With 30 minutes to kill while waiting for a prescription I went into the local "super store" to wander around. Looking for nothing in particular I made my way to electronics. There in the $5 bin I found a copy of Popeye, the 1980 Robert Altman film starring Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall. It is so rewarding to revisit a cherished memory from childhood and find it in mint condition. Too often, things pale in comparison (take for example VOLTRON Defender of the Universe. While I will collect everything they put out to honor the memory, many episodes make Speed Racer seem smooth and fluent {it wasn't}). I watched the movie as soon as I got home and am happy to say that, while just silly in parts, it is just as good as I remember it. The actors' cartoonish portrayals of these immortal characters is truly remarkable from Robin Williams' hilarious mutterings, to Shelley Duvall's gangly movements and screechy, "POPEYEEEEEE!!" and Ray Walston's hopping up and down on the poop deck shouting orders.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a Robert Altman film. I didn't know him in 1980 when I was in grade school watching the movie every time it aired on HBO. Since then I have come to love M*A*S*H* and even his final movie, " A Prairie Home Companion". I am going to have to delve into the archives and watch some of his other movies.
4 comments:
THE FUNNY THING ABOUT YOUR RECENT POSTING IS THAT EVERYBODY THAT YOU HAVE JUST MADE REFERENCE TO IS DEAD, LITERALLY AND TRUTHFULLY. IT WAS MOVIES LIKE THE ONE THAT YOU DESCRIBE, AND MORK AND MINDY THAT MADE ROBIN WILLIAMS CAREEER. I HAVE NOT SEEN A GOOD ROBIN WILLIAMS MOVIE IN A LONG TIME. THE LAST ONE THAT I SAW THAT WAS DECENT WAS. I THINK THE TITLE WAS "THE FINAL CUT". IT DEALT WITH THE FUTURE, WITH RW AS A "CUTMAN" WHO CUTS THE RECENTLY DECEASED TAPES INTO BEST OF. IT IS RELATIVELY DECENT, EVEN IF IT DOES NOT SOUND VERY GOOD AT THIS RAMBLE.
I AGREE WITH YOU 100% THAT THINGS THAT I REMEMBER FROM MY CHILDHOOD SEEM TO BE BETTER THEN THEY ACTUALLY WERE
Shelly Duvall is dead??? Holy Crap? When the hell did this happen???
I blame the Canadians for this. I say we take those guys out once and for all for what they did to Shelly!!!
It would seem that the only person that I made reference to that is dead is Robert Altman, unless I am mistaken. The music was done by Harry Nillson, also dead, but he was not mentioned until just now. Please tell me that Shelley Duvall is still with us!
THE FACT THAT I USED THE WORD DEAD IN A LITERAL FASHION, MEANS THAT THE "CAREERS" OF THE CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS ARE DONE, FINISHED KAPUT.
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