Atoll K; Which Version????
Cubear
I have never owned or seen a print of Atoll K. The reason that I have
never come near that particular film is because of the horrid effect
the photo in the Everson book that accompanies the description of the
film had on me when I was young. As a adolescent seeing one of my
hero's ( Stanley) look like a cousin of the elephant man really upset
me and that feeling has stuck with me and I always thought the film
would be to depressing to bare.
With the release of Vol. 2 of the Fox set and with the upcoming release
of the two late period MGM films my Laurel and Hardy DVD collection
will soon be complete and I figured I should really give in and buy and
watch a print of Atoll K.
So now the question is....which DVD version of Atoll K would you guys
recommend purchasing and for what reason.
Thanks!
ED
The True Enemy of Art Is ..." Good Taste" - Pablo Picasso
cseguin
Doof erben eine Insel". It has a beautiful print of the longer, German
language version (with scenes not in the US version) as well as a
really nice-looking version of UTOPIA. In terms of US DVDs, the best
I've seen is from Goodtimes. It's not great, but it's reasonably sharp
and has the original titles. Most copies now seem to have recently
inserted "Hal Roach Studios" titles and look like they've been duped
from the same VHS tape. They make the film feel much shabbier than it
really is.
Unfortunately there are no copies of the complete ATOLL K available
commercially. Believe me, I looked. The French version used to be
available on VHS in France, but no longer.
If you haven't seen UTOPIA, go into it with an open mind. Yes, Stan
looks deathly ill at times...but he performs with an enthusiasm you
don't see in the Fox/MGM films. They feel like the Laurel & Hardy of
old, not just old Laurel & Hardy. I like the film a lot.
Chris
Shark
Following a recommendation from THE SPACE BOSS!!!!!!!!!!!!, I picked up
the multi-disc Treeline "Family Classics" collection, which contains 50
movies including "Utopia." There are a few slight visible tape dropouts
in one or two spots as I recall, but just as THE SPACE
BOSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! said, otherwise,
this transfer is the best I have ever seen. I am guessing it must come
from a video transfer of a very low generation print, possibly from
years and years ago that someone recently found somewhere.
I have heard rumors to the effect that Legend Films is going to
re-release "Babes In Toyland" (aka "March Of The Wooden Soldiers").
They have been doing cheap DVD releases of public domain movies, with a
colorized version and a black & white version. Now, aside from the
whole colorization issue, I have found this is a great and inexpensive
way to get some really nice remastered copies of films which usually
show up in horrible condition. They have released a really nice disc of
the four public domain Three Stooges shorts, and other comedy and
horror films. Although I believe I've read that in at least a couple
cases, some of their B&W versions are the colorized versions with the
color turned off (thankfully, that appears to be in the minority and it
might only affect a couple of titles). Maybe someone else here knows
more.
By the way, the "Ship's Reporter" interview with Oliver Hardy is on the
current Goodtimes "March Of The Wooden Soldiers" DVD. In the interview
he specifically mentions that they are about to film "Atoll K," and
ironically, the interviewer makes mention of "The Flying Deuces"
(presumably, this was many years before anyone could have known that
those two would become the most widely available L&H films on video).
The quality is much better than on the new Fox collection. The disc
also has the original, complete B&W "Babes In Toyland" trailer (longer
than the version on the Passport set) and a color silent Stan Laurel
home movie from the 1960s (this is the source of the clips with the
honorary Oscar and the marionettes).
garyjoh...@hotmail.com
Cubear wrote:
>and I always thought the film
> would be to depressing to bare.
Go with your instincts.
It is too depressing to bare.
Gary J.
Matt Barry
I found a really nice copy available on a double-DVD collection of Laurel
and Hardy miscellany from a company whose name escapes me at the moment
(I'll dig this copy up later and find out the company). I would avoid any
version marketed by Madacy at all costs, though.
--
Matt Barry
Visit my pages at:
http://mbarry84.tripod.com
http://filmreel.blogspot.com
"Shark" <MarkA...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1158347576.1...@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
Eric Perlin
} If you haven't seen UTOPIA, go into it
} with an open mind. Yes, Stan looks deathly
} ill at times...
Yes, _at times_. Mainly, in the scenes on board the ship. He actually looks
pretty healthy in most of the scenes on the island.
I like this film more for its story and characters than for its gags. Genuine
laugh-inducing gags are relatively sparse in "Utopia," but the story and the
likability of the characters make it worth watching more than once.
I have yet to obtain a DVD of this film, however. The only copy I own is a
"Video Treasures" VHS I bought in the 1980's, back when that company dealt
exclusively with budget-priced public domain films. It's a good quality print
and duped at the SP mode.
thebobster
Shark wrote:
> Following a recommendation from THE SPACE BOSS!!!!!!!!!!!!, I picked up
> the multi-disc Treeline "Family Classics" collection, which contains 50
> movies including "Utopia." There are a few slight visible tape dropouts
> in one or two spots as I recall, but just as THE SPACE
> BOSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! said, otherwise,
> this transfer is the best I have ever seen. I am guessing it must come
> from a video transfer of a very low generation print, possibly from
> years and years ago that someone recently found somewhere.
>
I agree- the Treeline "Family Classics" version of UTOPIA is the best
I've seen on DVD- but it appears to have been removed from the copies
currently being sold. You might be able to track down an older copy on
E-Bay or Amazon.
If you can't locate one- the GoodTimes version is the second-best copy
I've ever seen on DVD- and you can get it, along a decent one of FLYING
DEUCES, together for around $8.
I think the James Agee box set is supposed to have UTOPIA in it from
the only known 35mm print, but I could be wrong.
Paul Holbach
> If you have a Region 2 player, definitely get the German DVD "Dick und
> Doof erben eine Insel". It has a beautiful print of the longer, German
> language version (with scenes not in the US version) as well as a
> really nice-looking version of UTOPIA.
Scott MacGillivray writes in his book "Laurel & Hardy - From the
Forties Forward":
"The best presentation of this film is the German release, 'Dick und
Doof erben eine Insel' ('Laurel & Hardy, Heirs Of The Island'), an
intelligent compromise between an overlong print and an abbreviated
one. This German-dubbed, 87-minute version maintains satisfactory
continuity but dispenses with the long-winded dialogue scenes."
#PH
Paul Holbach
> As a adolescent seeing one of my
> hero's ( Stanley) look like a cousin of the elephant man really upset
> me and that feeling has stuck with me and I always thought the film
> would be to depressing to bare.
Allow me to quote from an old posting of mine:
#
"Yes, in their last film Stan does indeed look bad.
And we all know why: he was simply ill.
And we all also know: illness (temporarily) ruins your complexion.
If Stan had actually died synchronously with the last clapboard's
sound, watching this film would really be a sad experience. But, as we
all know, Stan regained his health and lived another fourteen years --
relatively happily.
So there's no reason to "taboo" ATOLL K just because of Stan's "zombie
appearance"; for it's not their worst film.
#
#PH
Steverino
Stan and Ollie came to wish they'd never made this movie and I do too.
I never really wanted to see it. Somebody gave me a VHS copy some years
ago and I've watched it a couple times. I'm no better off for having
done so. You wouldn't be either. So my advice is, respect L&H's wishes,
and watch them in something much better. They made about a hundred
pictures together and you don't need to see this one. Ifs, ands, buts
aside, it's all in all a dog.
Steverino
mla...@yahoo.com
universe. While Stan and Ollie definitely look older, they really
don't look that bad, and the boat scenes aren't even that long. It
really turns out to be quite enjoyable if you can relax and just take
it all in.
I'd like to see a version of it with subtitles instead of any dubbing.
It would be weird, with L & H conversing with people who are answering
them in French and Italian, but I think the overall ambience of the
film would be more natural.
rpfa...@aol.com
is absolutely stunning. Curiously, this version was cut differently
than the U.S.- released UTOPIA (released theatrically in '54). So with
prints of each I was able to put together a 95 minute version of the
film. A friend of mine has a reversal print of Bill Everson's 98
minute print of ATOLL K (it was indeed released under that title in
full English language version). By the way, the longest scene missing
from the American UTOPIA prints is a nightclub rehearsal scene with
Suzy Delair that does not include The Boys.
It would be interesting to see the German language DVD - I'll have to
pick that up!
John
> I have a 16mm print of ROBINSON CRUSOELAND that was struck in 1952. It
> is absolutely stunning. Curiously, this version was cut differently
> than the U.S.- released UTOPIA (released theatrically in '54). So with
> prints of each I was able to put together a 95 minute version of the
> film. A friend of mine has a reversal print of Bill Everson's 98
> minute print of ATOLL K (it was indeed released under that title in
> full English language version). By the way, the longest scene missing
> from the American UTOPIA prints is a nightclub rehearsal scene with
> Suzy Delair that does not include The Boys.
>
Since this film apparently is in the public domain, have you considered
putting this extended version out on DVD? Or if not that, perhaps you
would consider making DVD-Rs available to fellow fans? I'd be interested
in having a copy.
John
--
Please reply in this newsgroup. I never post my true
email address to prevent spam. Thank you.
Eric Perlin
} Since this film apparently is in the public
} domain, have you considered putting this
} extended version out on DVD? Or if not that,
} perhaps you would consider making DVD-Rs
} available to fellow fans? I'd be interested
} in having a copy.
Me too!
Mister Levity
rpfa...@aol.com wrote:
>
> It would be interesting to see the German language DVD - I'll have to
> pick that up!
I highly recommnd the Tobis German DVD also. Here it is:
Hal Erickson
IIRC, Back in the 1970s, Niles Films (or maybe it was Thunderbird) briefly
offered 20 minutes of "missing" ATOLL K footage as a separate super-8
release. Did anyone buy this material at the time and splice it into their
existing UTOPIA print?
--Hal E
Cubear
Me Three
joel...@joimail.com
if you decide to make it available. Just don't change an arm and a leg,
y'hear? :-)
Joe L.
www.joelibby.net