Product: Utopia (1954)
Rating: 2.0
Ill-fated farewell
While the silent-era comedies of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are well represented on DVD, the majority of the team's sound films remain unavailable here in the U.S. The fact that UTOPIA, their final film, is readily available everywhere is a bitter pill for most of their fans to swallow.In 1950 Stan and Ollie traveled to France to make the movie, which was originally titled ATOLL K. In this uneasy blend of political satire and slapstick, the boys inherit a yacht and wind up on an uncharted atoll, which they try to establish as a new country. This ill-fated little picture saw limited release in Europe during 1951-52, and received scant distribution in the U.S. as UTOPIA in 1954.Aside from the erratic quality of the script and the production, the biggest drawback is the unhealthy physical appearance of the boys themselves. Hardy is at his all-time heaviest, while Laurel contracted dysentery during location shooting and wound up losing over 50 pounds. Here, their "fat and skinny" personas are more like "obese and emaciated." That they're still able to rustle up a handful of laughs and perform with some degree of enthusiasm speaks volumes about their dedication to their craft and their comedic gifts. To his dying day (February 23, 1965), Laurel considered the film one of the most painful experiences of his career.This Goodtimes edition is one of the better-quality copies in circulation, though it doesn't compare to the sparkling 35mm print I saw at a revival theater back in the 1970s.