have adults sing the musical numbers. This caused what was actually a pretty decent musical score to seem little more than catchy background music at times. Even if the cast sang off-key, it would have been a little better than hearing Paul Williams' voice coming out of a kid's mouth. (very awkward) This is to take nothing away from Mr. Williams singing or writing ability because if you were around in the 70's and were sober enough to have memories of it you will instantly recognize his unique voice and musical style. All in all, "Bugsy Malone" is a great movie to enjoy with the kids. My 9 year old is now bugging me to get the soundtrack. (Good luck finding that...)
Tell Your Friends