Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Bugsy Malone Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 16, 2008

Bugsy Malone (1976), British director Alan Parker’s extravagant foray into the world of old fashioned crime, is the type of film critics love to argue about. It is bold, imaginative, and edgy, yet it boasts a cast unlike any other gangster film you have ever seen. What’s the big deal you ask? The cast is comprised entirely of children. Some as young as thirteen.

New York, 1929: Da Boss (John Cassisi) has gathered a new posse with one goal in mind – to protect his turf and teach those with crazy ideas in their heads who’s the…Boss. Bugsy Malone (Scott Baio) is the man who Da Boss will trust when it counts the most. He is sharp, smart, and talking the kind of talk Da Boss likes. The contenders however are just as good. If not better. They’ve got a brand new machine gun which Da Boss and his men are visibly concerned with. Can Bugsy Malone deal with the other guys?

The right man for the right job

I am unsure exactly how Alan Parker got the idea about Bugsy Malone. Was it a product of his much publicized affection for classic gangster films? Was it an unrealized child-dream that inspired it? Or, was it just a crazy idea that happened to entice a crazy enough sponsor willing to spend on a project few, if any, directors would have the guts to helm? I don’t know. I could only guess.

What I do know is that Bugsy Malone is a film that will never inspire a remake. There is simply nothing here that could be done better, or in a more imaginative manner. From the opening credits to the final mass scene where marshmallows and cream are used in excessive quantities this film is beyond a shadow of a doubt as creative as anyone could have hoped it would be.

But how convincing could a gangster period story be if played by children? Aren’t grittiness and poetic realism, two of the key components successful gangster sagas rely on, mutually exclusive with children-actors? And, what about the mandatory romance? How far can a director go before he gets accused of stepping into a territory moralistic watchdogs love to guard?

It is difficult to tell. There is a certain degree of sugary naivety in Bugsy Malone that works great with a specific group of viewers. Yet, there are those who would dismiss it as unrealistic and downright poor given the inability of the actors to recreate the world of the grown-ups. After all, it is hard to imitate what you don’t know.

So, I find myself awfully undecided about Bugsy Malone. In fact, having revisited it after all these years I feel as if I have just finished a Derek Jarman film – I admire the vision but remain unconvinced by the execution. There is too much in Bugsy Malone that Alan Parker demands his viewers to take for granted. It is not an unheard approach with stylistically challenging films but it is far more brittle here given the fact that the actors are obviously asked to imitate a behavior that is notably foreign to all of them.

Technically, however, Bugsy Malone is a surprising visual treat with plenty of eye-candy. Actually, it is quite shocking to witness so much variety and detail in a film that, apparently, was made with an extremely limited budget. The club scenes in particular replicate the spirit of old-fashioned black and white classics where lovely dancers fall in love with dangerous guys under the chic retro tunes of forgotten hits. Style certainly is in abundance here.

Bugsy Malone Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 (slightly cropped from its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1) Bugsy Malone arrives on Blu-ray with a mostly clean and good looking 1080p transfer which as is the case with all ITV's previous releases has not undergone a full-blown HD restoration. Still, the image quality is far from disappointing. While not as impressive looking as ITV's Great Expectations the transfer provided for Bugsy Malone certainly outdoes the DVD releases of this film I have seen. Colors are lush and convincing, contrast is adequate, and damage is nowhere to be seen. Detail is also quite pleasing reflecting Alan Parker's vision of a stylized gangster saga where dark alleys and smoky bars serve a major role. Not surprisingly there are plenty of shots in Bugsy Malone where contrast and sharpness reflect the settings mentioned above. Furthermore, as it is the case with all previous ITV releases you won't encounter any signs of DNR manipulation here. This BD offers a very film-like look which as far as I am concerned is exactly what a cinema buff would want. Finally, I quite liked how the HD transfer remained consistently solid after being blown out through a digital projector. Once again, this is a very natural looking presentation which I certainly enjoyed a great deal.

Bugsy Malone Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Presented with a Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono and 5.1 English tracks Bugsy Malone sounds quite well. Once again, I opted for the original Mono track and suffice to say I was not disappointed. This is a clean and very well transferred mix without any disturbing issues that I could detect. The dialog was very easy to follow and the funky jazz tunes were coming off my speakers flawlessly. There are a few interesting "battle" scenes where the kids attack each other with marshmallow guns and you will surely notice a bit more movement from your speakers. Overall, however, this is a very balanced sounding disc without any issues to report. Optional English subtitles are provided.

Bugsy Malone Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unlike the rest of ITVs discs Bugsy Malone offers quite a few extras. First of all there is the excellent commentary with Alan Parker which has been ported from the existing DVD release. This is a fabulous piece where the director goes into great detail explaining how this most unusual film became a reality. Alan Parker's analysis on the gangster genre is quite entertaining given the fact that aside from the script Bugsy Malone is anything but a typical "genre" picture. I strongly recommend that you spend the needed time to listen the director's commentary. The rest of the extras are unfortunately in PAL, standard-def, and unless you have a PAL PS3 or a PAL/Region-B SA you won't be able to access these. The additional extras are: promotional trailers, photo gallery, "From Search to Screen" featurette.

Bugsy Malone Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bugsy Malone is the product of a man with an unparalleled imagination. It is bold, bizarre, yet distinctively naïve. But is this enough to have a great piece of cinema? Some will undoubtedly agree, others won't. Whether you belong to first or second group of people who have already seen this film you would be hard-pressed not to agree that Bugsy Malone is as unique of a film as they come. There is simply nothing else like it. And as far as this reviewer is concerned there probably won't be. It is hard to imagine that in this age of wrongfully understood political correctness anyone would have the courage to finance a project like this. Sad but true. What about the actual BD by ITV? The quick answer is – this is the best I have seen Bugsy Malone look. This isn't a perfect disc but it far surpasses any of the DVD versions currently on the market. So, if you have even the slightest of interest in Alan Parker's imaginative gangster saga, don't torture yourself, get a copy.