Williams is the perfect embodiment of the character, from the proper bounce and swagger to the squinty eye, bulging forearms, and pipe.
In the documentary film "A Decade Under the Influence," Robert Altman remarks, "I'm not interested in stories." Presumably, he meant he is more interested in characters and their relationships than in plot or story line. This is evident in all his films, giving critics headaches, and "Popeye" is no exception.
Altman ("MASH," "Nashville," "Gosford Park") has been writing, directing, and producing movies for as long as anyone in the business, over fifty years, and of all the things he's made, none has received as poor a critical reception as his 1980 musical adaption of the cartoon series "Popeye." The film has been called jumbled and misguided, rambling, erratic, bizarre, a total mess, with weird and unlistenable songs, freakish characters, and eccentric locations. Robin Williams, in his first big-screen starring role, was even criticized for being unintelligible as Popeye.
For the record and as an admittedly lone voice in the wilderness, I'd like to advance the opposing point of view. I think the film is brilliant, the best reworking of cartoon subject matter for a live-action movie ever made, and I count in that category such things as the live-action Superman, Batman, X-Men, and Flintstone films. In fact, to make sure there's no misunderstanding here, I'm going so far as to assign the picture an 8/10 rating for its Film Value, an excellent and warmly recommended movie.
Based on the cartoon characters created by E.C. Segar and the old Max Fleischer animations, with a screenplay by Jules Feiffer and music and lyrics by Harry Nilsson, "Popeye" is a delight from beginning to end. This is not to say the movie isn't a bit different (what Altman film isn't a little unusual?), but it is entertaining once you get used to it.
Any adaptation of the Popeye character must, of course, start with the actor playing Popeye, and in Robin Williams the filmmakers got it right. Williams is the perfect embodiment of the character, from the proper bounce and swagger to the squinty eye, bulging forearms, and pipe. If Williams appears at times difficult to understand, it's because he's doing such a good imitation of the original voice of Popeye (Jack Mercer, among others) in the early animated films. In any case, Williams gets it right, and it remains one of the actor's best performances. Interestingly, the part was initially offered to Dustin Hoffman, who eventually backed out because of creative differences with the script.
The supporting cast are no less accomplished and embody the cartoon characters with consummate ease. Shelley Duvall seems born to play Olive Oyl ("I hate this hat; this is an ugly hat!"). The superb character actors Paul Dooley and Ray Walston play Wimpy ("I would gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today") and Poopdeck Pappy ("Haul ass, haul ass!") respectively. Big Paul L. Smith plays Captain Bluto ("I'm mean!"); MacIntyre Dixon is Cole Oyl ("You owe me an apology!"); Richard Libertini is Mr. Geezil ("Hoopla, hoopla, pooey!"); Donald Moffat is the Taxman ("That's ten cents question tax!"); Donavan Scott is Castor Oyl; Peter Bray is Oxblood Oxheart; Linda Hunt is Oxblood's mother; and Wesley Ivan Hurt, Altman's grandson, plays Swee'pea.
Among the others in the ensemble are the familiar characters in the world of Popeye: Ham Gravy, Bill Barnacle, Harry Hotcash, Scoop, Chizzelflint, Splatz, Slick, the Walfleur sisters, Mayor Stonefeller, Von Schnitzel, Pickelina, and the toughs: Spike, Slug, Butch, Mort, Gozo, and Bolo.
The settings, too, are a match for the old cartoons. Sweethaven was built on the coast of Malta to resemble a chintzy, rundown New England-style village, and with its rickety buildings, wacky catwalks, and meandering stairways it looks every inch the goofy backdrop for the ancient animations. Indeed, the sets are half the fun of the picture.
Then, there are the songs. This is the area that either makes or breaks the movie for most folks because they aren't what you expect. Harry Nilsson's tunes are not the zippy, up-tempo ditties you depend upon in a typical musical comedy. Well, this isn't a typical musical comedy. Nilsson opts, instead, for mood pieces. The lyrics are funny enough, but the music is meant to parallel the characters and their actions. Take the opening tune, for instance, "The Sweethaven Anthem." It's practically a dirge because the people of Sweethaven are anything but sweet; they're unfriendly and uninviting.
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