In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.

Wednesday, 3 October 2018

Bugsy Malone (1976)

The owner of the speakeasy that Bugsy (Scott Baio) frequents is under threat from a rival gang leader. Bugsy, in need of money, gets involved.
A childhood favourite that I still adore today, Dir. Alan Parker's first feature is a prohibition era gangster musical. If that wasn't strange enough, the entire cast is made up of children, the guns shoot splurdge (custard), and the cars are pedal-powered. The characters are mostly genre stock types played straight; i.e. they aren't written as if for kids. It lacks the emotional punch that adult actors would bring to it, but it has a charm and integrity all of its own.
The songs by Paul Williams enrich the experience and are well-placed, but it is a little odd hearing adult vocal performances coming from kids.

4 soulful soliloquies out of 5

No comments: