Amazon.com

It's easy to get hooked by Claudine, a lean, funny, Nixon-era movie about a romance nearly undone by a patronizing welfare system. Diahann Carroll stars as Claudine, single mother of six children in Harlem and a maid working for under-the-table wages. Forever worried that her white caseworker will discover her meager, outside income (thus eliminating meager government benefits), Claudine further complicates her domestic situation by falling in love with Roop (James Earl Jones). An affable Romeo and absent but financially supportive father of several kids, Roop by his presence jeopardizes Claudine's official status as a mom without means. The couple's decision to go forward results in welfare backlash, personal humiliation, family strain, and corrosive behavior. A sharp script layers the personal story within a socially conscious treatment, while Jones and Carroll's special chemistry turns the characters into fully rounded people. John Berry (From This Day Forward), an interesting if forgotten director, brings a clipped vitality to this urban affair. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (17)

The Best
I Love this movie.. And I am so glad that it's coming out on video. You have this woman with a lot of kids(Diahann Carroll), who is on welfare and works on the side to make ends meet. She meets this garbageman(James Earl Jones) who likes her despite the kids, dates her, and despite his own problems, want to marry her. In time,he gets cold feet and runs off for a minute thinking on the committment he's about to take on, but in the end, love rules the day. This movie,which the late Diana Sands got a hold of initially, was about to star in but got sick and later died, is so realistic. You have this woman who is on welfare, but works. You have this man who loves this woman, but he got kids from another relationship, and he got to pay for that too, then marry a woman with five kids?... That's enough to make anyone take a pause for the cause. Not to say it isn't a good idea. I have seen men do it and keep on going. But, it will make you think. A great movie by an unlikely actress. Diahann usually plays classier roles, yet she was good in this one so much so that she was nominated for an Oscar for that role.

A very special film for all time
Well, I admit I'm biased (because my parents wrote and co-produced CLAUDINE), but after seeing the film again as an adult (I was 19 when it came out), I am amazed by the splendid acting and, yes, my parents' remarkable script. This film definitely improved with age, and I'm extremely happy that my late parents' finest work is finally available for the home video/DVD market. It was a total blast working on the DVD commentary track; to find out that the movie meant so much to Diahann Carroll, James Earl Jones, Lawrence Hilton Jacobs, and George Tillman Jr. was extremely gratifying. Thanks to all the CLAUDINE fans that clamored for the movie and helped bring it home.

I Looked For This Movie For Years
I remember when CLAUDINE first came out. I was a pre-teen growing up on the South Side of Chicago. I think it was my babysitter who took my sister and I to see the movie. We LOVED it. We wanted to see it over and over, but of course we couldn't; we were children. Who was going to keep taking us to the movies?
When the movie finally got to TV, I had to see it, but it wasn't the same. My sister and I, who almost knew the movie word for word, would ask, "Where's the part where..." It was so edited. Still, when able to do so, I did copy the TV version. Any version was better than no version.
I was so happy when videos came out. I said to myself, "I can finally see the UNCUT version of CLAUDINE.
When my aunt got her first recorder, a Betamax, we would go to the videostore, I think it was called Errols, and check out the maximum number of videos you could. From those early times I searched and searched and asked and asked for CLAUDINE. I looked through that huge video directory that would be in the store, but it was NOT listed and most of the people I asked didn't know what I was talking about. I could not understand why it couldn't be found. I wanted to write in to that question section in the front of the Parade magazine to ask why CLAUDINE wasn't in video format, but I never did.
Imagine my surprise and delight when I walked into Blockbuster yesterday around midnight, and there was CLAUDINE. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I checked it out, and when I got home, though it was after midnight, I not only watched it once, I watched it a second time with the commentary from some of the actors. I am now older than "Claudine" was in the movie, but I STILL absolutely LOVE it and I LOVE the soundtrack!
James Earl Jones and Diahann Carroll have the best chemistry in this movie.
Of course I'm going to buy it, not just for myself, but for my sister and one of my aunts, too.
I highly recommend this movie. It is HEART-WARMING and just WONDERFUL.

Long Overdue
I worked for Blockbuster Video for nearly 10 years, and Claudine was one of the most requested videos ever. Unfortunely it was never released on Video or DVD until now. So unless you got to catch it on Cable in the wee hours of the morning you might not have seen it.It is one of my all time favorite movies. I have already purchased four copies for friends and family. If you have not seen this movie yet take it from me it's the best!!

A REAL TEAR JERKER!!!
THIS IS AN AWESOME MOVIE ABOUT A WOMAN ON WELFARE HAVING A HARD TIME RAISING SIX KIDS I LOVE THIS MOVIE I CRY EVERYTIME I SEE THIS MOVIE AND I LOVE IT I CAN WATCH IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT I LOVE THIS MOVIE.... I USED TO WATCH IT EVERYTIME THAT IT CAME ON TV WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL BUT NOW I AM DEFINITELY SURPRISED TO SEE THAT JAMES EARL JONES AND DIHANN CARROLL HAD ACCEPTED AND AGREED TO PLAY THESE ROLES BUT I HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT FOR THE BOTH OF THESE VETERAN ACTORS THEY HAVE ALWAYS CARRIED THEMSELVES IN A VERY GOOD WAYS AND I HAVE ADMIRED ALL OF THEIR WORK BUT THIS IS A MUST MOVIE TO HAVE AND OWN ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIKE DIHANN CARROL AND JAMES EARL JONES BUT THIS MOVIE IS VERY EASY TO RELATE TO AND THE SOUNDTRACK IS ALSO CURTIS MAYFIELD ARRANGED, PRODUCED , AND COMPOSED THIS SOUNDTRACK CURTIS IS THE BABYFACE OF THE 70'S HE WAS AN AWESOME PERFORMER AND PRODUCER HE AND GLADY'S HAD DID AN EXCELLENT JOB ON THE SOUNDTRACK TO BE INVISIBLE, ON AN ON, MAKE YOURS A HAPPY HOME, ANY MANY GREAT OTHERS BUT I RECOMMEND THE VIDEO AND THE SOUNDTRACK YOU WILL BE HAPPY WITH BOTH!!!! ... Read more

Description

Caught in a clash of cultures and ready to wreak more havoc on Japan than Godzilla, the Bad News Bears are back for their third outing, following the enormously successful The Bad New Bears and The Bad News Bears In Breaking Training. This time the Bears have been spirited off to Tokyo by Tony Curtis as Marvin Lazar, a slick and sleazy con artist who sees in the team a perfect peg for a get-rich-quick scheme. The strikeout-prone Bears are pitted against a murderously skillful Japanese junior baseball team, and the resulting comic chaos is hilarious. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Well - it is the third
This movie rounds out the three Bears movies and helped pave the way to the short lived tv series of the same name. While there is very little baseball in this film (the filmmakers get to caught up with the idea of being in Japan and forget who the film is about) and Tony Curtis is not Walter Matthau (but who is?) the film still has its moments and isn't without the smallest of pleasures. A perfect film for kids around 7 years old who like baseball. All others need not bother.

...
...All the Bad News Bears movies are good. I have all 3 on DVD at home and I watch them all the time and never get sick of it. This third one is good also. It does show the team from the first two of the Bad News Bears through the whole movie. They don't play till the end though. I think my favorite one is the second one where they play at the Astrodome that's my favorite one. It's still a classic and fun to watch.

Cheap Seats with even cheaper CRAP!!
Oh CRUD! Is this a baseball movie or a Japan documentary? If this was supposed to be a baseball movie of little league kids, they should have put a little more baseball in it. I like the humor however. But without Tanner and Lupus, the humor is dry. It's just plain garbage! I wish that they would get the TV series out on video too!! It beats the crud out of this one!!

What's wrong with it!
I think that ALL of the bad news bears including the TV series were exceptionally done! They are MUCH MUCH better than the baseball comidies of today! And I wish they would bring the bears back to the BIG SCREEN!

This Is Why Over-The-Hill Players Play in Japan...
"The Bad News Bears Go to Japan." After all, where else could they go after playing in the Astrodome? Unfortunately, a movie series that started with a movie that really didn't need a sequel, much less two, ends down by a run, two men on and a two-out pop-up in the bottom of the 9th. Or 10th... or 15th... Another one of these movies and we're gonna have to get the commissioner's office involved.

Tony Curtis strains mightily to get laughs out of some paper-thin material, and Jackie Earle Haley is way too old to be playing in this league. The film involves his character in a cross-cultural romance, and pits the Bears against the Japanese national team, but the novelty has worn off.

You're just going to be left wondering, "Why did they bother to make this movie? Free trip to Japan?" If you're interested in how our national pasttime is played in the OTHER country where it's the national pasttime, check out the passable "Mr. Baseball" instead. At least Tom Selleck has some believable moves. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Written at a time when protest against apartheid in South Africa wasroutinely crushed, this play by the great Athol Fugard brings the sensibility of Beckett's Waiting for Godot to the horrors of life as a nonperson in aracially exclusive state. Two ragged wanderers--the bearish Boesman (DannyGlover) and the wilier Lena (Angela Bassett)--meet on a riverbank, where theytry to scavenge food and firewood in order to survive the night. As they talk,their bitterness about the ways their lives have gone begins to come out, aswell as the tragedies they've suffered at the hands of a racist government.Gradually, you realize that they've been husband and wife in a relationship thathas been plundered by the poisonous influence of apartheid, reducing them to alevel in which they have to remind themselves of their own humanity and theirability to make human connections. Director John Berry has opened it upsomewhat, including flashbacks of the violence that has sundered their lives.It's grim, tough stuff, marked by extraordinary performances by Glover andBassett. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Boring Movies the New Standard?
"Boesman & Lena" was a disappointment to me after reading the reviews. I find it very difficult to sit for 1 1/2 hours watching people on a beach yelling, screaming and arguing with each other the whole time, no matter what the subject matter. There was only one other person in the movie and he did not speak English, yet Lena yelled at him when they couldn't even understand each other. There were no houses, no explanation of why they wound up where they were or what happened to their baby (Maybe I missed all of this). Another movie almost exactly like this is "Daughters of the Dust" except it had more people in it. Again, it showed no homes or interaction with society in general and consisted of people arguing on a beach for the entire movie. Unknown to me at first, I realized that both of these borefests were products of Kino Video. I will have to be more careful when buying DVDs in the future as I consider the purchase of these 2 movies a waste of my money. There are some very good black-themed movies which I hope will appear on DVD but these are 2 that I would not recommend to anyone.

Excellent Performances
Director John Berry (CLAUDINE), in his last film, has crafted a visual adaptation of the Athol Fugard play. Angela Bassett (who received an NAACP Image Award nomination) and Danny Glover do some of their best work to date in this film. They have great chemistry together and despite being both American-born actors, are totally believable in their respective roles.

The film was released theatrically with barely a whisper, but fortunately, audiences have the opportunity to see this well-acted film at home. You definitely want to get the wide screen version to get the full impact of the visuals. This is the second film adaption of the play. The first one was made in the 1970s and featured Fugard in the role of Boesman. Of the two, the latest version is the strongest. If you love dramas with dynamic performances, definitely give this one a look.

Long night's journey into twilight.
The only reason I didn't give Boseman & Lena five stars is that it isn't always easy to watch. It is, however, a superlative view into the effects of racism and Apartheid on Boseman & Lena, and Lena's internal struggle to understand the aftermath of its senseless brutality on their lives. Angela Bassett and Danny Glover do their best acting to date, in a performance that is not likely to become a best seller due to the subject matter. All in all, a powerful movie rendition of South African playwright Athol Fugard's transformational play. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A sad ending
This very last movie Laurel & Hardy made was a disaster. They expected to film for about a month but it took a year to complete. Stan fell ill and had to undergo surgery. After having been released from hospital he should have taken a rest but being a professional he felt obligated to make the movie.
He was in a lot of pain and it certainly shows in this film. Stan also lost a lot of weight and both looked old and tired, which was partially due to the fact that the director had them waiting for days before calling them for some scenes.
Don't ever start a collection with this one. It might put you off for the rest of your life!

A Sad Farewell
I have mixed emotions about this one. Laurel and Hardy fans SHOULD see this one, because it is the last film the boys did.
But be prepared, Stan was in poor health at the time. He was a diabetic and suffered terribly during the heat. He was only 60, but looked like death warmed over. The film is NOT typical L&H comedy, but a poor attmept at political satire. Sorry folks, that just WASN'T the boys style. With poorly dubbed dialog for the non-English speaking performers, it's a little irritating at first. There is still some magic left, like Stan "burping" his pet lobster, when he and Ollie take the boat engine apart, only to have the pieces fall overboard and where Stan pours oil over troubled water. I just wish the film had been made when the boys were in better health and could have had more controll. In his final years,even Stan called this film an "abortion" True fans of L&H should remember them in their prime, like "The Music Box"
and "Way Out West"

A sad farewell to the screen's greatest comic team
"Utopia" was originally released in 1952 as "Atoll K" and later as "Robinson Crusoeland," and finds an aging Laurel & Hardy have inherited a yacht and an island. The boys set off to see along with a refugee as their cook and a stowaway. The yacht sinks in a storm, but a newly created atoll (hence the original title) emerges from the sea to give them a place to live. They are then joined on their new little paradise by Suzy Delair, who is running away from a jealous fiancee. Together they all create their own private little utopia, where everything is just perfect until uranium is discovered and all of the nations of the world begin to battle over ownership of the atoll. Just as the boys are about to be lynched, the atoll sinks back beneath the seas. Whatever its title, this final film from Laurel & Hardy certainly provides mixed feelings. The political satire angle is ambitious, but scarcely appropriate for comedians who rely so much on visual humor (compare with the Marx Brother's classic "Duck Soup"), although the sequence where Hardy distributes key political posts to everyone but Laurel (he gets to be "The People") is good. But most of the sight gags are not typical Laurel & Hardy routines and several people have claimed the best gags were cut from the film. There is also the shock of the appearance of Stan Laurel, who had been ill before the production and looks like he is at death's door. "Utopia" is a sad farewell to the screen's greatest comic team.

an exellent movie
THIS FRENCH MOVIE -YES THE PRODUCERS ARE FRENCH- PUT OLLIE AND STAND IN AN ISLAND. THIS MOVIE IS ONE THE LAST MOVIES THEY FILMED ... Read more

Reviews (12)

half good/half bad
Flying Deuces is perhaps the best Laurel & hardy film ever. I loved it, however it is offset by possibly the worst Laurel & Hardy film ever in "Utopia", Stan Laurel looked very thin and unhealthy and old and Hardy was the biggest he had ever been in the films...although there were humorous parts to it overall it was a pretty big stinker...but "Flying Deuces" is worth the purchase by itself.

From the French Foreign Legion to Utopia w/Laurel & Hardy
This DVD combines an above-average Laurel & Hardy effort wit the last feature film produced by the screen's greatest comedy team. "The Flying Deuces" gets its name from the final sequence where Laurel & Hardy escape from a firing squad in an airplane. The boys get in this predicament because Ollie is jilted by his girl friend (Jean Parker) and wants to commit suicide. Despite Stan's more than willing help the attempt fails and the boys end up joining the French Foreign Legion instead. Needless to say, Stan and Ollie are not very good soldiers, hence the appointment with the firing squad. The comedy routines in the film are okay, but there is nothing special. The best moments are the more musical ones, especially a nice soft-shoe routine and Stan playing a prison bedspring like a harp. Not a classic, but certainly a worthwhile effort from the boys. This 1939 seven-reeler was directed by Edward Sutehrland for RKO and co-stars Charles Middleton, James Finlayson, Reginald Gardiner, Jean Del Val and Clem Wilenchick. Note: One of the writers receiving screenplay credit for "The Flying Deuces" was Harry Langdon, the great silent comic who was just a notch below the celebrated triumvirate of Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd.

"Utopia" was originally released in 1952 as "Atoll K" and later as "Robinson Crusoeland," and finds an aging Laurel & Hardy have inherited a yacht and an island. The boys set off to see along with a refugee as their cook and a stowaway. The yacht sinks in a storm, but a newly created atoll (hence the original title) emerges from the sea to give them a place to live. They are then joined on their new little paradise by Suzy Delair, who is running away from a jealous fiancee. Together they all create their own private little utopia, where everything is just perfect until uranium is discovered and all of the nations of the world begin to battle over ownership of the atoll. Just as the boys are about to be lynched, the atoll sinks back beneath the seas. Whatever its title, this final film from Laurel & Hardy certainly provides mixed feelings. The political satire angle is ambitious, but scarcely appropriate for comedians who rely so much on visual humor (compare with the Marx Brother's classic "Duck Soup"), although the sequence where Hardy distributes key political posts to every but Laurel (he gets to be "The People") is good. But most of the sight gags are not typical Laurel & Hardy routines and several people have claimed the best gags were cut from the film. There is also the shock of the appearance of Stan Laurel, who had been ill before the production and looks like he is at death's door. "Utopia" is a sad farewell to the screen's greatest comic team.

Audio not in sync
The movies are good, especially Flying Deuces, not so much Utopia but the aggravating thing is poor quality of the Madacy distributed DVD. It sucks. The audio is not in sync with the video, not even close. What a ripoff, why can't they get such a simple thing like that right? Save your money !!

Mixed Bag
This is a mixed bag from L&H. Being that it's probably in the Public Domain, "Flying Deuces" is all over the place on DVD and when I was a kid in the 70s, it showed up a lot on TV.

This was a pretty good film. The other reviewers have discussed the plot, so I won't go there. Not up to the (sadly) seldom seen "Pardon Us" or "Pack Up Your Troubles," but a good time-killer. There is an oddly moving scene where Ollie tries to talk Stan into joining him in a foiled suicide effort by saying, "What will you do? Without me, people will stare at you and wonder what you are." Stan cries without going into his usual whiny shtick. This leaves a bizzare, but touching aftertaste. Then there's the famous "Shine On Harvest Moon Sequence." This scene, like much of the movie, doesn't exactly cause you to bust a gut and slap your knees, but it does make you smile.

Utopia is another matter. This is a really strange story about L&H inheriting an island and trying to start their own society with a group of castaways. The only reason anyone needs to see it is so that they could say they saw the last L&H film. I tried to watch this one 4 times before I could get all the way through without falling asleep. Peee-ooey. What a sad way to go.

just to clear things up
i just wanted to clear things up for some of the laurel and hardy fans out there. i bought this dvd with some doubt because i heard the sound was out of sync. this is not true and the sound and video are just fine and easily watchable. the picture quality isn't top notch by today's standards, but definitely nice, nothing you'll hate.

as for the content, the movies aren't the greatest things they've made, but its a good watch if youre looking for something to relax to at night.

note, if youre trying to decide which dvd to buy, and can't decide. DEFINITELY pick up the dvd that has "busy bodies" on it. i recently bought that one as well, and i must say thats my favorite film with those two. the dvd also has 4 other episodes on it. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A sad ending
This very last movie Laurel & Hardy made was a disaster. They expected to film for about a month but it took a year to complete. Stan fell ill and had to undergo surgery. After having been released from hospital he should have taken a rest but being a professional he felt obligated to make the movie.
He was in a lot of pain and it certainly shows in this film. Stan also lost a lot of weight and both looked old and tired, which was partially due to the fact that the director had them waiting for days before calling them for some scenes.
Don't ever start a collection with this one. It might put you off for the rest of your life!

A Sad Farewell
I have mixed emotions about this one. Laurel and Hardy fans SHOULD see this one, because it is the last film the boys did.
But be prepared, Stan was in poor health at the time. He was a diabetic and suffered terribly during the heat. He was only 60, but looked like death warmed over. The film is NOT typical L&H comedy, but a poor attmept at political satire. Sorry folks, that just WASN'T the boys style. With poorly dubbed dialog for the non-English speaking performers, it's a little irritating at first. There is still some magic left, like Stan "burping" his pet lobster, when he and Ollie take the boat engine apart, only to have the pieces fall overboard and where Stan pours oil over troubled water. I just wish the film had been made when the boys were in better health and could have had more controll. In his final years,even Stan called this film an "abortion" True fans of L&H should remember them in their prime, like "The Music Box"
and "Way Out West"

A sad farewell to the screen's greatest comic team
"Utopia" was originally released in 1952 as "Atoll K" and later as "Robinson Crusoeland," and finds an aging Laurel & Hardy have inherited a yacht and an island. The boys set off to see along with a refugee as their cook and a stowaway. The yacht sinks in a storm, but a newly created atoll (hence the original title) emerges from the sea to give them a place to live. They are then joined on their new little paradise by Suzy Delair, who is running away from a jealous fiancee. Together they all create their own private little utopia, where everything is just perfect until uranium is discovered and all of the nations of the world begin to battle over ownership of the atoll. Just as the boys are about to be lynched, the atoll sinks back beneath the seas. Whatever its title, this final film from Laurel & Hardy certainly provides mixed feelings. The political satire angle is ambitious, but scarcely appropriate for comedians who rely so much on visual humor (compare with the Marx Brother's classic "Duck Soup"), although the sequence where Hardy distributes key political posts to everyone but Laurel (he gets to be "The People") is good. But most of the sight gags are not typical Laurel & Hardy routines and several people have claimed the best gags were cut from the film. There is also the shock of the appearance of Stan Laurel, who had been ill before the production and looks like he is at death's door. "Utopia" is a sad farewell to the screen's greatest comic team.

an exellent movie
THIS FRENCH MOVIE -YES THE PRODUCERS ARE FRENCH- PUT OLLIE AND STAND IN AN ISLAND. THIS MOVIE IS ONE THE LAST MOVIES THEY FILMED ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A sad ending
This very last movie Laurel & Hardy made was a disaster. They expected to film for about a month but it took a year to complete. Stan fell ill and had to undergo surgery. After having been released from hospital he should have taken a rest but being a professional he felt obligated to make the movie.
He was in a lot of pain and it certainly shows in this film. Stan also lost a lot of weight and both looked old and tired, which was partially due to the fact that the director had them waiting for days before calling them for some scenes.
Don't ever start a collection with this one. It might put you off for the rest of your life!

A Sad Farewell
I have mixed emotions about this one. Laurel and Hardy fans SHOULD see this one, because it is the last film the boys did.
But be prepared, Stan was in poor health at the time. He was a diabetic and suffered terribly during the heat. He was only 60, but looked like death warmed over. The film is NOT typical L&H comedy, but a poor attmept at political satire. Sorry folks, that just WASN'T the boys style. With poorly dubbed dialog for the non-English speaking performers, it's a little irritating at first. There is still some magic left, like Stan "burping" his pet lobster, when he and Ollie take the boat engine apart, only to have the pieces fall overboard and where Stan pours oil over troubled water. I just wish the film had been made when the boys were in better health and could have had more controll. In his final years,even Stan called this film an "abortion" True fans of L&H should remember them in their prime, like "The Music Box"
and "Way Out West"

A sad farewell to the screen's greatest comic team
"Utopia" was originally released in 1952 as "Atoll K" and later as "Robinson Crusoeland," and finds an aging Laurel & Hardy have inherited a yacht and an island. The boys set off to see along with a refugee as their cook and a stowaway. The yacht sinks in a storm, but a newly created atoll (hence the original title) emerges from the sea to give them a place to live. They are then joined on their new little paradise by Suzy Delair, who is running away from a jealous fiancee. Together they all create their own private little utopia, where everything is just perfect until uranium is discovered and all of the nations of the world begin to battle over ownership of the atoll. Just as the boys are about to be lynched, the atoll sinks back beneath the seas. Whatever its title, this final film from Laurel & Hardy certainly provides mixed feelings. The political satire angle is ambitious, but scarcely appropriate for comedians who rely so much on visual humor (compare with the Marx Brother's classic "Duck Soup"), although the sequence where Hardy distributes key political posts to everyone but Laurel (he gets to be "The People") is good. But most of the sight gags are not typical Laurel & Hardy routines and several people have claimed the best gags were cut from the film. There is also the shock of the appearance of Stan Laurel, who had been ill before the production and looks like he is at death's door. "Utopia" is a sad farewell to the screen's greatest comic team.

an exellent movie
THIS FRENCH MOVIE -YES THE PRODUCERS ARE FRENCH- PUT OLLIE AND STAND IN AN ISLAND. THIS MOVIE IS ONE THE LAST MOVIES THEY FILMED ... Read more

Reviews (12)

half good/half bad
Flying Deuces is perhaps the best Laurel & hardy film ever. I loved it, however it is offset by possibly the worst Laurel & Hardy film ever in "Utopia", Stan Laurel looked very thin and unhealthy and old and Hardy was the biggest he had ever been in the films...although there were humorous parts to it overall it was a pretty big stinker...but "Flying Deuces" is worth the purchase by itself.

From the French Foreign Legion to Utopia w/Laurel & Hardy
This DVD combines an above-average Laurel & Hardy effort wit the last feature film produced by the screen's greatest comedy team. "The Flying Deuces" gets its name from the final sequence where Laurel & Hardy escape from a firing squad in an airplane. The boys get in this predicament because Ollie is jilted by his girl friend (Jean Parker) and wants to commit suicide. Despite Stan's more than willing help the attempt fails and the boys end up joining the French Foreign Legion instead. Needless to say, Stan and Ollie are not very good soldiers, hence the appointment with the firing squad. The comedy routines in the film are okay, but there is nothing special. The best moments are the more musical ones, especially a nice soft-shoe routine and Stan playing a prison bedspring like a harp. Not a classic, but certainly a worthwhile effort from the boys. This 1939 seven-reeler was directed by Edward Sutehrland for RKO and co-stars Charles Middleton, James Finlayson, Reginald Gardiner, Jean Del Val and Clem Wilenchick. Note: One of the writers receiving screenplay credit for "The Flying Deuces" was Harry Langdon, the great silent comic who was just a notch below the celebrated triumvirate of Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd.

"Utopia" was originally released in 1952 as "Atoll K" and later as "Robinson Crusoeland," and finds an aging Laurel & Hardy have inherited a yacht and an island. The boys set off to see along with a refugee as their cook and a stowaway. The yacht sinks in a storm, but a newly created atoll (hence the original title) emerges from the sea to give them a place to live. They are then joined on their new little paradise by Suzy Delair, who is running away from a jealous fiancee. Together they all create their own private little utopia, where everything is just perfect until uranium is discovered and all of the nations of the world begin to battle over ownership of the atoll. Just as the boys are about to be lynched, the atoll sinks back beneath the seas. Whatever its title, this final film from Laurel & Hardy certainly provides mixed feelings. The political satire angle is ambitious, but scarcely appropriate for comedians who rely so much on visual humor (compare with the Marx Brother's classic "Duck Soup"), although the sequence where Hardy distributes key political posts to every but Laurel (he gets to be "The People") is good. But most of the sight gags are not typical Laurel & Hardy routines and several people have claimed the best gags were cut from the film. There is also the shock of the appearance of Stan Laurel, who had been ill before the production and looks like he is at death's door. "Utopia" is a sad farewell to the screen's greatest comic team.

Audio not in sync
The movies are good, especially Flying Deuces, not so much Utopia but the aggravating thing is poor quality of the Madacy distributed DVD. It sucks. The audio is not in sync with the video, not even close. What a ripoff, why can't they get such a simple thing like that right? Save your money !!

Mixed Bag
This is a mixed bag from L&H. Being that it's probably in the Public Domain, "Flying Deuces" is all over the place on DVD and when I was a kid in the 70s, it showed up a lot on TV.

This was a pretty good film. The other reviewers have discussed the plot, so I won't go there. Not up to the (sadly) seldom seen "Pardon Us" or "Pack Up Your Troubles," but a good time-killer. There is an oddly moving scene where Ollie tries to talk Stan into joining him in a foiled suicide effort by saying, "What will you do? Without me, people will stare at you and wonder what you are." Stan cries without going into his usual whiny shtick. This leaves a bizzare, but touching aftertaste. Then there's the famous "Shine On Harvest Moon Sequence." This scene, like much of the movie, doesn't exactly cause you to bust a gut and slap your knees, but it does make you smile.

Utopia is another matter. This is a really strange story about L&H inheriting an island and trying to start their own society with a group of castaways. The only reason anyone needs to see it is so that they could say they saw the last L&H film. I tried to watch this one 4 times before I could get all the way through without falling asleep. Peee-ooey. What a sad way to go.

just to clear things up
i just wanted to clear things up for some of the laurel and hardy fans out there. i bought this dvd with some doubt because i heard the sound was out of sync. this is not true and the sound and video are just fine and easily watchable. the picture quality isn't top notch by today's standards, but definitely nice, nothing you'll hate.

as for the content, the movies aren't the greatest things they've made, but its a good watch if youre looking for something to relax to at night.

note, if youre trying to decide which dvd to buy, and can't decide. DEFINITELY pick up the dvd that has "busy bodies" on it. i recently bought that one as well, and i must say thats my favorite film with those two. the dvd also has 4 other episodes on it. ... Read more